Bent handlebar - options?

[davebullet]

SV650 - naked with single piece bar.

Previous owner dropped the bike and the right handlebar was bent about where the throttle master cylinder bolts on. It's a minor bend.

The problem is the handlebar gets close to the tank on full right lock. So close that it is dangerous if you are doing a u'ey and your thumb gets caught between the grip and tank causing you to throttle up.

What are my options?:
1. I've tried rolling the bar forward a notch to clear the tank more. Fixes the lack of gap problem above, but then it has kinked the front brake line against the triple clamp and is a little too forward leaning for my liking
2. Take the bar off and have it straightened
3. Replace the bar with stock
4. Replace the bar with an aftermarket. The problem is on the sv650 the bar clamps are not standard issue width (quite close together). I don't know if Renthal or Ventura sell bars with a knurled spacing that will fit. The other issue is I don't want a wide bar (quite like it narrow for splitting as I mostly commute)
5. Use existing handlebar but Fit bar risers and buy a new brake line

Any other ideas? One you'd prefer over the other?

I'm leaning toward 2. or 5. as at least it would be cheaper than a new bar and I know everything will fit when I put it back on. Has anyone straightened a bar before? Or would you take it to an engineering firm?

Cheers,
Dave.

[MSTRS]

Straighten it. A suitable vice and a longish pipe over the end of the bent bar to give lots of control.

[HenryDorsetCase]

SV650 - naked with single piece bar.

Previous owner dropped the bike and the right handlebar was bent about where the throttle master cylinder bolts on. It's a minor bend.

The problem is the handlebar gets close to the tank on full right lock. So close that it is dangerous if you are doing a u'ey and your thumb gets caught between the grip and tank causing you to throttle up.

What are my options?:
1. I've tried rolling the bar forward a notch to clear the tank more. Fixes the lack of gap problem above, but then it has kinked the front brake line against the triple clamp and is a little too forward leaning for my liking
2. Take the bar off and have it straightened
3. Replace the bar with stock
4. Replace the bar with an aftermarket. The problem is on the sv650 the bar clamps are not standard issue width (quite close together). I don't know if Renthal or Ventura sell bars with a knurled spacing that will fit. The other issue is I don't want a wide bar (quite like it narrow for splitting as I mostly commute)
5. Use existing handlebar but Fit bar risers and buy a new brake line

Any other ideas? One you'd prefer over the other?

I'm leaning toward 2. or 5. as at least it would be cheaper than a new bar and I know everything will fit when I put it back on. Has anyone straightened a bar before? Or would you take it to an engineering firm?

Cheers,
Dave.

I put different bars on mine. Renthal IIRC. that was more because I didnt like the stock bend, not that they were bent. I would have given you mine if I still had them, but I used them on another bike.

From memory, too, the switchblocks are pegged to holes in the bars as well? not sure: they definitely are on a Honda Hornet.

It should straignten OK: they are just mild steel right? and if you fuck them well, they're already fucked.

plus if you get to buy a new brakeline, get braided steel all the way to the calipers. It will make a huge difference.

and some cartridge emulators and fork springs.

Oh and an Ohlins.

and dump the stock can

...........................wait, wht were we talking about again? ;)

[JimO]

my boys vtr had bent bars when i bought it i bought new ones for around $80.00

[one fast tl1ooo]

price up some new bars. mite be cheaper than you think.

[davebullet]

I put different bars on mine. Renthal IIRC. that was more because I didnt like the stock bend, not that they were bent. I would have given you mine if I still had them, but I used them on another bike.

From memory, too, the switchblocks are pegged to holes in the bars as well? not sure: they definitely are on a Honda Hornet.

It should straignten OK: they are just mild steel right? and if you fuck them well, they're already fucked.

plus if you get to buy a new brakeline, get braided steel all the way to the calipers. It will make a huge difference.

and some cartridge emulators and fork springs.

Oh and an Ohlins.

and dump the stock can

...........................wait, wht were we talking about again? ;)

Good point about holes to peg the switch block. I hadn't thought of that. Yeah - I would definitely go the s/s braided line route if I replaced the bar

It has a 2brothers can (came with it). Installing hotgrips is next, then maybe suspension upgrades will be next (as long as the missus doesn't find out)... or I'll get the "You've spent far too much money on that bike as it is" lecture.

[davebullet]

Straighten it. A suitable vice and a longish pipe over the end of the bent bar to give lots of control.

I think I'll give this a go first.

I don't have a vice, but have some Arnold Schwarzenegger sized g clamps. If I lay the bar flat on the bench, with some groved timber over the top (via the plunge router) and clamp the bugger - should be able to straighten.

I just need to lay may hands on some 1" / oversized pipe for the job. Bending it from the inside would be a no-no - correct? Since you risk "out of rounding" the tube and that wouldn't make for smooth throttle operation.

[davebullet]

my boys vtr had bent bars when i bought it i bought new ones for around $80.00


price up some new bars. mite be cheaper than you think.

Good idea. I'm just so used to stock (OEM) parts being a real rip-off for what they are.

I'll check out the prices, then if the straightening turns to crap, I can at least know what I'm up for (since I have to take them off to do the job anyway).

Reason for doing this now... is my soft old hands need them heated grips!

[davebullet]

Well - got a price for a Suzuki stock bar = $159. I'd be better off with a Ventura. Only problem is the wide spacing of the knurls (too wide for the existing clamps).

[FROSTY]

DB dont sweat it dude its frikkin easy peasy.
The bars as stated are mild steel. Just take off the whole throttle assembily from the bar. Yo need an old bit of 1" water pipe about 1.0m long. slide the throttle twist grip back on and mark the position of the bent with a felt pen.
Get someone to hang onto the bike for ya . slide the water pipe up to the line Standing at the front of the bike put ya right hand on the pipe end on the bar and left hand on the far end of water pipe--pull backwards smoothly. Bingo the bars TEMPORARRILY straight.
Personally I'd take it as a chance to permenantly get the right bars.
What you need is a set of 75mm raise ventura bars --theyll cost ya about $45.00.
Dont worry about the knurling on the bars or the spacing they'll clamp up just fine.
Theres a couple of tricks to make the job go smoothly.
Gimme a yeodle

[davebullet]

DB dont sweat it dude its frikkin easy peasy.
The bars as stated are mild steel. Just take off the whole throttle assembily from the bar. Yo need an old bit of 1" water pipe about 1.0m long. slide the throttle twist grip back on and mark the position of the bent with a felt pen.
Get someone to hang onto the bike for ya . slide the water pipe up to the line Standing at the front of the bike put ya right hand on the pipe end on the bar and left hand on the far end of water pipe--pull backwards smoothly. Bingo the bars TEMPORARRILY straight.
Personally I'd take it as a chance to permenantly get the right bars.
What you need is a set of 75mm raise ventura bars --theyll cost ya about $45.00.
Dont worry about the knurling on the bars or the spacing they'll clamp up just fine.
Theres a couple of tricks to make the job go smoothly.
Gimme a yeodle

Ok Frosty - that sounds good. I was thinking I'd have to take the bar off the bike (didnt' want to munter anything else in the process - ie. transfer some warpage to the forks, or munter the master cylinder mount etc...)

I still might remove the bars - since I have to get the grips off to put the heated ones on.

All I've got to do is find some water pipe. I'll give it a go this weekend.

Failing that cycletreads have both the ultra low and low renthal bars for $137. mrmotorcycles.co.nz have them for $109 but I think they are out of business (their phone number no work anyway).

Cheers,
Dave.

[FROSTY]

My advice bud--waste of moolah. The $45.00 bars are gonna be better for your bike. -My opinion of course.
if youre fitting hot grips then all good
Getting the grip off the clutch side-get the bike somewheres with compressed air. Trust me ya can literally float the grip off the bar.
NOW --one lil secret. Most factory bars have locating holes to lock up the switch gear-stop it spinning on the bar.
What ya do is trial fit the new bars and slide all the switch gear and controls back on-dont worry about the cables. set the bars so theyre comfortable and clamp em down tightish. You need to drill one 6mm hole in each side of the bars where the locating pin for the switch gear drops into. To mark where to drill- put a drop of engineers blue on the pins or if not that then a bit of ball point ink -the wet stuff will do the job. then tighten up the scrrews on the switches and bingo 2 blue dots where ya need to drill-

[davebullet]

My advice bud--waste of moolah. The $45.00 bars are gonna be better for your bike. -My opinion of course.
if youre fitting hot grips then all good
Getting the grip off the clutch side-get the bike somewheres with compressed air. Trust me ya can literally float the grip off the bar.
NOW --one lil secret. Most factory bars have locating holes to lock up the switch gear-stop it spinning on the bar.
What ya do is trial fit the new bars and slide all the switch gear and controls back on-dont worry about the cables. set the bars so theyre comfortable and clamp em down tightish. You need to drill one 6mm hole in each side of the bars where the locating pin for the switch gear drops into. To mark where to drill- put a drop of engineers blue on the pins or if not that then a bit of ball point ink -the wet stuff will do the job. then tighten up the scrrews on the switches and bingo 2 blue dots where ya need to drill-

I can't justify the money for the Renthals. I don't want them because they are flashy - just because they raise the bar height a little which would be good. Bar risers are another option. I've found some - but NZ$85 incl. shipping.... I may as well go for a new bar.

Ventura do a similar one (knurls in wrong place) for about $45 as you say... but for the effort of a small bend, I can probably get my old bar in serviceable condition.

When you say "temporary" above... do you mean the bend back on the original bar will have weakened it? If so - I may as well bite the bullet and buy a new bar. Just need to work out which one and how much slack in the cables.

Noted about the holes needed for the control locators. I've read on sv650.org people have filed off the locator tabs - then just used insulation tape underneath to stop the controls sliding around. May be an option as you could position the bar perfectly, then align the controls (without having a fixed hole to restrict you).

[FROSTY]

DB. Id say temporary becauseI dunno how bad the bend is.
I hear what you are saying about duct tape. Trouble is what they are relying on is pressure to hold the blocks in place. That pressure comes from somewhere and its directly on the plastic threads in the block.
Better to do it right and save a lot of greif later on

[davebullet]

DB. Id say temporary becauseI dunno how bad the bend is.
I hear what you are saying about duct tape. Trouble is what they are relying on is pressure to hold the blocks in place. That pressure comes from somewhere and its directly on the plastic threads in the block.
Better to do it right and save a lot of greif later on

The bend is pretty minor - probably 2 - 3 degrees. Not like the circular section of tube has been compromised (ie. become oval).

It's just enough to get the bar too close to the tank when on full lock.

Good point about the locator tabs and stressing the plastic around the screw holes. I measured the SV bars - 660mm across. The Renthals range between 710 (for the ultra low) and 725 (for the low). I'd want to chop an inch off either end to get the same width anyway. So I may as well butcher the old bar I have, than butcher a brand new one :bash:

Might take some photos of the operation and post here for laughs or for future reference. I just need a scantily clad nurse to help me with the procedure.....

[HenryDorsetCase]

My advice bud--waste of moolah. The $45.00 bars are gonna be better for your bike. -My opinion of course.
if youre fitting hot grips then all good
Getting the grip off the clutch side-get the bike somewheres with compressed air. Trust me ya can literally float the grip off the bar.
NOW --one lil secret. Most factory bars have locating holes to lock up the switch gear-stop it spinning on the bar.
What ya do is trial fit the new bars and slide all the switch gear and controls back on-dont worry about the cables. set the bars so theyre comfortable and clamp em down tightish. You need to drill one 6mm hole in each side of the bars where the locating pin for the switch gear drops into. To mark where to drill- put a drop of engineers blue on the pins or if not that then a bit of ball point ink -the wet stuff will do the job. then tighten up the scrrews on the switches and bingo 2 blue dots where ya need to drill-

Frosty, thats good advice re the engineers blue (which I dont have) or pen ink (which I do.)

the other option is to file the locating tabs off the switchblocks entirely, and then use a thin strip of rubber* as a washer to hold the block to the bar. I think I read that tip on KB and its worked a charm for me. no issues with switchblocks spinning, and no requirement to drill a hole in a brand new near $150 Renthal (which if you read the instructions say "Do not use if there is a hole in these bars, do not drill them, discard if bent yada yada")

this sounds like a minor bend in the stock steel bars tho


*bicycle inner tube fTW: I have an endless supply of them.

[pritch]

Yep, my vote is fit Renthals and grind the tits off.

[davebullet]

Yep, my vote is fit Renthals and grind the tits off.

It's not clear on forums.sv650.org whether model by model (or even within the same year) whether there is enough slack in the cables to fit renthals.

The road ultra low have an almost identical profile. The only issue is the width of the bars (about 3 inches wider) - but no-one says you need new brake lines, or length throttle or clutch cables.

I'd be inclined to go for the road low - which is about 1 inch higher than the ultralow. People do talk about re-routing stock cables... something I can just see myself stuffing up.

It's a pity shipping from banditmania.co.uk is so expensive. They have pairs of renthals for 22 pounds - yup - you read that correctly. You need to slap on 35 pounds to ship which brings the total up to NZD$142. Beauty is though, they'll pre-drill your bars for the control tabs (for 3 pounds)....

I'll see how I go this weekend. If I munter the stock bar, then I won't have many choices left !

[FROSTY]

DB--- 3 inches is actually 1.5 inches out each side. If the bars are lower and flatter angled you might find theres actually no issue at all.
Rerouting cables is easy peazy.
what ya might do a headscratch over is the brake hose angle.

[Deano]

Buy me some clip ons and you can have the stock ones off my bike ?

[davebullet]

I spent $60 on 30mm bar risers and installed heated grips at the same time.

I had to re-plumb the headlight cabling, since it ran below the clutch cable and i needed the extra room to stretch. I decided to hide the oxford connectors inside the rear of the headlight cover to give them a bit more weather protection and make the job tidier.

The clutch seems a little harder to pull than before (still releases fine).. so I might by a longer cable so it is a bit more relaxed.

I didn't bother straightening the bars, since the risers now make them clear the tank easily.

[davebullet]

I took the clutch cable out and gave it a lube. Made it run a bit smoother. I rerouted it more directly to provide more slack at the front end. Essentially, I ran it between the forks as before and into the frame (same place) - but below the throttle linkages rather than above - which cut a more direct line to the clutch worm drive thingee.

The stiffness has now gone and I'd say subjectively it is a little smoother than before.

took the hotgrips for a test run tonight... bloody wonderful. After about 7 mins on 100% they were so bloody hot it was getting uncomfortable.... ok it was about 10 degrees outside, but they needed a test.

Just need to adjust the headlight beam angle and she's all done.

The extra height of the bars helps going into corners. Since more of your weight is being held by your core / back and not your wrists, it leaves you to push on the bars for direction rather than also supporting yourself. Hard to explain but I felt I could attack the bends quicker.