Handlebar Options

[JonnyQuest]

Hey all, I’m looking for some bar options, nothing drastic or drag bars, just a slight lean forward position.

Will any manufacturer work or are there a select few?

Thanks!

 

[rebeltaz83]

https://www.vmaxforum.net/threads/pro-taper-bars-installed-on-1700-vmax.47938/

Check this out.

 

[JonnyQuest]

https://www.vmaxforum.net/threads/pro-taper-bars-installed-on-1700-vmax.47938/

Check this out.

Thank you!!

 

[user 16790]

I straightened my originals

 

[JonnyQuest]

I straightened my originals

How did you go about that? Did you take it to someone, welder/pipe fitter?

 

[user 16790]

I used my vice and a long piece of tube that fits over the bars, clamp the bars at an angle where the bottom (mount area) and the rise part are both in the vice to stop them spinning, use the longer tube over the switch mounting area to bend to desired angle,
smooth off the inside edge of the tube and put some tape around the bar to stop it marking, also make sure you line the vice with a suitable protection too, tape is ok,
to get them even on both sides make sure you clamp them identically for both sides, and make sure you push/pull the over tube at the same height etc.
you can use a nice flat surface (kitchen work top) to measure and tweak as needed

 

[rebeltaz83]

Metal fatigues the more it's bent, just fyi.

 

[user 16790]

of course it does, but it isn't being bent that many times

 

[Tony Strange]

My Dad has a great story of him riding 80 mph down the highway and his handlebar broke in half (after straightening them) he was very lucky not to have crashed. I have straightened dirtbike handlebars but not street bars. They never seem to get back like they were.

 

[JonnyQuest]

I placed an order with Morley

 

[user 16790]

oh dear, maybe they shouldn't bend the steel to shape to begin with then, they could snap at any time, oh wait, the countless amount of handlebars I've bent or fabricated myself have never broken, I must be doing something wrong

 

[Tony Strange]

oh dear, maybe they shouldn't bend the steel to shape to begin with then, they could snap at any time, oh wait, the countless amount of handlebars I've bent or fabricated myself have never broken, I must be doing something wrong

I’m sure they are not “cold formed”

 

[one2dmax]

Steel bars are likely cold formed but one time only and then stress relieved though they could be formed when hot. Aluminum bars are likely formed in an "o" or "w" condition and then heat treated. They can age harden somewhat but usually most would be heat treated to a "T" series (likely T6). Neither is going to like being reformed in room conditions without causing stress risers if all you are doing is bending them. You destroy the metallrugical structure of the bar.

 

[Tony Strange]

Steel bars are likely cold formed but one time only and then stress relieved though they could be formed when hot. Aluminum bars are likely formed in an "o" or "w" condition and then heat treated. They can age harden somewhat but usually most would be heat treated to a "T" series (likely T6). Neither is going to like being reformed in room conditions without causing stress risers if all you are doing is bending them. You destroy the metallrugical structure of the bar.

And I’m sure they would be drawn over a mandrel.

 

[user 16790]

so all the companies or businesses that straighten bent forks and straighten or realign motorcycle frames are actually lucky that none of their repairs have broken apart in use then,
when I'm talking of bending bars I'm not turning a pair of ape hangers into a straight drag bar, they are just being tweaked, in the case of my standard bars the ends have gone forward by about two and a half inches and by the method I use with the vice, the bend is more of a twist in the curved section, given the length of the switch gear section the amount of movement at the actual point of bend is very small, barely any more or even less than how much a bar can bend just by a bike falling over,
for them to break in use I'd suggest that the bending would have to be rather extreme or repeated many times or the metal was badly corroded or damaged in some other way,
to break even something like fencing wire by bending an area of only half an inch can take hundreds of repeated bends to get it to break, but close the bend area down to so small that it kinks the wire then it will break much sooner, I do not do repeated bends and I do not put any kind of kink in the bars,
I know there are many types of metals with differing molecular structures which is why I mentioned the fork and frame businesses,
also don't forget that even standard manufactured frames have cracked in bent and unbent areas due to stresses, I have bent, formed and created many handlebars over the years with none ever breaking, I will be making my own handlebars for my VMAX out of stainless tube because I can not buy any that suit my wrists needs, I have also made many backrests and modified some frames also which none have ever failed to stay together

 

[user 16790]

this is the last pair of handlebars I made, they are stainless 'fat bars' with the switch gear area being 22mm, the drop is 25mm and the clamping area is 28mm, I had to do fat bars as my son had machined me some risers of those dimensions, they were for my 'tribute' bike that I did for our dogs, a 1987 GPz750
,

 

[YAMAHASAVAGE]

Cool, I wish I could train my dog to ride.

 

[Tony Strange]

Cool, I wish I could train my dog to ride.

this is the last pair of handlebars I made, they are stainless 'fat bars' with the switch gear area being 22mm, the drop is 25mm and the clamping area is 28mm, I had to do fat bars as my son had machined me some risers of those dimensions, they were for my 'tribute' bike that I did for our dogs, a 1987 GPz750
,View attachment 69602 View attachment 69603 View attachment 69603 View attachment 69604View attachment 69605

Funny, all bar manufacturers recommend not trying to bend their bars back in shape, I guess you are the expert tho

 

[user 16790]

firstly why are you getting so touchy over the fact that I straighten my bars and secondly do you have a link to where I could see such information referring to 'all' the bar manufacturers recommending that ?

 

[Tony Strange]

firstly why are you getting so touchy over the fact that I straighten my bars and secondly do you have a link to where I could see such information referring to 'all' the bar manufacturers recommending that ?

Not being touchy, I have read the info that came with new bars I have purchased in the past and they specifically stated not to attempt to straighten them if bent. I just think on a forum such as this, one must be careful about giving advice on anything that could possibly cause someone to be injured or worse by anyone who choses to take such advice at face value without weighing the consequences. If you want to straighten your bent handle bars, go ahead, I don’t care.