Scud Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I've been having a hard time finding new bars for the clip-ons, but I had a set of bent, stock bars. So I decided to try to straighten them out. I heated them in the oven, then worked them in a large vise with some metal brackets positioned so I could apply pressure to the most noticeably bent section. Here are some before, during, and after pictures. I'd still be happy to buy a pair of used or reproduction half-bars, but at least I got to remove the PO's home-made bar riser setup. The end result is not perfectly straight; they still have a little wobble when rolled on a flat surface. However, they are straight enough to use until I can find a different set - and I can use the stock bar-end weights. Here's the before pic: Here's how I clamped the warm bars in a vise And here's the end result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walterg Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Good job ! I'll remember the use of the oven instead of heating them with a flame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
czakky Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 When I straightened my bent bar I ended up with a gashed up poc marked slightly less bent piece....one day I'll learn some patience Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowRyter Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 wow. Don't those bars have solid metal stock in them ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 There is an Industrial Metal Supply in San Diego that can probably get you tube stock that you could fabricate brand new pieces with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scud Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 The bars are solid from the inboard end to a little bit past where they exit the bar-clamp. They are hollow (but thick walled) from that point on - to the threaded ends that accept the stock bar-end weights. Even heated, I needed a lot of force to straighten them. I used a floor-jack handle over the bench-vise handle for extra leverage. Had to push them a little past straight to get them to release straight (that's why I put the angle brackets in the vise). I thought about going to a machine shop - maybe have a few sets made up at one time. Fabrication of something like these is outside my current skills (and I don't have any machine tools). Maybe it's a low demand item, but it seems there could be a little business opportunity for someone to make these. I mentioned it to a guy at Harper's Moto Guzzi today when I ordered the billet shift lever that they manufacture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docc Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Here in Lower Middle Mule Town there is a scale of difficulty for jobs like "cold pressing" (*bending*) delicate Italian parts of unknown metallurgy: 1) Vice and a beer. 2) Vice, beer(s), hammer(s) 3) Vice, heat, hammers, friends, beers. 4) Vice, heat, hammers, moonshine, friends, beers, moonshine, cheaterbars, >step5: 5) Next morning: order new parts; Empirical evidence prevails! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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