Installing Clubmans

Ease

83 XJ650RK, 77 TS-250
While posting the info on how I made my seat it struck me that I had step by step pics of when I installed my clubmans, so I figured I'd throw it on here in case someone needs the info.

Removed clamps from the stock bars...
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Took the bars off (saving the paint with a dirty rag).
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Removed the mirrors and slid the throttle side off of the bar.
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Slid the throttle on to the new clubmans (after removing the end caps... KEEP THESE... You can use them to plug your frame after you cut it off to fit your sweet cafe seat that you copy from my mucho informative post in the seat section ;D)
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Slid the clutch lever off the old bars, and back on to the clubmans.
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Turn the handlebars all the way lock to lock on BOTH sides to adjust for clearence. When my bike is at full lock my choke is so close to the tank that you can't fit a loonie between them (If you're a yank I guess a nickel works too, hah).
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And there u go, a new stance and better handling (I find) on the cheap. As much as i would like to have clip-ons... this cost me 25 bucks.
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Nice transformation... I've been thinking about that route myself.

Had a friend whose clip-on's were installed by a seasoned builder and the right slid down the fork one day... enough to scare me off clip-ons.
 
CanadaDan said:
Nice transformation... I've been thinking about that route myself.

Had a friend whose clip-on's were installed by a seasoned builder and the right slid down the fork one day... enough to scare me off clip-ons.

Thanks,
Clubmans seem to get a bad rap because it's "too easy" and everyone has them... I guess I can agree to some extent but in all honesty if you care what other people think then you aren't building your bike for yourself.

As far as the clip ons go... I would probably have shit myself if that happened to me, and chances are my clubmans won't snap off when I'm riding, so I hear ya on that too.

Installing the clip-on's above the tree (pushing the forks through an inch or so) would solve that problem, unless of course your friend was pulling up on the bars instead of pushing down... then there'd be real trouble... But a friend of mine who happens to be a Harley mechanic (and who worked at a Yamaha dealership) says it'll mess up the geometry of the bike... I think I'd be willing to try it out at the Ton to see if he's right - after installing a steering damper.
 
Clubmans are good for long term owners; you can put them on in their intended fashion when you're in your 20's and 30's, but when it starts to hurt, you can just turn them over. Still fairly low and forward without breaking your back.

BTW- many bikes come from the factory with clip-ons above the triple tree. Sometimes it takes some shimming to get the proper grip on them, though.
 
Thanks... Great post..
I opted for Telefix clipons that I picked up at a swap meet.

Here are my install pics:

On my 75 cb550f before:
Begining.jpg


And after:
End.jpg


I lowered the suspension 2 inches past the triple tree and clamped them on top.
I should have clamped them below the triple for a lower riding position....
 
Uncle Ernie said:
Do you notice any difference in handling or feel?


HUGE difference...especially since its lower in the front by 2 inches..
It seems to turn much sharper in the corners and it feels more stable at higher speeds..
Oh, and my back kills after an hour or so...LOL...
 
Kuyarico said:
Noel, did you have any problems with clearance with your stock master cylinder? I like the setup.

No.. Not at all. It was however a pain in the ass to get the forks to throught the triple by myself, while the bike was on the centerstand. That should have been a 2 man job. Good thing that the forkseals were new or it would have been more difficult!! ;D

NoelClipOn.jpg


Here are more pics of the transition:
The Telefix bars clamped on the fork-tubes prior to moving the controls over from the old bars...
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Finally done..
Phase1completed.jpg
 
This is one of my posts from a good long while ago but no one has mentioned the need to modify anything yet so I feel it needs to be posted. I'm not sure why no one else did, but I had to blow holes through the bars to accomodate the stock locator pins in the controls, not to mention the slots to run wiring and the notch to clear the neck (but that's only because I inverted them)

Any one with a 360 take note... this is NOT what your' top tree should look like!

One night I get ambitious/bored and decide to tear my front end apart and see how much better I can re-assemble it.

first things first disassembly:
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This is what progress looks like in my world

After cleaning up anything that was now exposed I decided the front fender that had developed a fast growing crack had to go and the bars would look better under the top clamp:
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Only problem... they don't fit. I need to slot the back of the bar to clear the neck, Vise + Bridgeport = solution:
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(earlier I had to cut the other holes into it to accommodate the stock controls and run the wires)

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no need to clean up the hole since no wires will be running through it. (although I did still sand it out a little after this shot was taken... it just looks better)

the reason those holes were cut into the bar ends:
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Lock to lock it clears just fine:
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This was just blind luck

I also switched all the phillips and standard hardware with allens (not pictured) and lowered the front a half inch or so... the top caps just looked better sitting even with the top of the clamp.
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If I don't end up fabricating all new triple clamps I'm going to have to knock those brace extensions off that thing.

Close-up of the inverted risers:
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I also had to ditch one of the bushing out of each mount to get the bars to pivot forward enough to clear the neck (I wanted to notch the bar as little as possible)

All together:
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frontend113lv.jpg

Those cables are getting longer and longer each time I drop the bars. That's on the list, but I keep forgetting about it.
 
;D check out the double post:

It's been cold here, and when it gets cold, my bikes tend to fall apart: this is an account of the latest incident:

There's of course nothing particularly wrong with the original monster bars.

duc.jpg


.but sometimes you just wonder what it will look like with something different. and I bet it would look cool with some of my clubmans.

There tuned out to be a few problems with this idea though, first, the grip length wouldn't fit the original controls so I had to put some pretty good notches in brackets:

loresbar%20change%20009.jpg


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.not big enough

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.better

Then the headlight was fighting with the brake cables for the same space, calling for some new brackets:

I had to make a template from the original pair, scan them into Illustrator and move the headlight mount holes 2 inches down and an inch out. Found some aluminum, and cut:
loresbar%20change%20011.jpg


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. these are my junk pair, I used a piece of stock that was already partially cut for another part and abandoned, that's why they have lines through them already. They weren't supposed to be a junk pair. but in the next couple of steps I screw them up pretty good

Mark where the bends need to be using the original template:
loresbar%20change%20013.jpg


And place them in the break, it's good to do both at the same time to be sure they'll match
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Check your' angle till they match the originals
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Then the second bend. Note that these two bends return on eachother. so very wrong, this is that screwing up part I mentioned before.
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So on the left is the second pair I had to make up, in the middle are Ducatis' originals, and on the right is one of the messed up ones.
loresbar%20change%20018.jpg



The last hurtle to overcome was that massively gross gauge pod that all monsters are stricken with. Now that the bars are going to sit lower the pod is even more unacceptable than it was before. I tried to figure out how to go completely without it but I didn't want to loose the odometer or temp readout, so I'll just have to make a new pod.

This is what's the giant thing is packaging:
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Size it is vs. size it needs to be
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First step: scan for reference
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Throw on some splines in Illustrator
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Splines will give you the shape to start with but the most important part is to make sure to get some really tight measurements
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Since I'm trying to take all the airspace out of the pod my measurements become very important, I want just enough room for the components without any extra.

My ProE part:
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and surfcam
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This is what $30.00 worth of plastic looks like
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A little bit about machining two sided parts on a 3 axis machine:

The first side’s pretty self-explanatory: stick it to the table, flycut it to height, and run your’ program. After cutting the volume fill it with hot wax and wait for it to cool:
lorespod%20011.jpg


flycut it back to height:
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and flip it using the 3/16 holes drilled in the part and table
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and we have part:
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first test fit, no gasket, loosely fit together… and very waxy
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hmm… headlight may have to come up a bit
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after a bath in some heptane to dissolve any remaining wax
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it’s ready for final fit
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I guess I got used to the headlight where it was, it may change in the future, but right now I’m not in too much of a hurry.

BTW. This:
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Is why I like vintage bikes
 
Mysta, I decided not to comment on your other forum (on the build of loudbike and others) but now I gotta say... You got some skills, and imagination to boot.

I freakin love loudbike, that inverted top clamp blew me away, and now the monster (one of my fav bikes though i've never ridden one) is lookin crazy.

Keep it up and keep posting.

Ease.
 
Ease said:
Mysta, I decided not to comment on your other forum (on the build of loudbike and others) but now I gotta say... You got some skills, and imagination to boot.
I freakin love loudbike, that inverted top clamp blew me away, and now the monster (one of my fav bikes though i've never ridden one) is lookin crazy.
Keep it up and keep posting.
Ease.

Yeah.. I gotta second that notion.. I'm really impressed with all that funky technology that you use!!...
WOW.. I sure wish I had access to kinda of machinery!!
 
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