Check Your Bar End Weights!

Pulling into work this morning I had a sensation that there was a heap of play in the throttle grip.
Having never felt this before I investigated and found the right bar end weight very loose and the left one not tight.
Now people who know me and know my bike know I'm pedantic about maintenance and more than once I have berated others for slack maintenance so this morning I kicked myself in the arse.
I can honestly say that after the initial 500Km shakedown when I ran the tools over the bike and was surprised at what wasn’t to spec (nothing to do with pre delivery or assembly) I have not checked the weights since. Now they'll be on the semi regular check list along with anything else I find tonight.

How long since you checked yours?

I checked mine!!! they are still sitting happily on the shelf with the other bits I have removed, I fitted "Barkbusters" ends in stead when I swapped to lower narrower alloy bars the stock weights wouldn't fit into.

Dink

Last check was at the first service. I will double check on the weekend.

Sorry what??? What are we checking????

The other night I had a long weight at the bar, but I complained and I now get better service

I check the bar and wieghts as part of my start up procedure in the mornings, and regularly on big rides. I do this because about 6 months after I bought the b12, the left hand bar weight fall off while I was riding it. Scared the crap out of my wife when she saw this black thing bouncing downt the road towards her precious Monster.

Ummm, Blue Loctite perhaps .

Saikhan wrote:Ummm, Blue Loctite perhaps .

i don't know that blue loctite will help in this case, as the bolt is only expanding the rubber "washer" to prevent it from coming out. it might, but i'm not so sure.

The left hand bar end fell off my bike on the second day at 60km on clock. Now I check them regulary!

they do tend to vibrate loose - i give mine a regular twist

I had the OEM bar ends off a few days after buying my bike. Found some better looking ones on E-bay

boomer wrote:

Saikhan wrote:Ummm, Blue Loctite perhaps .

i don't know that blue loctite will help in this case, as the bolt is only expanding the rubber "washer" to prevent it from coming out. it might, but i'm not so sure.

I used a locktite .. then when taking them off to change them a nut and I think a small rubber washer have ended up inside my bars .. although I never tried to recover them.

The same thing happened on my week old GSX 1250 FA. Half way up the Old Road the throttle side started to fall out of the bar!

Who's bright idea was it to use an expanding rubber "washer" as the sole means of holding it in there?!

Anyway, the Kaoko set I have use a completely different design, so checking the end weights is no longer a concern...

Pete wrote:

Who's bright idea was it to use an expanding rubber "washer" as the sole means of holding it in there?!

As good as they are Bandits are built to a price

2wheelsagain wrote:

Pete wrote:

Who's bright idea was it to use an expanding rubber "washer" as the sole means of holding it in there?!

As good as they are Bandits are built to a price

True, but good design needn't equate expensive design.

Well my bike has been parked in a shed at work since Thursday and I picked it up today.
So I was mighty pissed off when I see I have lost the right bar weight!!!
I'm sure I would have noticed it so I assume it departed Thursday morning.
f00king stupid way of attaching them. Thanks Suzuki.
I have the originals here and have put them both on again. The nut is floating around the bottom bend somewhere too.
What can I use to keep them tight but still be able to remove the weights when required?

I lost on of mine in Tassie .I turned around and actually found it 2 kays back .I tighned it back up with a phillip head screwdriver i had ,tight .
While i was at the bike shop (where i was going ) i asked to borrow a screwdriver to check it . They lent me a quallity "snap on " screwdriver .
It was then i realised that $2 screwdrivers do not do things up TIGHT before they slip .
The "snap on "driver made the tension feel finger tight only .I swore when i got home to buy a good set to do the job properly .

Gotta have the right tools Gus.
My bike is even less modified now

I lost the washer and nut on my left hand one a while back when putting on the heated grips.
Trick is to just loosen the screw and then work the whole thing off, not undo it completely.

"How did you reciver the nut", I hear you ask....
Well, in a stroke of genius I super-glued the long bolt to a long screwdriver, and then poked it down the bar and engaged the nut, gave it a couple of turns and pulled it out. (Keep you mind above you navels, please).
Then a quck sideways tap on the bench and the bolt broke free from the screwdriver - super-glue has very strong face to face bond strength, but poor torsional strength, so any sideways movement will generally break the bond.

I check mine fairly regularly... have found them a little loose but never loose enough to fall completely out. Wonder if a little silicon on the bolt might help it stay tight in the nut??

Bhoffo wrote:I check mine fairly regularly... have found them a little loose but never loose enough to fall completely out. Wonder if a little silicon on the bolt might help it stay tight in the nut??

That would work if you thought you would never want to get them off.

I think the secret is to check then every 2,000km or so. They'll either be tight or not. Just something thats easily over looked.
I'm pissed off because I knew mine had a habit of working loose.

Ive only had the bike 3 days and the first thing I did was to remove mine to fit bar end mirrors so I can better check out those high speed idiots coming up from behind who think they are at Eastern Creek or Philip Is.
Baker Street

We will need pics of those B.S.

Gus everyone is very welcome to see piccies of my mirrors mate but I have a problem.......

I hate computers so Im sorry but I need help in learning how to upload piccies onto this forum.
I'd find a 6year old kid to do it but my own grandkids are still in nappies, so I guess I need some outside help here mate.
Maybe you or somebody can offer some extremely simple step by step instructions to enable me to do this.

FYI, I bought these mirrors for my Honda CB400 and they looked great so I kept them for the Bandit. They came from a shop called something like MotoCiclo? which is I think on The Princes Highway, Alexandria, Sydney. They will be on the web and are the local Royal Enfield & I think maybe Moto Guzzi distributors too.

The mirrors were very keenly priced I recall and available in both Trapezoidal type (like mine) or Circular.
Two finishes are available: Stainless Steel mirror with chromed cast aluminium bracket or completely Black finish.

One problem is that the brake and clutch levers are far too long on the Bandit and they foul the mirror brackets so I had to move the whole lever assy's inboard toward the centre of the bar to clear. I would really recommend a set of short Pazzo type levers (or similar) There is a good webpage (Hong Kong site) that sells Pazzo look alikes for a fraction of the cost. I will check it out and post details ASAP.

I read on this site recently that somebody thought they gained a greater mechanical advantage by shifting the levers inwards.
I agree this is improved but let's get one thing straight. Moving the levers inboard didnt make any difference to the 'potential leverage' at all. Leverage is set by the point at where the pressure is applied along the length of the lever from a fixed fulcrum point and this wont change by moving the assemblies inward.

What I believe actually happened is that at the point along the lever at which this riders fingers applied pressure when it was in its original position, was somewhere nearer the centre of the lever. Probably where his middle finger rests.
Now that the lever assy's have been moved inwards, this 'middle finger' pressure point position, is now further out towards the extremity of the lever so he is now able to use a bit more of the levers available length and thus realise more of its potential leverage capability.

Now before anybody raises a middle finger at me! It is a really remote possibility that I could be wrong here. Very unlikely, but possible.
As I admitted to my dear wife some time ago: "Yes I was wrong once Darling. It was that time when I said I was wrong, but turned out later that I wasnt"

Yes I'm still suffering for that one too.

A lot of people ask how to upload pics myself included . I'm useless on a computer so i'll have to leave it up to someone who can explain it .
There is a process show on the forum under "NOTICES " top of forum page . I use photobucket (you have to join ) I had trouble turning the computer on .

Baker Street wrote:Gus everyone is very welcome to see piccies of my mirrors mate but I have a problem.......

Click on this link for step by step instructions https://nswbandits.forumotion.net/t1283-posting-photos-a-picture-story

Click on this for a video of another way https://nswbandits.forumotion.net/t1283p15-posting-photos-a-picture-story#12573 or http://www.vimeo.com/23673212