Bar end removal probelm

[lucas]

Hi all,

Dam. I went to remove the bar ends and the pieces inside the bar that attach to the bar end screws are still in the bars. How the heck do I get those other parts out of the bars?

I can see them in there but they continue to move toward the middle of the bars when I try to get something to grab them with. They are lose enough to move backward, but not lose enough to allow gravity to make them fall out.

Should I push them out with a plumbers snake from one end of the bars?

Right now I don't have any bar ends because they will not tighten on to anything.

Any ideas?  

Thanks,

Lucas

[stormi]

Dam. I went to remove the bar ends and the pieces inside the bar that attach to the bar end screws are still in the bars. How the heck do I get those other parts out of the bars?

Can you get a longer screw with the same threads?  The dealer may know what the thread is, or you might be able to find it on the fiche.  Then very gently thread it left, til you feel it drop, then tighten a few revolutions.  This should allow you to pull the weight out, without tightening so much that you begin to "expand" the weight to hold it in place.

[Sven]

I had this happen to me once.  If you can get the long bolts back into the parts that are still in the bars, screw them back in and then P-U-L-L really hard to get them out.  (They don't just slide out easily.)  The mistake was in unscrewing the bolt all the way out, instead of just a little way to let the weights uncompress and then pulling the potmetal weight out.

If not, Stormi's suggestion is about the best I can come up with.

[dsartwell1]

A coat hanger with a small bend on the end worked for me.

[Old_n_Slow]

I did the same thing several months ago when the retaining screws fell into the bars after removing the bar ends and finally resolved the problem by simply blowing into one end of the handlebar as hard as I could. Actually, it was too hard since the retaining screws flew out so fast they hit my car and dinged the paint.

[lucas]

Hi,

Thanks for the idea. I'm going to continue my quest to remove those parts this morning. I'll try blowing. The throttle side parts seem really lose, but the clutch side is wedged in there real tight. I don't have compressed air but there is a gas station across the street that has some.

Yesterday, I rode the bike to work without the bar ends. I can't really discern much difference in vibration. Maybe a little more at lower RPM but definitely the same at freeway speeds. I don't think the weights really do much to help with vibration.

I would like to shoot the evil genius that decided to secure bar end weights using this method. Why not just put a screw through the handlebars.

Thanks to all,

Lucas

[fritobandito]

Seems to be a common problem. Mine were close enough that I was able to get to them with a drill. I chewed them up till the pieces fell out.

[lucas]

Thanks for the help from all of you.

I got one side out with a coat hanger and WD-40 (mangeled it pretty bad) and then was able to blow the parts out the other side.  

Lucas  

[stormi]

Glad to hear you got it out.  

I noticed a similar problem with my Bandit when the weight was removed.  It's a strange system, that I've seem on 10 speed bikes, but I didn't expect to see it on a motorcycle.  

My Honda has a different system that sort of works the way you're describing.   It has a "clip" that allows you to compress it, and pull the weight out.  It has it's own issues though.  In order to get to the spot where you need to compress it, you -may- have to remove the grip.  ( I lucked out, and managed without ),  It may be that Suzuki was trying to avoid that possibility, or they had a case of the "it's always been done that way, so we'll continue to do it this way" syndrome.

[lucas]

Glad to hear you got it out.  

I noticed a similar problem with my Bandit when the weight was removed.  It's a strange system, that I've seem on 10 speed bikes, but I didn't expect to see it on a motorcycle.  

.

My Haynes manual says, quote "remove the screw and then the bar ends". That's the worst advice ever for removing the bar ends. And I thought I could trust my Haynes manual. What I do trust is the combined knowledge of all the bandit owners on this board



Lucas

[stormi]

My Haynes manual says, quote "remove the screw and then the bar ends". That's the worst advice ever for removing the bar ends. And I thought I could trust my Haynes manual. What I do trust is the combined knowledge of all the bandit owners on this board



Lucas

LMAO! Did the next step say "lay the bike on it's side and shake to get the rest out"?   I'm surprised at Haynes!  

Yes, trust in the Alley, the alley is good.  

[lucas]

Ya, I got issues with Haynes. I think they just buy a brand new motorcycle of the type that they are going to issue a maunal for then they tear it apart. Well, the problem with that is that eveything looks so much easer in the manual than doing it in real life on a bike thats got miles on it. For instance in the manual it takes you through the steps to do the valve adjustment; but, they do it on a motor that is not in the frame. No wonder it's easy for them. And yes they tell you about the other steps like taking the tank off, but they don't actually do it them selves like you or I would. I just don't think they do stuff in the real world that you and I inhabit.

That's my rant about Haynes.

Lucas

[stormi]

Ya, I got issues with Haynes. I think they just buy a brand new motorcycle of the type that they are going to issue a maunal for then they tear it apart.

That's pretty much exactly what they do.  The thing with Haynes is that they write for "mechanics", or pretty experienced amateurs,for the most part.  They make a lot of assumptions.  This is the same in a lot of the Haynes manuals that I have.  Firebird, Jeep, F150, ZX2, they all make a fair number of assumptions.

[TipsyMcStagger]

Just a follow on question....I've never removed the stock bar ends, but I have a set of Superbike bars sitting here waiting to go on.  So what IS the correct way to remove the bar ends?

I'm guessing you back the screw off a few turns and then yank the bar end out (w/o fully removing the screw)???

TIA.

Tipsy

[stormi]

Correct.  It will likely be a bit of a bear to get out, but it will come out the way you described.  

Often when I do this, I use a pair of vise grips once the bar end is out far enough to grasp the threaded area.  Just don't squish the threads. the vise grips are just for leverage, not needed to "grip".