Loose Handle Bars
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 190
Likes: 4
Loose Handle Bars
My bars will not tighten up enough to keep them tight. I had a flat this year and had bike flat bed to dealer while in VT. Bars got pulled down by straps. I torqued them 16-18# like dealer said. He said might need new bars as the knurling might be bad. Any one with same experience?
Road Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,121
Likes: 3
From: Mass.
Sorry but, that about covers strapping a bike down by the handlebars.
You will need to replace the bars, as the dealer said, the knurling has been stripped. The bars will never be secure again.
But look at the bright side, maybe some apes? ;-0
You will need to replace the bars, as the dealer said, the knurling has been stripped. The bars will never be secure again.
But look at the bright side, maybe some apes? ;-0
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 190
Likes: 4
Right, you don`t strap them down with handlebars! I always used triple tree. Situation just happened that way and now I pay the price. Have Heritage bars already which are alot higher than stock RK bars. Dealer said cheaper to swap out. Now carry my own straps!
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,916
Likes: 31
From: earth
The knurling may still be OK, I would pull the top clamp and see for yourself, use a wire brush to clean the hard steel bar knurling because it is likely loaded with the soft aluminum from the clamp. Reassemble and use the torque wrench, the clamp bolts are paired on each side like a cable clamp, so if 1 bolt on one side is loose, that whole side is loose; if any 1 of the 4 bolts is loose, you only have half the clamping power remaining. You can also put some red high strength threadlocker between the bar and clamp (after you commit to a bar position). Merry Christmas
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,716
Likes: 8
From: General Sherman's Christmas Location 1864
make sure you tighten the bolts even..and look for a small gap.
one side bottems out you're stessing the clamp.
some aluminum wool or some kind kind of "filler" will help but may not be permanant.
Or clean out the knurling like other said and "rough them up"
I use to hit my bicycle handlebars once or twice with a soft face hammer.and it worked great
one side bottems out you're stessing the clamp.
some aluminum wool or some kind kind of "filler" will help but may not be permanant.
Or clean out the knurling like other said and "rough them up"
I use to hit my bicycle handlebars once or twice with a soft face hammer.and it worked great
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,360
Likes: 3
From: Naalehu, Hawaii
On my stepson's springer softtail his apes were loose. We bought a 3/4 inch copper pipe sweat coupling, cut it in half lengthways and put one piece in each clamp and tightened to spec plus 3 lbs or so. The copper being softer spread to the diameter of the bars and dug right into the knurling. No more movement.
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Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 10,216
Likes: 224
From: Glendale AZ
When I put Heritage Bars on my RK I wasn't sure they were going to tighten up and have the same problem your describing but they seem to be ok....I may have to take further steps should that change.
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