My handlebars broke
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 666
Likes: 1
From: Cavendish, Pei
RE: My handlebars broke
Next time after you drill the oblong holes, use a large washer and cut it about 1/8" bigger around the edges of the hole. . Weld it on, paint the welds ,and you are all set. It will never happen again. This is why when I watch any bike building show, and see them drilling holes for wires in the frame, I think of the poor sap that buysthe bike.Any serious riding and it will develop cracks in the frame..Mark....
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,220
Likes: 2
From: iowa
RE: My handlebars broke
Wild1's site specifically states to not use the stock 2 piece clamp, they claim it is a poor design that doesn't support the bar in the middle. They recommend the 56170-83TA clamp, mine cost about 17 or 18 bucks. Here is their how-to page for their bars. http://www.wild1inc.com/rktechtips.html Hope this helps.
Jeff
Jeff
Thread Starter
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,108
Likes: 9
From: Lincolnton, NC
RE: My handlebars broke
I went by the dealer yesterday and picked up a new set of bars, installed them last night. Left the wiring outside this time. I checked a few things during teardown. The bolts that come in to the risers from the bottom were loose. Took a full turn on both of them to get to the proper torque spec. I'm sure that contributed to the loose feeling in the bars as much as anything. Did it contribute to the falure I had? Don't know. The clamps were tight and had the proper torque.
If I rode mainly solo I may have considered ( but not long )another method to run the wiring back inside again, it really cleans things up. But as often as I ride with my wife there's no way I'd go that way again, knowing what I do now.
My main goal when I changed bars originally was to get a set that were comfortable, I didn't necessarily want or need a set of 1.25" bars. The internal wiring to me was just a plus. As I said earlier, from the info I had gathered on this forum I thought this was a fairly common modification. Was I trying to save a buck? I guess we all try to when we can. I saw a picture on this forum of a UC on a table lift inside a garage larger than my house having the Fullsac conversion installed. Was this guy cutting corners or being thrifty? The impression I got was if the owner can afford a UC, a table lift and a pretty good sized garage, he can afford to buy whatever he wants. And in this case, he doesn't want to spend $700 on a set of Rineharts to achieve his goal. I guess that's why H-D makes more than one model motorcycle, we don't all want the same thing.
I'll chalk this up to a lesson learned the hard way, seems to be the way I do most of my learning. I hope others will also learn from my screw-up and not do the same. With all I've gained and learned from this forum it's my way of trying to give a little something back.
If I rode mainly solo I may have considered ( but not long )another method to run the wiring back inside again, it really cleans things up. But as often as I ride with my wife there's no way I'd go that way again, knowing what I do now.
My main goal when I changed bars originally was to get a set that were comfortable, I didn't necessarily want or need a set of 1.25" bars. The internal wiring to me was just a plus. As I said earlier, from the info I had gathered on this forum I thought this was a fairly common modification. Was I trying to save a buck? I guess we all try to when we can. I saw a picture on this forum of a UC on a table lift inside a garage larger than my house having the Fullsac conversion installed. Was this guy cutting corners or being thrifty? The impression I got was if the owner can afford a UC, a table lift and a pretty good sized garage, he can afford to buy whatever he wants. And in this case, he doesn't want to spend $700 on a set of Rineharts to achieve his goal. I guess that's why H-D makes more than one model motorcycle, we don't all want the same thing.
I'll chalk this up to a lesson learned the hard way, seems to be the way I do most of my learning. I hope others will also learn from my screw-up and not do the same. With all I've gained and learned from this forum it's my way of trying to give a little something back.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,515
Likes: 6
From:
RE: My handlebars broke
ORIGINAL: Neckball
I'll chalk this up to a lesson learned the hard way, seems to be the way I do most of my learning. I hope others will also learn from my screw-up and not do the same. With all I've gained and learned from this forum it's my way of trying to give a little something back.
I'll chalk this up to a lesson learned the hard way, seems to be the way I do most of my learning. I hope others will also learn from my screw-up and not do the same. With all I've gained and learned from this forum it's my way of trying to give a little something back.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 5,939
Likes: 3
From: TX
RE: My handlebars broke
ORIGINAL: gunrunner
You jerry rigged a set of bars to save paying the big bucks for custom cut renforced bars made for inside wiring, this time you were lucky it didnt cost you your life. Some mods just are not safe, I would forget inside wiring unless I bought the right set of bars.
You jerry rigged a set of bars to save paying the big bucks for custom cut renforced bars made for inside wiring, this time you were lucky it didnt cost you your life. Some mods just are not safe, I would forget inside wiring unless I bought the right set of bars.
I know of two people that have had the exact same thing happen.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,143
Likes: 0
From: Snowflake, Arizona
RE: My handlebars broke
Neckball... glad you were taking care of your bike... that is a benefit of wax'n and clean'n a bike... it gives us a chance to check stuff and know our bikes... glad your are safe there bro...
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