Removing & replacing bar ends: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:Bodywork & Frame]]

====Removal====

==Removal==

The first, and hardest, thing to do when putting on new bar ends is removing the old ones. This can either be nightmarishly difficult or a walk in the park. It may depend on which Loctite application guy was on shift when your bike was assembled. Kawasaki puts red (permanent) Loctite on the bar ends. We don't know why.

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====Extracting the bolts====

*Make sure the screwdriver you are using is as nearly new as possible. Look at the tip of it and make sure you can see NO rounding or notching of any kind. The less it bites, the more of your force is wasted trying to press it into the bolt head in the first place.

Make sure the screwdriver you are using is as nearly new as possible. Look at the tip of it and make sure you can see NO rounding or notching of any kind. The less it bites, the more of your force is wasted trying to press it into the bolt head in the first place.

*If turning with a screwdriver doesn't work, there are a lot of other methods listed below, but you could just save yourself some time right off the bat and drill the head off the bolt. Many people have tried some of the other ways and ended up doing just that in the end. You're going to replace the bolt with an Allen-head one, anyway. Yes, you are.

If turning with a screwdriver doesn't work, there are a lot of other methods listed below, but you could just save yourself some time right off the bat and drill the head off the bolt. Many people have tried some of the other ways and ended up doing just that in the end. You're going to replace the bolt with an Allen-head one, anyway. Yes, you are.

:Get a 1/4" cobalt drill bit (or any kind of bit designed for drilling in metal) from any hardware store, and drill straight through the center of the head. The head will pop off and the bar end will slide right off.

Get a 1/4" cobalt drill bit (or any kind of bit designed for drilling in metal) from any hardware store, and drill straight through the center of the head. The head will pop off and the bar end will slide right off.

:[[image:drill bolt head.jpg|100px]]

[[image:drill bolt head.jpg|100px]]

:From there, clamp a vise-grips onto the remaining part of the bolt and turn it out, perhaps using one of the heat methods below to assist.

From there, clamp a vise-grips onto the remaining part of the bolt and turn it out, perhaps using one of the heat methods below to assist.

====Replacing the bolts====

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Anything you can do to soften things up before you start wrenching on that bolt will definitely help.

====Finding new bar ends====

==Finding new bar ends==

All bar ends are not created equal. The bar ends on the EX250 are designed for solid bars. Many bikes have hollow bars that use an expanding rubber thingy to hold them on. ZX-10Rs and some others have completely weird bar ends that actually screw into the bar.

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The stock bar ends are steel and seem quite crash-resistant. Many aftermarket bar ends are aluminium and grind away during a crash. Grinding away means crash energy is being used up, and your bike still works fine without nice bar ends. That said, the stock bar ends are also quite long and help to preserve the tips of your levers. Take your pick, and try not to crash.

====A couple things to think about====

==A couple things to think about==

*The purpose of the bar ends is to dampen the vibration of the handlebars. This is one place where weight is a good thing. Most of the aftermarket ends are made from aluminum, or even a kind of nylon-ish plastic. Those may not be heavy enough to do the job they are supposed to do as well as the OEM product. They do come in pretty colors, though. eBay is a good place to look.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Category:Bodywork & Frame]]
-====Removal====
+==Removal==
 The first, and hardest, thing to do when putting on new bar ends is removing the old ones. This can either be nightmarishly difficult or a walk in the park. It may depend on which Loctite application guy was on shift when your bike was assembled. Kawasaki puts red (permanent) Loctite on the bar ends. We don't know why.
@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 ====Extracting the bolts====
-*Make sure the screwdriver you are using is as nearly new as possible. Look at the tip of it and make sure you can see NO rounding or notching of any kind. The less it bites, the more of your force is wasted trying to press it into the bolt head in the first place.
+Make sure the screwdriver you are using is as nearly new as possible. Look at the tip of it and make sure you can see NO rounding or notching of any kind. The less it bites, the more of your force is wasted trying to press it into the bolt head in the first place.
-*If turning with a screwdriver doesn't work, there are a lot of other methods listed below, but you could just save yourself some time right off the bat and drill the head off the bolt. Many people have tried some of the other ways and ended up doing just that in the end. You're going to replace the bolt with an Allen-head one, anyway. Yes, you are.
+If turning with a screwdriver doesn't work, there are a lot of other methods listed below, but you could just save yourself some time right off the bat and drill the head off the bolt. Many people have tried some of the other ways and ended up doing just that in the end. You're going to replace the bolt with an Allen-head one, anyway. Yes, you are.
-:Get a 1/4" cobalt drill bit (or any kind of bit designed for drilling in metal) from any hardware store, and drill straight through the center of the head. The head will pop off and the bar end will slide right off.
+Get a 1/4" cobalt drill bit (or any kind of bit designed for drilling in metal) from any hardware store, and drill straight through the center of the head. The head will pop off and the bar end will slide right off.
-:[[image:drill bolt head.jpg|100px]]
+[[image:drill bolt head.jpg|100px]]
-:From there, clamp a vise-grips onto the remaining part of the bolt and turn it out, perhaps using one of the heat methods below to assist.
+From there, clamp a vise-grips onto the remaining part of the bolt and turn it out, perhaps using one of the heat methods below to assist.
 ====Replacing the bolts====
@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 Anything you can do to soften things up before you start wrenching on that bolt will definitely help.
-====Finding new bar ends====
+==Finding new bar ends==
 All bar ends are not created equal. The bar ends on the EX250 are designed for solid bars. Many bikes have hollow bars that use an expanding rubber thingy to hold them on. ZX-10Rs and some others have completely weird bar ends that actually screw into the bar.
@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 The stock bar ends are steel and seem quite crash-resistant. Many aftermarket bar ends are aluminium and grind away during a crash. Grinding away means crash energy is being used up, and your bike still works fine without nice bar ends. That said, the stock bar ends are also quite long and help to preserve the tips of your levers. Take your pick, and try not to crash.
-====A couple things to think about====
+==A couple things to think about==
 *The purpose of the bar ends is to dampen the vibration of the handlebars. This is one place where weight is a good thing. Most of the aftermarket ends are made from aluminum, or even a kind of nylon-ish plastic. Those may not be heavy enough to do the job they are supposed to do as well as the OEM product. They do come in pretty colors, though. eBay is a good place to look.