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Helibar install, bars can still move

5K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  Skidney 
#1 ·
Greetings,
this can't be a new issue, but I didn't drag up older posts.

Just installed Helibar riser plate to my '18 FJR1300ES. After torquing, the bars had a slight tendency to move out of position when normal force was applied (forward and backward).

To me, normal force on the bars is applied when pushing forward to get off the center-stand, or pulling backward to reverse the bike.

Yes, my right bar moved backward when backing the bike into the garage over the 1/2" concrete lip where the garage door closes. They are supposed to have "play" so customers can find a good angle, then torque. I can't accept that movement after torquing is normal is it? What if someone had them in the rear-most angle and had to suddenly apply hard braking? or push hard into a curve?


So, thinking my torque wrench was somehow off, I bought another one and completed a proper re-torque. Still the same issue.
While I like the idea of being able to adjust the front-to-back angle of the handle bars, I don't want them to move when I decide on a position.

I hesitate to tighten the bars further, since the instructions rather obnoxiously, in bold print, read "do not over tighten... ...damage to integrity", etc. etc..

I'll be contacting the manufacturer to ask them what to do. Otherwise the install, angle, position, and aesthetics are all good. Maybe I'm asking too much of bar risers and should find a balance.
What are your thoughts?
 
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#2 ·
The bars should not move. Mine have been rock solid for 10+ yrs. I'd remove the bridge and return it to the dealer for warranty work, sounds like something wasn't assembled properly.
 
#3 ·
Justin, also have the Helibar bridge that I installed on my '14. Followed all the torquing specs when assembling. My bars have never moved since I set them, even a 0mph drop and butt up against the seat with handlebar lift didn't move them. So, something is wrong with yours I suspect.
 
#5 ·
Specified torque values were not sufficient to keep my bars in place. They wouldn't move during normal riding, but would during an emergency maneuver. I had to tighten past spec torque.
If that problem was mine, I would want to upgrade the bolts to higher standards, which will take the extra torque. All bolts are not created equal. If you want the good stuff, then
Nuts & Bolts
is a dedicated heading in the Yellow Pages, separate from Hardware or Home Improvements. In the USA, this link is the for-real Internet Yellow Pages. Give them a local ZIP code for your location, and you can SORT the results by Distance:

https://www.anywho.com/yellow-pages

Take the supplied bolts in with you to the bolt store, because the head markings on a bolt can say a lot.
.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the replies! I wasn't able to reach the manufacturer today, so I decided to up the torque another 5 lbs. That seemed to do the trick. I pushed and pulled with relative force and experienced no movement.


They have a very smooth glossy powder-coat finish, which could make for a slicker surface to grip, and secondly, I believe there might have been some powder-coat debris in the threads (to a small degree), possibly leading to some extra drag on the bolts. Of course, I'm speculating, but it seems logical.


at least they are solid now. all is well.
 
#9 ·
Just spent a couple of frustrating evenings trying to get the Helibar Kit for my 2018 ES installed. It was all pretty straightforward until I tried to 'place the right hand bar into the alighnment pin holes and insert the supplied mounting bolts. The throttle cables, which I had detached from the handlebar and repositioned as per the instructions, were so tight I couldn't move the forks left or right. Something was VERY wrong, so I disassembled the throttle housing again and spent an hour or so experimenting with different routing for the 2 cables.
I have now assembled and disassembled the throttle cables 3 times in an effort to find a solution to the problem of not enough slack to allow full movement of the front forks. I can just get them to the left and right limit but the cables are so tight you can't move them with your fingers...they are stretched TIGHT.
Before I take this seemingly useless ( and dangerous ) accessory off the bike and throw it in the garbage where it belongs...anyone have a suggestion/solution. Besides buying longer throttle cables and installing them...
I'm kinda pissed because I had to use bolt cutters to cut thru the metal wiring loom restrainers on either side of the triple tree, then break them off their mounting points well under the top triple. Now it looks like I have to try and bundle everything up with multiple tie wraps to make it look at least partially tidy.
I had a bad feeling about this install from the get go...it sat on my bench for 2 weeks while I debated whether or not to go ahead.
Hoping someone has some kind of 'Oh My God, how did I miss that' answer!
Jim
 
#11 ·
I can't remember now, it's been a while, but I do believe I slid the throttle cables into the engine bay and re-routed them up again... Sloan's pic looks right.
I never had an issue with the bars turning.
 
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#12 · (Edited)
They are not supposed to have play. Specified torque for helis often isn’t enough. I’m now on another bike and another set of helis, and this set,
like each one I’ve dealt with, required torque over spec to get the bars to stay in place.

Properly routed, the cables aren’t tight at all, regardless of bar position. I’ve had to go back and adjust after an install as well.
 
#13 ·
OK, finally got the Helibar kit installed...correctly. It was a relatively simple fix for the issue of a lack of throttle cable slack. The ABS block, which you are supposed to 're-route the throttle cables behind', ( quote from the instructions ), is the correct, and ONLY method to acquire the required slack to prevent cable binding. HOWEVER...getting the cables to go ALL THE WAY IN behind the ABS block is another story, which is not addressed in the supplied instructions or in the not so handy U-Tube video. In my case, I realized, ( mostly by the braille method since it is almost impossible to see clearly in there ), that the cables weren't going ALL THE WAY behind...and so I removed the top screw for the retaining bracket for the ABS block, pried it away from the bike frame a little bit and presto! The 2 throttle cables suddenly slipped in another couple of inches, all that was necessary to provide 'just enough' slack to install the right handlebar correctly, without stretching the cables. Next step is to 'head out on the highway...looking for adventure', and see if the hoped for functionality of the installation is there...
 

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