Can't fit the Helibar triple clamp on

[Potential]

I'm trying to install Helibars and am now at the stage where I put the new triple clamp on. I can't get it on the forks more than a tiny fraction of an inch. How did you guys do it? The pinch bolts are fully loosened. The bike is on the centerstand with the front wheel on the ground. The instructions recommend putting weight on the back wheel but I have no way to do this. They also mention putting pressure to the frame seat rails but I have no idea what they mean by that.

Can anyone help?

 

[r1byker]

Essentially, the instructions are telling you to get the front wheel off the ground. There are several ways to do that, but I just had my wife lean on the back of the bike. That gives you the freedom to do the following. Get another person to wiggle the bottom of the forks while you're pressing down on the Helibar triple clamp. What's happening is that, when the old triple clamp was removed, it allowed some misalignment in the forks. What you have to do is get them aligned again (that's what the third person is doing when he's wiggling the fork bottoms) ; once they're lined up fairly close, the Helibar clamp will slide down.

 

[Ignacio]

The bike is on the centerstand with the front wheel on the ground. The instructions recommend putting weight on the back wheel but I have no way to do this.

Use a jack and this easy-to-make item. If you don't have a jack.....pick one up from the junkyard for $5 to $10. Most any passenger car jack will do.

 

[Potential]

The bike is on the centerstand with the front wheel on the ground. The instructions recommend putting weight on the back wheel but I have no way to do this.

Use a jack and this easy-to-make item. If you don't have a jack.....pick one up from the junkyard for $5 to $10. Most any passenger car jack will do.

Yeah I'll buy a simple car bottle jack and use a small wooden board with it. Is there really any harm in lifting via the header pipes when the center-stand is down? The jack shouldn't be lifting too much weight.

 

[RichardS]

I'm using a plain 2 x 4 and a scissors jack off of a '66 Austin Healey Sprite on the headers just past the downbends from the engine. All the botle jacks around here are too tall, and cheap hydraulic jacks lose pressure after time so they sag.

I had trouble getting the stock triple clamp back on after adding my Gen Mar bar backs. The 3 holes have to align perfectly, then I tapped the clamp on with a rubber mallet, alternating from side to side every 1 or 2 hammers. My forks were on the ground at this time. I didn't raise the front wheel off the ground until a week or so later.

 

[Fred W]

Yeah I'll buy a simple car bottle jack and use a small wooden board with it. Is there really any harm in lifting via the header pipes when the center-stand is down? The jack shouldn't be lifting too much weight.

No, I do it this way all the time when removing the front wheel. Just have the board be wide enough to spread the (small) load across all 4 pipes.

 

[Ignacio]

Is there really any harm in lifting via the header pipes when the center-stand is down? The jack shouldn't be lifting too much weight.

It wouldn't be posted on the website if it were an issue. Just be reasonably cautious and don't have an elephant on the bike as you jack it up.

 

[Bustanut joker]

don't have an elephant on the bike as you jack it up.

Hey bub, leave odots choice of woman outa this... The guy can't help himself.

Besides he's swinging towards Manatees these days.

Fricken Howie anyways <_<

:jester:

 

[Potential]

I'm still having trouble. I raised the front end with the jack + board approach (turned out to be really easy) and that allowed the clamp to go down much further, but there's still a quarter-inch remaining and I can't get it in. I tried the rubber mallet approach and I tried wiggling the forks, though they don't wiggle at all and neither of those things helped at all. Should the wheel pinch bolts be loosened? Where were you guys pressing on the forks to adjust them, and in roughly what sort of direction?

 

[Lake Powell]

............but there's still a quarter-inch remaining and I can't get it in. I tried the rubber mallet approach and............

couldn't help it

 

[Go Far]

I'm still having trouble. I raised the front end with the jack + board approach (turned out to be really easy) and that allowed the clamp to go down much further, but there's still a quarter-inch remaining and I can't get it in. I tried the rubber mallet approach and I tried wiggling the forks, though they don't wiggle at all and neither of those things helped at all. Should the wheel pinch bolts be loosened? Where were you guys pressing on the forks to adjust them, and in roughly what sort of direction?

I just re-installed my heli-bars after a fork oil change and doing an all-balls steering bearing change out.

Did you do anything else like loosen the lower fork clamp bolts?

Can you get a mirror and have a close look to see if anything is physically in the way of the heli-bars clamp from dropping the last little bit? like a snagged wire?

What about their proceedure of a 10 ft-lb tightening of the fork clamp bolts, followed by the steering stem nut tightened to 50 ft-lbs, then loosen the fork clamp bolts, and retighten to the spec they say (12 ft-lbs?).

If that doesn't seat it, call that number on the installation instructions.

Good luck

 

[El Toro]

After the July Heli Clamp buy, there were a couple of guys who said they couldn't get theirs to fit either.

One talked with the Heli folks, and was told to ream the holes out a very small amount (seems like it was a few ten thousandths perhaps). If all the suggestions here don't lead to success, you might want to talk to the good folks in Maine who sold you the clamp.

 

[YooperDick]

The easiest way to hold the front wheel off the ground is with a 4' 2X4.

Position the bike on the center stand under a ceiling joist. Sit on the pillion to lower the rear of the bike. Measure the distance from the joist to the cross-over bar on the rear of the bike. Cut 2X4 to measured length and notch ends so they don't slip.

 

[Potential]

Well FJRPat graciously came over and we struggled with it for an hour with no luck. The damn thing will not go on. I now suspect the unthreaded part of the steering stem is too wide for the clamp, which means I got a defective product, which is really ******* irritating since now I'm missing a weekend of great riding weather and have to have another one sent to me.

 

[El Toro]

You still might want to consider reaming it out a bit. Measure it with a gage that will give the interior diameter of a hole, and report the value to Heli. That may confirm its defective... or not. I am pretty sure that they told at least one person who reported here that he should take a few ten thousands off to make it fit.

Its funny how class fits work. The difference between a sliding class fit and an interference fit is very very small, and possibly within the tolerance of your FJR's stock parts.

 

[Potential]

I don't have any way of reaming it myself, and no machine shops in the area appear to be open now. (I tried looking.) I know I'm right because the threads rub against all sides of the center hole, yet the unthreaded part is clearly wider than the threads after examining it closely, so it's no wonder it doesn't fit. And even if I do find a machine shop that can do it, I would still need Heli to reimburse me for the cost since it was supposed to fit without modification.

I'll try to make the best of it by replacing the tires now, since the stock BT-021s are horrible and the bike can't be ridden now anyway so it seems like a good time.

 

[El Toro]

I agree that you don't want to make modifications on a defective part without their approval. Sorry to hear of your trouble with this project. Most of them seem to go smoothly, but you're not the first to report some trouble. I bought one of these through the group buy last summer, but never installed it. Its still in the bubble wrap because I decided I liked the stock set up just fine. I got carried away with the group buy concept. My bad. I am thinking I should check with a hole gage just to see what I've got. Usually stuff works out pretty good, but there are times when it doesn't. You're a long way from Maine.

 

[Fred W]

Well FJRPat graciously came over and we struggled with it for an hour with no luck. The damn thing will not go on. I now suspect the unthreaded part of the steering stem is too wide for the clamp, which means I got a defective product, which is really ******* irritating since now I'm missing a weekend of great riding weather and have to have another one sent to me.

So, what? You can't put your original triple clamp on and ride the bike?

What's really ******* irritating is when people order aftermarket modifications and the get all irate that they don't fit like factory parts.

Lighten up, pal. This is all part of the fun of modifying your bike. If you can't take the heat, stay outta the fire!!

(PS - sorry, I'm a day late. This is really a post dated Friday post)

 

[CHRIS_D]

Was this my group buy you brought this?

Either way contact them immediately and they should take care of you. If they don't let me know or just mention my user id from this forum, Why this problem is still happening is beyond me. Again, If they don't take care of you please let me know ASAP.