Road King owners: Check your bars!
#1
08-30-2010, 06:15 PM
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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Road King owners: Check your bars!
OK, so here's the thing:
Last Friday, I was backing out of the driveway. I swung to the left, applied a little front brake, and everything went to hell.
Seems that when I stopped, there was just enough momentum to finish the process of destroying my handlebars. The left grip went down and forward, the throttle came back towards me. Needless to say, I completely lost control of the bike, but was able to slow its inevitable decent to the pavement. Since there was no rigidity in the bars anymore, getting it upright was a chore, to say the least. Fortunately, a neighbor came over, and we got it into the driveway.
So...I tear apart the nacelle and everything to find out what happened. The bars broke right between the risers. Not good. Thank God the wife & I weren't on the freeway!
When I went to the indy shop to get replacement bars, that's when I found out the bars I had in two pieces were not stock bars, as I had thought. I'm trying to figure out what they were, exactly, because the new stock bars SUCK! Too narrow, they look wimpy as hell, and I feel like I'm on a Vespa.
The indy wrench explained to me this theory:
When the original owner had the stock bars swapped out, the mechanic that did the work SHOULD have replaced the two stock clamps with a one-piece bar clamp. Seems that the wider, thicker bars can apply somewhat more torque, and since the risers are rubber-mounted, things can flex a bit. Enough that after 10 years, the bars gave out at the bottom, where the internal wires exit, and go into the nacelle.
So, RK owners, take an afternoon to check out what's under that handlebar clamp cover! You may be glad you did!
Last Friday, I was backing out of the driveway. I swung to the left, applied a little front brake, and everything went to hell.
Seems that when I stopped, there was just enough momentum to finish the process of destroying my handlebars. The left grip went down and forward, the throttle came back towards me. Needless to say, I completely lost control of the bike, but was able to slow its inevitable decent to the pavement. Since there was no rigidity in the bars anymore, getting it upright was a chore, to say the least. Fortunately, a neighbor came over, and we got it into the driveway.
So...I tear apart the nacelle and everything to find out what happened. The bars broke right between the risers. Not good. Thank God the wife & I weren't on the freeway!
When I went to the indy shop to get replacement bars, that's when I found out the bars I had in two pieces were not stock bars, as I had thought. I'm trying to figure out what they were, exactly, because the new stock bars SUCK! Too narrow, they look wimpy as hell, and I feel like I'm on a Vespa.
The indy wrench explained to me this theory:
When the original owner had the stock bars swapped out, the mechanic that did the work SHOULD have replaced the two stock clamps with a one-piece bar clamp. Seems that the wider, thicker bars can apply somewhat more torque, and since the risers are rubber-mounted, things can flex a bit. Enough that after 10 years, the bars gave out at the bottom, where the internal wires exit, and go into the nacelle.
So, RK owners, take an afternoon to check out what's under that handlebar clamp cover! You may be glad you did!
#2
08-30-2010, 06:45 PM
#4
08-30-2010, 08:31 PM
#6
08-30-2010, 08:45 PM
Outstanding HDF Member
OP....glad to hear you are OK. HD sells the one piece, I think the unfinished version is less then $20 and the chrome one is about $30. Cheap insurance.
I got lucky when I did my 08 I bought the chrome because it was all they had in stock. Then found out MOCO changed to a one-piece in 08.
Hung over the workbench for 2+ years, kept thinking I should ebay it. This summer we bought the wife an 07 RKC and Saturday I put WO 518's on it. That nice chrome one-piece now sits under her nachelle!
I got lucky when I did my 08 I bought the chrome because it was all they had in stock. Then found out MOCO changed to a one-piece in 08.
Hung over the workbench for 2+ years, kept thinking I should ebay it. This summer we bought the wife an 07 RKC and Saturday I put WO 518's on it. That nice chrome one-piece now sits under her nachelle!
#7
08-30-2010, 08:48 PM
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#8
08-30-2010, 08:57 PM
Outstanding HDF Member
I think these are still good numbers.
Wild 1 recommends a one piece clamp part number 55918-08 that's almost $36. Harley had a 55917-08 for $21 but it's been superceded by the more expensive 55918-08 clamp. Still available, however, and also equal to the task is the old 56170-83T. It's only $16. (from a 2009 thread)
Wild 1 recommends a one piece clamp part number 55918-08 that's almost $36. Harley had a 55917-08 for $21 but it's been superceded by the more expensive 55918-08 clamp. Still available, however, and also equal to the task is the old 56170-83T. It's only $16. (from a 2009 thread)
#9
08-30-2010, 09:04 PM
Thanks.
I think these are still good numbers.
Wild 1 recommends a one piece clamp part number 55918-08 that's almost $36. Harley had a 55917-08 for $21 but it's been superceded by the more expensive 55918-08 clamp. Still available, however, and also equal to the task is the old 56170-83T. It's only $16. (from a 2009 thread)
Wild 1 recommends a one piece clamp part number 55918-08 that's almost $36. Harley had a 55917-08 for $21 but it's been superceded by the more expensive 55918-08 clamp. Still available, however, and also equal to the task is the old 56170-83T. It's only $16. (from a 2009 thread)
