The problem with anodized handlebars

[felixcontour]

Some of you can guess where this is going just by reading the headline. Other folks who are thinking about anodized bars, the tl;dr is that the electric start switch needs to ground out through the bars. Anodized bars can make for a bad ground at the switch.

The reason I found this out is because after swapping bars to a free hand-me-down from a friend, getting rid of the obnoxious pullback bars that were stock, my starter switch stopped working. After a few hours of scratching my head and pulling things apart to look at wiring, I finally did some searching here on the forums and found out the answer.

Turns out I don't really like the way the bars look. Going to try and find some older "standard" style bars with a bit more rise and pullback.

 

[XSLeo]

For the time being just run a wire from the right side switch housing to ground. On te switch end just bare a 1/4 of the wire and clamp between the housing and bar. On the other end use a ring terminal and put under any frame bolt. Top engine mount is good.
Leo

 

[Brian902]

I'd just bare the area hidden by the switch assemblies and one of the areas hidden by the handlebar holders.
The standard handle bar holder ground would handle the rest. If it was on the one you bared, so bare both areas. 4 in total.

 

[felixcontour]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I got impatient and swapped back to the old bars, and I think I'm just going to ride on them the rest of the season.

But I guess this thread still might be useful to other people who are mystified by a starting issue after swapping bars

 

[5twins]

Yes, the original buckhorns are absolutely the best choice for someone like you. You should never change them. You're only asking for trouble if you do. A handlebar change is far beyond the capabilities of most new 650 owners. You're a shining example of that. Stick to putting gas in the tank and air in the tires. Take it to a shop for anything else. They're qualified to do complicated and neurosurgeon-type jobs like changing handlebars, lol.

 

[felixcontour]

No need to be an ass, sir.

 

[5twins]

Hey, I'm not the one who put the original buckhorn bars back on their bike and decided to ride all summer with them.

 

[felixcontour]

Sorry, you're not an ass. I was wrong.

You're a troll.

Please GTFO of my thread.

 

[I am Carbon]

5twins is not a troll.
He is one of the nicest Guys here and He also knows his stuff.
You got some good advice and You didn't take it.
Then You got some joking You couldn't take it.
Then You got pissed

 

[gggGary]

I re-read this thread twice now, the OP was being nice and reminding folks of the starter ground issue that he managed to figure out on his own. Seems kind O rough to dump on him for that?

I put 100 miles on an 82 HS with "rototiller bars" yesterday, that seemed like quite enough, thank you very much. LOL

PS that bike looks SHARP Felix. tapered bars or not.

 

[scabber]

Smart choice putting back the buckhorn bars. Some people don't like them. I like the buckhorns. With the stock mirrors rear vision is unobstructed. Nice to see cars and not blocked by a beer gut or shoulder. Laid back riding position what's not to like about them. They look good on the bike my opinion. Nice looking bike Felix.

 

[xjwmx]

what's not to like about them.

They look fine to me. But I used them for several months and got a rotator cuff problem in both arms. Got to the point where I couldn't raise either arm enough to change a light bulb. I switched to cb750 bars, cheap, ebay, and in a couple of months the problem went away. Also, because your palms are facing to the side rather than down you have a less powerful squeeze on the brake. The cb bars were close enough that I can still use stock hose and cables.

 

[deadchef]

the bars in your pic look good. i have drags on my daily but i'm looking for a change.

clean looking bike regardless. let me know if you ever head north.

 

[Travis]

5twins, You did come off as an ass to me, even if you were just messing around. You kinda get away with it because you contribute more than you offend. Anyway, try to play nice and remember guideline 5 "Members that have been around awhile: Don’t scare the new members away."

 

[felixcontour]

Thanks for all the kind words, guys. Perhaps I was a little quick to get offended, too. But this community has already been so helpful to me, as a new XS650 owner, that I was a little surprised when it suddenly seemed to be a bit less friendly and helpful.

This is a fantastic forum and it's answered a lot of noob questions I was afraid to ask, just by searching through past threads. That's why I posted this ... to show something I figured out, that wasn't obvious to me, so other people wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel so to speak.

Stock bars aren't for everyone, but a lot of people don't like other things folks do with these bikes. The thing is, you can do whatever you want with them. I can see by all the creativity and ingenuity on the site already, it's a blank slate. Some people also like things the way they left the factory. I'm blown away by, and can appreciate, things that don't appeal to me personally.

Thanks for helping remind me why this is a place I want to come back to, even after a bad day.

 

[fiveohindc]

I've been running kick only because I've been too lazy to ground the starter button. My bars are painted-- I bared the area where the switch clamps to the bar, but where else should I sand away paint to ensure a good ground? I'm getting tired of kicking.....

 

[gggGary]

Yo mama-yama rubber mounted the bars, She always had a ground wire from the bars to the frame (eventually) The location varied through the years. So you need to get ground from the switch chassis to the frame. Custom builders sometimes forget a ground from the triples to the frame, don't force the steering bearings to pass current.

 

[jayel]

I've been running kick only because I've been too lazy to ground the starter button. My bars are painted-- I bared the area where the switch clamps to the bar, but where else should I sand away paint to ensure a good ground? I'm getting tired of kicking.....

bar to center clamps then a ground wire from them to frame

 

[fiveohindc]

thanks fellas

 

[5twins]

Really Travis, you think I was too harsh here? With someone not knowledgeable enough to change handlebars correctly? I can't believe you jumped in on a simple handlebar thread like this. Where are you on all the other stupid threads??? Yes, you're not there for sure. OK, thanks for the the memories ....