How do you properly put on the Low Bars?

[Julio A.]

I'm having problems putting on my low bars; something seems to be off. I can't seem to make the cables clear the rubber instrument panel cover. I had to lean the bars further to the rear to give the cables space to clear the instrument panel.

I took pictures on how it looks, the bars seem to taper a little too much downwards.









Do you guys have any pictures of how the handlebar is supposed to fit in there as well as the orientation of the controls?  

[Barry]

Julio

Looks to me like the bars should be rotated forward a little. The Original BMW low bars (is this what you Have ?) do point down a little at the grips but I don't think it should be as much as yours.

Best way I can describe it is that with the riser part of the bars aligned with the angle of the forks, they do point down more than I found comfortable. Rotating them forward so the riser section is more towards vertical brings the grips up nearer level.

Looking at my bars I also wonder if the use of bar end mirrors has pushed your control perches in a few mm and that is leaving less space for the cable routes. If it helps to assess that, my bars are 650mm across the widest part of the grips.

When I can find some batteries for my camera I'll take a pic for you.

[Barry]

Mine are original low bars which have been modified.  I bent them slightly to raise the ends up by 1". This allowed me to rotate them back so that the risers do now align with the angle of the forks as shown in the side shot. I couldn't previously do that without them pointing down too much. Bending bars is not an easy job at all. I had to make a jig and apply some gentle heat to get then to bend in the right place. Even then it requires considerable force and you can't do it with them mounted on the bike. My mod didn't affect the fit of the the cable runs though so stock bars should look similar. They would point down a little more but not as much as in your pics Julio.

As for the orientation of the controls. I found that you can't expect the master cylinder resevoir to end up dead level and have the correct angle on the levers. The levers are supposed to be at the same angle as your arms and to get anywhere near that angle the master cylinder has to tilt forwards slightly.

[montmil]

Julio, your mind ain't playing tricks on you. The cable runs, with the OEM euro low bars are severely shoved under the instrument surround. Mine have a bothersome look to them, especially the clutch cable, but I've never had an operational problem with them. That's one of the reasons I hate to have to lift off the instrument cluster surround.

Both my R65s came with a short bit of metal strap -nothing fancy- but the strap retains the cables close to the fork tubes and stem. I may have a snap from when I replaced the steering bearings. Gotta look.

Your scoot looks really sharp. [smiley=thumbup.gif]

[Julio A.]

Thanks for the help Barry and Monte.

I just fixed the handle bar as well as the clutch pushrod cup that has been disintegrating for some time now as well as properly setting up the clutch lever free play and length. Other people can't believe how nice the clutch feels when it is set up properly.

The handle bar looks a hundred times better btw.