Can handle bars be bent

[5twins]

That poor girl's gonna be stoop shouldered when she gets older, lol.

 

[XSLeo]

I took a set of those bars and was going to trash them, Chrome not so good. I thought Id try to change them.
I used a pipe cutter and cut them off half way between the bends. Made up some plugs to fit inside the bars. Welded the plugs in the lower part of the bars. With this part mounted on the bike I put the upper part of bars down on the plugs. Moved them around till they felt right. Tacked one side. Took off the bars and finished welding the tacked side. I then laid the bars on a table with the center flat on the table, the end of the bar on the welded up side on the table. Adjusted the other side to touch table. Welded them up.
Now back on the bike. In then realized the were too wide. Cut 1.5 inches of each bar end. Much better.
Those bars Is still on the 81. I plan to find some bars that matches that match these with out the welds and crummy chrome.
They come very close to what Harley calls a Mini Ape.
Leo

 

[fredintoon]

No THIS is a pair of D's
View attachment 152718

Hi Gary,
Nah, them's EEEs with twin forearm anti-sag bracing.

 

[gggGary]

Off topic but I straightened the Reflex trials bike handlebars today. One side was about 3" further back. Center and left bend in the big bench vice and a jack handle over the throttle end took out the bend and twist. Still need to untwist the triples LOL.

 

[ckahleer]

Not off subject at all.
My problem is I don't have a big enough vice. My vice won't handle the tuque of trying to bend with an extension bar.
Does anyone have another suggestion of how to hold the bars while bending?

 

[thuban]

Not off subject at all.
My problem is I don't have a big enough vice. My vice won't handle the tuque of trying to bend with an extension bar.
Does anyone have another suggestion of how to hold the bars while bending?

I do but you might not like it. I have tweaked Pipe, not bars by putting it in the fork of a tree and then using a cheater. Also can pad and use the ball on your truck if the setup is right. Tree won't scratch your bars but depends on where the bend is and which way you want to bend them.
Just a thought. ( I'm really old school sometimes)
Thu

 

[Jim]

( I'm really old school sometimes)

Me too. I straightened the bumper on a 69 F-150 like that once. Wedged it in the tree fork and hooked a comalong to the truck hitch. Pull a little... whack it with a sledge... pull a little, whack it again. Old school... but it works.

 

[59Tebo]

"Old school". Or as I call it: The Stone Age Garage.

 

[gggGary]

set them on driveway put a board on them park a car tire over it then twist away. The top/back of my skidsteer bucket often serves as a makeshift anvil.

 

[mrtwowheel]

C clamps, a wooden V block and a heavy bench or maybe a heavy table saw etc.

 

[mrtwowheel]

You guys know how you tell hardtailers to spread the axle plates with a scissor Jack? IT WORKS!! I put two pipe clamps at the rear crossmembers so that I wouldn't crack the spot welds, scissor jack between the axle plates, moved it more than an inch to gain 1/4". I can't think of any tools that I have that would have done a better job. No noticeable difference with the sprocket alignment. I'm a happy guy.

Scott

 

[gggGary]

You guys know how you tell hardtailers to spread the axle plates with a scissor Jack? IT WORKS!! I put two pipe clamps at the rear crossmembers so that I wouldn't crack the spot welds, scissor jack between the axle plates, moved it more than an inch to gain 1/4". I can't think of any tools that I have that would have done a better job. No noticeable difference with the sprocket alignment. I'm a happy guy.

Scott

Glad you got it!
It's alignment that makes me cringe when guys have to spread a hardtail.
I'm in favor of all-thread, nuts and washers to spread and an oxy acetylene torch to relax the metal.