I can't believe this... Over a year ago I crashed on the Dragon and bent my handlebars. Not badly, but enough to tell they were bent. Then a few weeks ago I crashed *again* and this time I really bent them quite a bit. I have witnesses. [/emoticons/emotion-5.gif] So I was out in the garage working on my wife's bike some when I decided to take a look at my poor battered Warrior. OK, so first I rode it a minute around the 'hood, then figured it was time to put the pegs on it that Heath donated to the cause. That took about 5 minutes, no biggie. I hopped on the Warrior to push it over to the side out of the way of walking in and out of the garage. I couldn't help noticing the badly bent handlebars again. They are the 1.5" CP bars. I really like the bars, but had decided to go back to the stock bars after the second crash. But... I looked at them and thought "If I stuck a steel bar through the uprights and twisted... but... no, the whole front of the bike would be moving around... unless I turned the front end to full lock all the way to the right and then... EMPLOY THE STRENGTH OF KONG and just use my bare hands to PUSH harder to the right... and HARDER... and..." I felt something give very slightly... the bars were beginning to bend!?!?!? YES!!! HOLY CRAP I BENT THEM BACK INTO PERFECT SHAPE!!! Better than they were even after my first crash at the Dragon. THEY LOOK GREAT AGAIN!!! I'm so psyched that I think I'll go crash it again just to bend the handlebars so I can bend them back into shape again!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! Somebody pinch me!!! I must be dreaming!!! [/emoticons/emotion-4.gif][/emoticons/emotion-4.gif][/emoticons/emotion-4.gif][/emoticons/emotion-4.gif][/emoticons/emotion-4.gif][/emoticons/emotion-4.gif][/emoticons/emotion-4.gif][/emoticons/emotion-4.gif][/emoticons/emotion-2.gif][/emoticons/emotion-2.gif][/emoticons/emotion-2.gif][/emoticons/emotion-2.gif][/emoticons/emotion-2.gif][8D][8D][8D][8D][8D][8D]
Shag
I'd definitely be careful, bro. Like the others said, once they're bent and deformed (in one place and then bent back into the original shape at the same point), the structural strength is gone. For an example, go get a cheap dinner fork or spoon and bend it in half at the middle, then back again. Now repeat. It's much easier to bend than before. If you keep going, the fork will break. I'm sure everyone agrees that we're not trying to rain on your parade, just looking out for you.
Right, I understand and appreciate the concern. The bars were bent and they were bent enough that they looked cosmetically bad, but if I meaured the bar end before and after the bending, there was a difference of somewhere between one and two inches. And that's at the very ends where they were moved further out of position than anywhere else. Again, I appreciate the advice and concerns being expressed, but I feel very confident that the metal has not become fatigued from the amount of bending that has happened. And I've never been wrong about anything before... [/emoticons/emotion-5.gif]
Somebody pinch me! I must be dreaming!!!
My first thought was that you'd taken too many pain pills and eaten the soap dog. That woulda' been easier. You KNOW you shouldn't be running with those bars. Take it easy bro'.
My first thought was that you'd taken too many pain pills and eaten the soap dog. That woulda' been easier. You KNOW you shouldn't be running with those bars. Take it easy bro'.
I used to race motocross and I'd bend bars a couple of times a week. Unless they were completely pretzled, the old pipe cheater is the only way to go. I've straightened the same set of bars three or four times and never broken the bars or the welds. I know a dirt bike doesn't weigh as much as a Warrior, but landing off of jumps puts a huge stress on the bars. You should be fine. Congrats.
You and your Herculean strength. Amazing! [/emoticons/emotion-5.gif]
I think you'll be okay too Travis.
I think you'll be okay too Travis.
I bent mine back with a broken collar bone and no bar after I wiped out 2 years ago...well, they didn't bend all the way back but they are better than they were.
Shag you can make an inner sleave to push into the bar and gain your strength back. Old MX trick. Will have more strength then the original...Unless it brakes at a weld near the riser... then you just feel silly at 120mph, which we didnt have to worry about in MX. /emoticons/emotion-1.gif
You guys crack me up, I can just see a set of MX bars bent to sh!& with a pipe stuck in the end for strength as the guy whoopdie-doos toward the checkered flag. Its a mental picture I'll carry for the rest of the week thank you very much!
My thoughts: If the bars bent back into shape that easily they might be stressed so keep a sharp eye out. If the bars are not equally distant to the grips then you'll get arm/back/shoulder pains until your body muscles adjust. Instead of getting used to the grip distance difference, please replace the bent bars to avoid embarrassment. In MX we'd run fifteen-twenty minutes, not all day on the freeway. Plus the Warrior loads more machine weight into your hands, especially at speed and in twisties.
Still, you're my hero today bending those suckers back with brute strength. MX bars are not as thick, or at least I don't remember they were . . . and the Warrior vibrates enough without adding an inner pipe.
My thoughts: If the bars bent back into shape that easily they might be stressed so keep a sharp eye out. If the bars are not equally distant to the grips then you'll get arm/back/shoulder pains until your body muscles adjust. Instead of getting used to the grip distance difference, please replace the bent bars to avoid embarrassment. In MX we'd run fifteen-twenty minutes, not all day on the freeway. Plus the Warrior loads more machine weight into your hands, especially at speed and in twisties.
Still, you're my hero today bending those suckers back with brute strength. MX bars are not as thick, or at least I don't remember they were . . . and the Warrior vibrates enough without adding an inner pipe.
When you said you felt it starting to give - I thought it you broke the turn stop in the neck of the frame - and now would need a new frame too! In the future, I would avoid this "method"...
I would say you should have "mounted" thos bars to a metal bench, then tried to bend them back into shape. Not crazy about your using the "kong strength" to move 1.5" bars on AN ALUMINUM FRAME!
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But, I'm with Tomasa, just keep a close eye on them, I've bent bars back some before too, just make sure you watch for movement or crackage bro! Hate to hear you went down again!
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But, I'm with Tomasa, just keep a close eye on them, I've bent bars back some before too, just make sure you watch for movement or crackage bro! Hate to hear you went down again!
[/emoticons/emotion-5.gif]
quote:Originally posted by RatPhlem
When you said you felt it starting to give - I thought it you broke the turn stop in the neck of the frame - and now would need a new frame too! In the future, I would avoid this "method"...
Nah, you can weld that back on. I broke my stop off 4 years ago when I cartwheeled into a cornfield. I got lucky and the broken piece stayed in there and didn't get lost. I had it welded back on by a welder with lots of aluminum experience. It's been over 20,000 miles, two low sides and one massive rear ending by a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it still as solid, if not more, than the day I got it.
When you said you felt it starting to give - I thought it you broke the turn stop in the neck of the frame - and now would need a new frame too! In the future, I would avoid this "method"...
Nah, you can weld that back on. I broke my stop off 4 years ago when I cartwheeled into a cornfield. I got lucky and the broken piece stayed in there and didn't get lost. I had it welded back on by a welder with lots of aluminum experience. It's been over 20,000 miles, two low sides and one massive rear ending by a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it still as solid, if not more, than the day I got it.
quote:Originally posted by sangathor
quote:Originally posted by RatPhlem
When you said you felt it starting to give - I thought it you broke the turn stop in the neck of the frame - and now would need a new frame too! In the future, I would avoid this "method"...
Nah, you can weld that back on. I broke my stop off 4 years ago when I cartwheeled into a cornfield. I got lucky and the broken piece stayed in there and didn't get lost. I had it welded back on by a welder with lots of aluminum experience. It's been over 20,000 miles, two low sides and one massive rear ending by a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it still as solid, if not more, than the day I got it.
...and I thought I had bad luck! [:0]
quote:Originally posted by RatPhlem
When you said you felt it starting to give - I thought it you broke the turn stop in the neck of the frame - and now would need a new frame too! In the future, I would avoid this "method"...
Nah, you can weld that back on. I broke my stop off 4 years ago when I cartwheeled into a cornfield. I got lucky and the broken piece stayed in there and didn't get lost. I had it welded back on by a welder with lots of aluminum experience. It's been over 20,000 miles, two low sides and one massive rear ending by a Jeep Grand Cherokee and it still as solid, if not more, than the day I got it.
...and I thought I had bad luck! [:0]
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