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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Crooked handlebars
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Message started by enophile on 08/12/06 at 16:26:29

Title: Crooked handlebars
Post by enophile on 08/12/06 at 16:26:29

My handlebars aren't straight. If I look at the relationship between the handlebar and the bolts at the top of the fork tubes, it is definitely not aligned. I tried loosening the nuts on the bottom (the bolts that hold the handlebars onto the front end) but there isn't enough play to align them properly.

What is the best way to get them to align properly?

Title: Re: Crooked handlebars
Post by enophile on 08/12/06 at 16:30:07

By the way, they don't appear to be bent or twisted and I don't think the bike was ever dropped. It looks like I should be able to loosen them and jockey them into the correct position but they won't budge.

Title: Re: Crooked handlebars
Post by Ed_L. on 08/12/06 at 17:16:26

Try loosening the cap screws on the top of the handle bar mounts. There are two per mount and are hidden under the little chrome caps on the top of the risers. If the bike has fallen over the long bolts that you were trying could be bent. Doesn't take much to bend them and a small bend can make the handle bars look way crooked.

Title: Re: Crooked handlebars
Post by Oldfeller2 on 08/13/06 at 07:14:57

Give you another thought -- your rear tire is misaligned over to one side and your bike is going down the road like a crab, slaunch-wise.

Sad thing is your marks on the rear axle all line up, right? Break that nut free and grab those adjustment brackets on each side and ROTATE them until they are perfectly parallel to the ground & straight to each other. Things move on those alignment marks while you are doing this, don't they?

What's worse, the stamped marks on your swingarm are NOT correctly aligned either. To get my belt to track in the middle of the pulley I had to "misalign" my marks by almost a full mark.

What was neat was that my front end straightened up and was true to the scooter body which it had never been before -- and I hadn't been looking for that to happen.

Food for thought -- it ain't your front end that needs adjusting.

Oldfeller

Title: Re: Crooked handlebars
Post by enophile on 08/13/06 at 07:23:59

I don't think the rear is misaligned because I can tell the handlebars are out of alignment with the front forks. The wheels are straight, the handlebars aren't.

I'll try loosening from the top. I hadn't thought of the possibility that the bolts are bent. It is possible it has been dropped before, even though there is no evidence of it.

What is the best way to remove the caps without scratching them? I tried using a small flat screwdriver but I fear I will damage the chrome.

Thanks guys.

Title: Re: Crooked handlebars
Post by Ed_L. on 08/13/06 at 08:39:51

A knife works best to start prying the caps off with, then a screwdriver. No matter what you use there is a good chance you will bugger up the edge of one or two. I always do.

Title: Re: Crooked handlebars
Post by sluggo on 08/13/06 at 11:43:03

sounds like time to rip them off and put somthing else on, then maybe bob it. ya that's the ticket. bob it.
gotta start somewhere. handle bars be a good place.

Title: Re: Crooked handlebars
Post by floridasavage on 08/13/06 at 12:57:36

I had the same problem with my bike when I bought it. The handle bars didn't align with the Fork bolts on the yoke.
I removed the bolts underneath the yoke that hold the handlebar brackets to the yoke. Notice that they are rubber mounted. I turned both the left and right rubber mountings, top and bottom, 180 degrees and reassembled them.
That properly aligned the handlebars. Apparently, on my bike, the rubber mounts deformed over time... Maybe always having the handlebars always turned to the left when parking it, then moving them to the right to get on the machine... Something like that.
Anyway, they are straight now. Hope this helps.

Title: Re: Crooked handlebars
Post by enophile on 08/13/06 at 13:34:45

Yeah, after examining it more closely, the right-side riser is definitely tilted back more than the other one. Possibly the rubber or maybe it is bent I won't know until I take it all apart.

Sluggo's idea of putting on something else is a good idea. I love the new style straight bars (mine are the longhorn type) and maybe I'll get the parts to convert it over.