re-bend handlebar?

So i'm still in the process of gettin my bike road ready, and i've gotten to the last snag.

While my friend owned the bike, it blew over in the wind one night and bent up the right side (if sitting on the bike) of the handlebar.

Its bent maybe 30 degrees past where it normally sits.

Question is...should i heat it and bend it back? Or buy a new handlebar?

If bending back is an option, will this decrease the strength of the handlebar? Only askin cause i wouldn't wanna lose one side of the handlebar in mid ride lol

 

Just from a personal point of view.
For what little it would cost to get a replacement stock, or aftermarket handle bar. Why take the risk?

Just look at it this way. Now you have the perfect reason to replace the handle bar with something that you really want!

Ghost

 

yea, thats kinda what i was thinking too. but the oem replacement is like 75 bucks atleast, and i dunno what handlebars i can put on there without having to run longer cables.

any ideas for aftermarkets? I would like something very similar to stock if possible

 

What bike are you working on

 

It would take more time and frustration than what it is worth to get the bars bent back to the proper shape. If you want stock type bars, you could always look on Ebay or ask if anyone has an extra set of stock bars on here.

 

I've restraightened my bars twice. Nothing to it. For dirt bike riders and flat trackers this is an everyday occurrence. Just go slow and easy and keep taking measurements and making visual checks and you can get them so close to perfect that no one including you will ever know.

 

Its an 83 xj750k maxim

 

Alright, I'll give bending them a shot. Might as well try before I buy a new handlebar.

Do you have any tips or suggestions on how to do it? Like, should I heat them with a torch and bend it, or just grit my teeth and pull it? Any tools used during the process?

 

I'm guessing you want to be sliding a pipe over (or a rod into) the end to give you a little leverage. I'd try it cold to see how that goes before heating anything. Can't imagine a torch would be kind to the chrome finish...

 

I bent mine with a propane torch and a 1-1/8" hitch wrench. But only about 5 degrees to get a better angle for my hands.

With them on the bike and a helper holding the torch and the wheel, the vertical section was heated and then muscle and the wrench was used to bend it. it still took some effotr to bend it. They're going strong 4 years later.

Stock bars on a 81 650.

 

Alright, awesome! Thanks for the info, i'll give it a shot

 

a customer at my work knocked mine over the other day and i have the same problem, let me know how it goes and maybe ill give it a shot.

 

Geez; aftermarket bars are like $20-$25 and come in a wide variety of shapes and bends. http://www.google.com/search?q=bikemast ... 57&bih=837

Personally, I never liked Yamaha's stock bends anyway.

 

If you heat the steel, and heat it too much, then you temper it. To what degree I don't know, but it will become brittle if heated too much. Will it break off? Probably not. Will it crack where heated if another accident? Possibly.
I'd bend it back cold. But then again I don't like the stock bends either, so I'd actually replace it.
I run Superbike bars on mine ('82 SECA). They're like dirtbike handlebars without the crossmember. I love 'em. Perfect.

 

You don't have to heat them to bend them but if you do it won't hurt them or change them in anyway because they are low carbon steel. You cannot heat treat nor temper low carbon steel by simply applying heat. They will not crack where heated due only to heating. You would have to add carbon in order to do that (ie carbon-nitriding). Bend away and be happy.

 

I've bent some back to shape with no problems. One of them had to go aobut two inches back up and out about 2 as well. No problems.

I used to think differently about bending bars, but now that I've done a few, and realize just how much stress it takes to bend a bar vs. how LITTLE stress is on them when you're riding, I don't have a problem doing that anymore unless its really bent WAAAAAY out of wack. The only time you might get some good strain on the bars, otherwise, is if you drop the bike and have to pick it back up.

FWIW.....YMMV

dave fox

 

ok, thanks for all the info guys. Fitz, i looked online for a lot of handle bars and realized that i can buy new ones for literally 20ish bucks. But, my only concern is buy a pair of bars that have me leaning very forward. i"d like an upright or relaxed position. So i was wondering if anyone could tell me what the thickness of the handlebar is, so i buy something that fits, and also what the pullback measurement would be (if any) so i have an idea of where the handlebars are going to put me.

 

also, i would like a pair of handlebars that fit so that i wouldn't have to get new/longer cables

 

XJ4ever's parts list has all of the dimensions you are wanting for all the models of XJ's.

Check there for dimensions and then see what you can find online/in buy sell trade channel on here.

BTC

 

ok cool, thanks