Handle Bars Size

[MikeFossl]

I was looking to change the bars from the euro style to something a little more comfortable (to me).  I ended up ordering a set of bars based on the size without thinking too much about the diameter.  Is there any way a 7/8" bar will fit?  Am I going to be sanding all the chrome off the ends?

[marcmax]

I did the same thing. I figures the stock bars are 22mm and a 7/8" bar is 22.2mm. It shouldn't be hard to take off that .2mm difference. Boy was I wrong! You need to get it to 22mm all the way up the bars to where the clutch and throttle perches will end up. Hard chrome does not want to be removed. Sanders, grinders and files only succeeded in getting it closer but definitely not round. When I attempted to slide my throttle perch on it hung up on a slightly out of round area. I thought a quick back and forth twist would get it over the hump. What happened was the soft, pot metal perch snapped and had to be replaced.

Don't do it! Return the 7/8" bars and get a set of actual 22mm bars.

[Tony Smith]

Amen to what marcmax said - i am a fellow purchaser of a left hand lever perch because I do thought I could hand size the nice set of renthal bars I was planning to use.

[montmil]

Check Flanders for many 22mm BMW bars with a plethora of bend selections.

http://www.sideroadcycles.com/ImportedMotorcycles/ImportHandlebars/ImportHandlebarsBMW.html

[Motu]

I use 7/8 bars, no problems...I can go back to BMW bars, no problems.  My US 7/8 bars fit, 7/8 Renthals fit, but my NZ made bars don't - maybe we use too much chrome here.

[Tony Smith]

I use 7/8 bars, no problems...I can go back to BMW bars, no problems.  My US 7/8 bars fit, 7/8 Renthals fit, but my NZ made bars don't - maybe we use too much chrome here.

My problem when i tried to use renthal bars was the crosshatching on the ends.

[MikeFossl]

I tried to trial fit the bars.  They are Emgo Chrome bars and are about .1 mm too big.  They fit the clamps on the headset but the control are too tight.  The throttle control tube can just barely be pushed on.  Sanding Chrome seems counter productive...how about reaming out the controls and the throttle tube?

The new bar geometry fits out pretty well (Emgo Daytona touring) and at $23 beats spending $150 for a 22 mm bar.

[Luca]

You can enlarge the holes in the control perches a bit... I did it to make some /6 perches fit on new Fehling bars, which were supposedly 22mm... but the chrome plating was built up at the end and the controls wouldn't slip on at all (kinda looked like it had been dipped in hot wax at the ends).

For enlarging I used my trusty brake cylinder hone and added some extra punch with valve grinding compound and then wedged open the split to make the perches yawn a bit more.  Wasn't my choice... or my bike.  I'd have probably just gone for some quality used BMW bars... maybe even see if a trade was possible.  Seems to me like younger and cafe riders all ditch the high bars and shop around for euro bars... then the older riders get bikes with euro bars and look for more comfortable high bars.

If it's just height you need you could look around for bar risers.

There are a lot more options for a lot less money in 7/8" handlebars, but there's also that old chestnut "you can cut more off, but you can't cut it back on" and you might not be able to go back to 22mm bars with modified perches.  I'm willing to bet that BMW chrome will last a lot longer than Emgo's

[MikeFossl]

I was trolling arround on-line looking for a 22 mm handlebar and got a reply from someone selling used BMW parts.  He claimed that you could use a 7/8 bar "if you remove the little wedge that BMW uses on their clamp on the lever assys".

Are these clamps an urban myth or a non airhead feature?

I'm alternately toying with using a 7/8 spiral reamer or a reversed sanding belt driven by my cordless drill.  

[wilcom]

I used my trusty brake cylinder hone  

I thought I was the only soul that had one of those hidden in the garage LOL

The last time I used it was in the 70's when I blew a piston on a tired R50 and found that the piston and pin set did not come ready to fit the rod. These German guys wanted me to ream stuff that should have come from the factory ready to install. I was young, they were picky and precise, not a good match at all.  

[montmil]

That little 'wedge" is for real. If it goes missing, there's a very real possibility of breaking the perch assembly when tightening the clamping screws on the proper 22mm handlebars.

Easy to lose and even more difficult to find in the floor sweepings.

[MikeFossl]

Just finished reaming out the perches and throttle sleeve using an adjustable spiral 7/8 reamer bought for $20 on eBay.

Worked pretty well for the perches but the throttle sleeve was a bear.  The reamer wasn't the sharpest and didn't really bite too much until I sanded a little to expose some fresh aluminium.  I also had to to carefully grip the sleeve with vice grips.  

 I found the wedge on the clutch side perch but removing it still didn't allow the new bar to get in.

Everything looks good.  The bar looks like something between a U.S. and Euro size.  Suits my back a lot better then the old one.