Straightening handlebars

[$CENSLS1$]

Hey guys and gals,
Had a little off me new bike up the bush today, slippery bloody clay!
Anyhow, its pushed the right hand bar back towards me slightly, I was just wondering what is the best way to straighten them up with out damaging anything else?
Thanks
Garry

[redr1]

Best to get new in my opinion.Reheating and straightening will weaken the alloy. Last thing you want is a handle bar to snap under heavy breaking.

[crashe]

What kind of bike you got.......??????
EDIT in this one line: Oh I see you have since updated your "whats your bike" thingee:
'02 Kawa' KLX250

Contact the dealer to get a price of a new one......

Could be a hell of a lot cheaper to buy another one........

Or see if there is one at a bike wreckers.
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=13359

[$CENSLS1$]

mmm I was looking at some 'Fat Bars', the ones that are on it at the moment look original and seem to bend SO easily.Do all factory bars bend this easily?

[Ixion]

Steel bars ? Wedge front, stand back , aim , kick. Sorted.

[Drum]

Couldn't you take the grips etc off, put a longish steel pipe over it and bend it back (front wedged of course).

[$CENSLS1$]

Couldn't you take the grips etc off, put a longish steel pipe over it and bend it back (front wedged of course).

I might try that, will have to be very careful though.Perhaps I should look into some decent bars..anyone got any they want to get rid of?

[James Deuce]

Is the bar bent or are the forks twisted in the triple clamps?

[$CENSLS1$]

Is the bar bent or are the forks twisted in the triple clamps?

From what I can tell it's only the handle bars, is there any easy way of telling which is bent?

[ArcherWC]

the standard steel bars are absolute dogpoo, they will bend if you breath on them hard. fork out for some basic ally one's, you wont be dissapointed

[F5 Dave]

Steel bars do have the advantage that can be straightened. Take of any breaky thing. Biiig rubber mallet.

You're two down with the bases loaded, here comes the pitch. -- It's a fast one.

SWING!!!

repeat



PS: keep a good hold of the mallet, trust me on this one.

[Henk]

If they are the standard steel bars they are easy to straighten as in the posts above.
Personally I'd get alloy bars, even the cheapest will be a lot stronger than steel.
At worst I was getting through a set a year when I was starting out and crashing a lot. You shouldn't straighten aloy bars but the $100 a year you might spend on them is easily outweighed in my opinion by the fact that you don't spend half of every third ride on a bike that feels weird because one hand is an inch closer to you than the other.

[$CENSLS1$]

Yeah I was looking at some Tappered bars today with some clamps and a slight lift.Approx $170 for 'SX'? bars and clamps.

Sound too expensive?

[F5 Dave]

What you are prepared to pay, I bought some std size ones as it keeps it cheaper (in RM bend which suits me at 5'9"), ProTaper do a 7/8th series that aren't anywhere near that & seem pretty good.