Handlebar Balancer

[Viirin]

I got mine on ebay - postage was more expensive than the bar ends themselves but they do add a certain charm the bike i feel - just make sure you get 7/8 (22mm) fittings

they work by expanding rubber but that sounds far more complicated than it is - basically a screw, a washer and a bit of compressed rubber after you've tightened it

these are the ones i got: http://cgi.ebay.ie/BIKE-MOTORCYCLE-MOTO ... 2c55990b85

hope this helps

[northsidegz]

Originally Posted by 5th_bike

Well when you unscrew the long screw, the end weight; the screw; a piece of rubber; a metal tube; and maybe a ring come off and out. Another piece of rubber (the piece that expands between the ring and the nut) and the nut will stay in the handlebar.

My throttle side bar end has come off. I have retrieved all the pieces except the nut (which is presumably lost in the handlebars somewhere).

Here's what I've unsuccessfully done so far:

1) The "a piece of rubber" (in bold above) doesn't seem to want to fit back into the handlebar. Is this normal? I don't know how I'm going to reinstall the bar end if I can't get that piece of rubber back into the handlebar. Do I have to rubber hammer it in? :??:

2) Not wanting to tip my bike over, I tried to retrieve the nut by removing the handlebars. I faced two obstacles:
a) I can't figure out what tool to use to unscrew the top of the risers. What in the word are those pieces? They're like chrome circles with seemingly no possibility to use a wrench or a socket or anything to loosen them. I did not face this problem on my GS450 (which I could use a socket wrench to loosen the tops of the risers). How do those GZ250 riser bolts work? What tool do I need?
b) Since I couldn't figure out what I needed to do to loosen the tops of the risers, I decided to take the risers off from underneath the triple tree. I got one nut off (with a socket wrench) just fine. But I'll be darned if I could get the other off. I just about pulled my shoulder out of it's socket trying to get it out. Oy. Not to mention the one time the socket wrench went flying and put a tiny ding in the tank!!! :cuss: Any recommendations on how to get that nut loosened?

3) Lastly, do I really even need to retrieve the bar end nut out of the handle bar anyway? If I have a nut that'll fit (laying around in a bin of nuts :2tup: ), is the barend nut anything special? Or will any old nut pretty much do?

I'm hoping the answer to #3 is any old nut will do. In which case, I just need to figure out how to reinstall the bar end. Which I seem a little confused about given #1 above.

Appreciate any help as this seems to be confusing me.

[Rookie Rider]

You dont really need the bar ends on this bike in my opinion.

[Water Warrior 2]

The little chrome covers are just for show. Pry them up with anything that will do the job. A very small screw driver should do the trick.
The nut on the end of the bar end bolt is a metric thread. If I remember correctly it should have a shoulder on it. Sort of a built in washer design.. Most big box hardware stores should have them. Take the bolt with you for proper fitting size. The bar end has to be completely assembled before installation and is then tightened up to compress the rubber so it expands and grips the inside of the bar. The rubber is a tight fit and might need a shot of WD40 to help it slide in.
Keep in mind the bar end should not bind the throttle action when it is properly fitted and tightened. It is not to be used as a cruise control.
If you really feel adventurous you can loosen off the other side 2 or 3 turns of the screw and remove the entire bar end to see the exact placement of all the assorted pieces.
I was forewarned about undoing the screw entirely before removing the bar ends and it was a problem free job. The rubbers were snug fitting even when the screw was loosened but a bit of force and wiggling helped a bunch.

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by Rookie Rider

You dont really need the bar ends on this bike in my opinion.

Quite possibly if the vibration is not too much of an issue. But keep in mind the bar ends can and will help stop damage in a drop. They stick out far enough to possibly save the levers, mirrors and grip ends. Sacrificial items that are cheap to replace.

[Rookie Rider]

True, i didnt think off that :/

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by Rookie Rider

True, i didnt think off that :/

I tend to have a pessimistic mind and think worst case scenarios. That is why I insisted on crash bars on Lynda's M-50. The bars allowed me to drop the bike 2 times one day while changing oil. No damage.

[northsidegz]

Thank you both! I'll see if I can pry the chrome covers off simply then. I didn't realize they were just decorative chrome pieces. LOL. That's kind of funny.

I agree on not needing the bar end. I saw no difference with it on, or not on (although I hadn't taken into account the possible tip over/accident factor). It had unexplainably come loose over the course of time earlier this year. Of course, I tried retightening it a few times, but it never tightened back like it was. So like a smart motorcycle owner who didn't know what to he was getting into, I decided to unscrew it. It unscrewed. And unscrewed. And unscrewed. Which seemed to take forever and never did come out until I actually pulled it all out. Once I pulled it all out, I decided to put it back in. And that's when I went, "Oh crap. What the heck?!?!?" :retard:

Anyway, I'm only putting it back on to resell the bike and folks tend to want things functional on their beginner bikes. Even if it is "just" a bar end. :whistle:

[5th_bike]

Originally Posted by northsidegz

My throttle side bar end has come off. I have retrieved all the pieces except the nut (which is presumably lost in the handlebars somewhere).

Here's what I've unsuccessfully done so far:

1) The "a piece of rubber" (in bold above) doesn't seem to want to fit back into the handlebar. Is this normal? I don't know how I'm going to reinstall the bar end if I can't get that piece of rubber back into the handlebar. Do I have to rubber hammer it in? :??:

sorry, no idea :??: If it's the expander, that one fits real snug. AFAIR it's smaller than the expander.

Originally Posted by northsidegz

2) Not wanting to tip my bike over,

Have no fear. It will work.

Originally Posted by northsidegz

I tried to retrieve the nut by removing the handlebars. I faced two obstacles:
a) I can't figure out what tool to use to unscrew the top of the risers.

I'd use a little swiss army knife to pry the plastic hole fillers up (a screwdriver could damage the tender plastic) then a hex key to unscrew them. But it's much faster to lay the bike on its side on the grass. Just make sure you see the nut come out, use a towel or something.

[northsidegz]

Well, I tried laying the bike down on it's side and all that did was get a little bit of gas (not much) to leak out of onto the side of the tank. LOL. Oops.

So, I pried the chrome covers off and turns out that little nut had made it's way over to the other side of the handlebars (not "up" the other side, but it was certainly far to the left -- which would explain why it didn't come out tipping the bike over). This is likely because I've been riding the bike like this for probably 1,000 miles or so with the bar end off.

Anyway, retrieved the nut and got the bar end on and now I'm good to go! I rode it around to make sure I didn't overtighten and cause any issues with the throttle. And it's all good. Thanks for all the comments and help. Have had some interest in the bike (and possibly somebody to come and see it this weekend), so it's good to have that on and over with.