Lowering Honda GB400 handlebars?

[mark247]

Hey guys,

I have a fairing from a CB750 which i am going to modify to fit on my GB400. It came off a CB750 race bike and the handle bars on it were lowered meaning that i need to lower my handlebars for it to fit on to my bike. Is it possible to just take the handle bars off and unassemble the top part of the forks and put them lower? Or do i need to buy some new custom handle bars that just clip on or something?

I have attached a photo of the bike, hope it helps.

Thanks

[xwhatsit]

Yours do clip on. What you'll need to do, is instead of having the clipons (your particular breed of handlebars -- we've had this conversation, have we not? ) on top of the top triple clamp, they'll need to go underneath the top triple clamp. This is slightly a pain in the arse, but it's not too hard, especially having a centre stand.

Put the bike on centre stand, then put something heavy on the passenger seat so the front wheel is in the air (not necessary, but makes it a little easier). You'll need to undo the clipons with an allen key and take them off. Next, undo the triple clamp pinch bolts -- don't forget to do that on the bottom clamp as well! Back them right off, it makes it easier. The forks should now be free in the triple clamps. You need to drop them down enough to get the clipons in -- if it's hard to do, try rocking the forks back and forward and they should slip down. Then just put the clipons on.

You may find you have levers in the way of indicators and shit. You might need to detach cables in order to reroute them around other stuff. Your brake hydraulic line will probably be too long now, and snake around a little bit, but that doesn't really matter. Just make sure nothing is in danger of getting entangled in the front wheel.

EDIT: And oh yeah, we want to see pictures!

[Bonez]

Put the bike on centre stand, then put something heavy on the passenger seat so the front wheel is in the air (not necessary, but makes it a little easier).

Better off with some thing under the engine/frame rails/exhaust. The front wheel will probably need to be removed to drop the tubes low enough to fit the clip-ons below the top triple clamp.

What type of CB750 are we talking about here? And a pic of the fairing would be helpfull.

[Shadows]

Is it possible to just take the handle bars off and unassemble the top part of the forks and put them lower? Or do i need to buy some new custom handle bars that just clip on or something?

Better off with some thing under the engine/frame rails/exhaust. The front wheel will probably need to be removed to drop the tubes low enough to fit the clip-ons below the top triple clamp.

Once upon a time I had a GB... and did just that... put the clip-ons below the triple tree. It was a piece of piss, think it only took an half hour or so, I don't remember needing to even take the front wheel off.
It changed the whole look of the bike for the better, it did the replica thing much better like that.

[Bonez]

Once upon a time I had a GB... and did just that... put the clip-ons below the triple tree. It was a piece of piss, think it only took an half hour or so, I don't remember needing to even take the front wheel off.

Looked at my GB and there's only an inch or two clearance with the back wheel on the ground. Not enough to lower the tubes down far enough. The tubes stick a fare way through the top triple clamp.

Mind you mine has inch spacers in the tubes and my shocks aren't standard items.

[maniac]

Have a mate that lowered the clip-ons, Really easy and not recomended to lower tubes because it will change the whole geometry of the bike. maybe post some close ups of your tripple clamp?

[mark247]

I lowered the clip ons and it looked really good but it didnt work out. Once i lined the my cheap fairing up it looks way to big ( CB750 fairing on a GB400 ) and also the handle bars kept hitting the tank and chipping it, even when fully adjusted outwards. So i moved them back to how it was, and scrapped the fairing idea. Any idea of how to make it so it doesnt hit the tank?

[Shadows]

I lowered the clip ons and it looked really good but it didnt work out. Once i lined the my cheap fairing up it looks way to big ( CB750 fairing on a GB400 ) and also the handle bars kept hitting the tank and chipping it, even when fully adjusted outwards. So i moved them back to how it was, and scrapped the fairing idea. Any idea of how to make it so it doesnt hit the tank?

I don't recall my clip-ons hitting the tank. I did angle them forward a bit though. One thing you could possibly do is build up the stoppers on your frame which limit your steering lock with a weld, or some knead-it or whatever, so that you can no longer turn the forks quite so far. Bodgy, I know, but a solution.

[Shadows]

Looked at my GB and there's only an inch or two clearance with the back wheel on the ground. Not enough to lower the tubes down far enough. The tubes stick a fare way through the top triple clamp.

Mind you mine has inch spacers in the tubes and my shocks aren't standard items.

I could possibly have had a memory lapse. I might have jacked the front up to do it.

[xwhatsit]

Nah, I think it's your custom bits Bonez. On my CB250RS I didn't need to drop the wheel off.

At any rate, what usually happens is that as you drop the forks out, because the weight of the forks and wheel is no longer pulling the front of the bike down, the bike will happily sit on its arse without any weight.

How much steering lock did you still have? As long as you still had a decent chunk, I'd do what Shadows suggested and put some Knead-it on the steering stopper thingie. Or just not turn the handlebars full-lock, which is what I did when I had my bars super-low.

Of course if you think the fairing looks shite then there's not much point.