Bars "don't look right"

First you have to figure out if your bars are bent or if your tripleclamps are out of wack. Just try looking at your bars, not seeing if they are straight with wheel, but see if they are straight with the bar clamps. If they look bent, just replace them. If they dont look bent, then line up the bars with wheel and see if they look out of wack. If they do, loosen the nut that holds the upper and lower triple clamps together. Then loosen the triple clamp bolts that hold the forks in place. Next, retighten the triple clamp bolts, then the nut that holds the upper and lower together. I think that this is a way to reset the tripleclamps.

IF the bushings are tweaked, the bars will look bent when compared with the bar clamps.

If you don't have a single piece top clamp, the chances of the bushings being tweaked are excellent. Takes a few minutes to resolve that, then you won't have that (if it WAS an issue) to figure into what don't look right.

There are four bushings, two on each post that the handlebars mount to..that are attached to the top clamp. Remove the nut (there is a cotter pin in the bolt , or there SHOULD be!) on the bottom of each post and pull the handlebars up out of the top clamp. **Note** how the washers come off. You don't need to take off any levers or switches.

Take out the four bushings, put them back into different holes. Reassemble. Put the washers back on the same way they came off.

Seeing as the bars ARE bushed, they WILL move when you put them back on. If you crank the nuts down so tight that they DON'T move, you tightened them down too far. If you have a question regarding an actual torque figure, let me know. I'll look it up.

BTW...I happened on this post pretty much on accident. Wasn't ignoring it. Maybe you hoped I DIDN'T see it.......I tend to kinda run on........

Sorry 'bout that.

re: fall out or poke..

Probably poke. It's not a 'really stuck' thing. But they won't likely fall out, either.

My bushings had to be 'reset' (taken out and put back in) quite a number of times before I got a one piece top clamp. Since the clamp install, I haven't had to mess with 'em once.

Something to put on your christmas list!

I believe FRP has the clamp (fredette).


I'll send you a bill! ;)

You're certainly welcome.

Cheers!

I had this same problem on my old CR. Often when I crashed the bars got tweaked... and it was just the rubber bushings moving around. I just had to loosen them, wiggle the bars around, and tighten them up... moving them around would probably be even better. I guess I'm not the only one who had that problem...

Andy