Reinstall stock bar-end weights

[user 17635]

I had the Throttlemeister on my bike for a while, but now I have installed a true cruise control system, so I want to put the original bar-end weights back in.

I have removed the TM already, and I still have the original bar-end weights and the inserts that go inside the bars, but are removed for the Thottlemeister.

The question is: how do I get those inserts back into the bars? I checked the FSM, and it does not show them as a separate part from the handlebars, so there's no info on removal or installation. The puller tool that Throttlemeister gives you is obviously of little use getting them back in.

Please - I do not need 20 suggestions on what different bar-end weights I should buy instead. I just want to get the stock ones back in. They look fine, they work, and best of all, I already own them!

I tried using a rubber mallet to pound one in (that didn't sound right!), but it only went in about half way and then just felt like it wouldn't budge any further. Maybe I just need to use a punch to get it all the way in? Or maybe I have to remove all the grips and switches and use heat on the bar? Or lube on the insert? Or all of these at once?

Ideas?

TIA

-Dan

 

[Fairlaner]

When i did mine i used WD40 and a regular hammer, to get then to the right depth you will need and old bolt with the right thread, thread it in and tap it to the desired depth.

R

 

[Happy Rider]

When i did mine i used WD40 and tap it to the desired depth.

R

I'm sorry but I couldn't let that one go. :rofl:

 

[majicmaker]

The original bar ends SUCK!! Leave the TM bar ends in!! It works Waaaay better than the original for vibration dampning. :clapping:

 

[Pepperell]

The original bar ends SUCK!! Leave the TM bar ends in!! It works Waaaay better than the original for vibration dampning.

Some of us have no vibration issue, hence no desire to change. Besides, when a HD pulls up next to you at a light, how do you know your engine is running??? :lol:

 

[user 17635]

The original bar ends SUCK!! Leave the TM bar ends in!! It works Waaaay better than the original for vibration dampning. :clapping:

I never had a problem with vibrations. I want the original bar-ends back in. Even if I do have a problem with vibrations later, I would want different bar end weights, not the throttlemeister ends, and all of the aftermarket ends want to bolt into those inserts.

I tried using WD-40, a regular hammer, and I can only get the first weight in about 2/3 of the way. I may need a heavier hammer. I do not like the idea of pounding on a bolt in the threads, so I have been using a punch instead. These things sure came out easier than they go back in!

I can remove the grip and torch the end of the bar on the left side, which might help, but the throttle side requires removing the whole sleeve to do this. What a PITA. I guess I should have expected this. Everything involving this bike in the last 2 weeks has turned out to be WAY more complicated than I anticipated.

-Dan

 

[FJRay]

The original bar ends SUCK!! Leave the TM bar ends in!! It works Waaaay better than the original for vibration dampning. :clapping:

I never had a problem with vibrations. I want to original bar-ends back in. Even if I do have a problem with vibrations later, I would want different bar end weights, not the throttlemeister ends, and all of the aftermarket ends want to bolt into those inserts.

I tried using WD-40, a regular hammer, and I can only get the first weight in about 2/3 of the way. I may need a heavier hammer. I do not like the idea of pounding on a bolt in the threads, so I have been using a punch instead. These things sure came out easier than they go back in!

I can remove the grip and torch the end of the bar on the left side, which might help, but the throttle side requires removing the whole sleeve to do this. What a PITA. I guess I should have expected this. Everything involving this bike in the last 2 weeks has turned out to be WAY more complicated than I anticipated.

-Dan

I used either a socket or a piece of pipe of the proper diameter so I was driving on the outer shell. That takes the bounce out of driving on the rubber insert. I dont remember any other issues. don't go to far or you will bind the throttle when you install the weight.

 

[user 17635]

I used either a socket or a piece of pipe of the proper diameter so I was driving on the outer shell. That takes the bounce out of driving on the rubber insert. I dont remember any other issues. don't go to far or you will bind the throttle when you install the weight.

Thanks! That was helpful. Using a 14mm socket got them in much more easily. However, I am still not done. I measured the inserts and the depth of the larger diameter opening in the bar ends (there is a "lip" where the inner diameter decreases inside the bar). The inserts are about 17mm long, and the larger inner diameter opening is about 18mm deep. So, no matter how hard I hit them, the inserts are are only going to go 1mm beyond the end of the bar. So, when I add the bar ends to the inserts, I am left with a rather large, unsightly gap between the grip and the bar end. On the throttle side, this gap is about 1/4-inch! It is probably less than 1/8" on the left side.

I have checked everything again and again. Both of the inserts are exactly the same, and both of the bar ends are exactly the same, as far as I can tell. I even confirmed that the lip is at the same depth on both bars.

I loosened the throttle sleeve, but it does not seem to move, so I am assuming it is notched into the bar in its current location. I do not remember moving it when I installed the Throttlemeister, anyway, although I guess it is possible.

What am I missing here? I don't remember there being any noticeable gap between the bar ends and the grips before.

Pictures:

throttle side

left side (not so bad)

 

[FJRay]

I used either a socket or a piece of pipe of the proper diameter so I was driving on the outer shell. That takes the bounce out of driving on the rubber insert. I dont remember any other issues. don't go to far or you will bind the throttle when you install the weight.

Thanks! That was helpful. Using a 14mm socket got them in much more easily. However, I am still not done. I measured the inserts and the depth of the larger diameter opening in the bar ends (there is a "lip" where the inner diameter decreases inside the bar). The inserts are about 17mm long, and the larger inner diameter opening is about 18mm deep. So, no matter how hard I hit them, the inserts are are only going to go 1mm beyond the end of the bar. So, when I add the bar ends to the inserts, I am left with a rather large, unsightly gap between the grip and the bar end. On the throttle side, this gap is about 1/4-inch! It is probably less than 1/8" on the left side.

I have checked everything again and again. Both of the inserts are exactly the same, and both of the bar ends are exactly the same, as far as I can tell. I even confirmed that the lip is at the same depth on both bars.

I loosened the throttle sleeve, but it does not seem to move, so I am assuming it is notched into the bar in its current location. I do not remember moving it when I installed the Throttlemeister, anyway, although I guess it is possible.

What am I missing here? I don't remember there being any noticeable gap between the bar ends and the grips before.

Pictures:

throttle side

left side (not so bad)

You might check to see if they are different lenghts. I can't find my old ones at the moment to check. The other thought is machine one down or space the other one with a washer until the gap is equal.

 

[user 17635]

You might check to see if they are different lenghts. I can't find my old ones at the moment to check. The other thought is machine one down or space the other one with a washer until the gap is equal.

I did check. As I said, both inserts and weights were exactly the same, as far as I could tell. I switched them around anyway, but of course the result was the same.

Since this all worked before I took them out, I doubt that the solution would be in machining anything down. I certainly don't have the tools to do that anyway.

 

[RadioHowie]

What's freakin' hilarious here, is that my (dead stock/never modified) '04 grips look exactly opposite of yours.....

The throttle-side weight is just close enough to the throttle grip as to not bind...but the clutch side has about a 1/4 inch gap.

Never noticed it until today. Thanks-a-lot!!

Now I gotta go fix something that ain't broke, ya bastard!!! :finger:

 

[BkrK12]

This migt be stupidly simple. Try putting the grommets in the freezer for about 24 hours and then have another go at it.

 

[FJRay]

What's freakin' hilarious here, is that my (dead stock/never modified) '04 grips look exactly opposite of yours.....
The throttle-side weight is just close enough to the throttle grip as to not bind...but the clutch side has about a 1/4 inch gap.

Never noticed it until today. Thanks-a-lot!!

Now I gotta go fix something that ain't broke, ya bastard!!! :finger:

The fix is obvious. Just trade one side with him and things will be all better. :blink:

 

[user 17635]

This migt be stupidly simple. Try putting the grommets in the freezer for about 24 hours and then have another go at it.

I am not sure how putting them in the freezer will modify the physical dimensions of the inserts. I understand what you mean - freezing them might make them easier to insert. But I am pretty confident that the inserts are already in as far as they will go. I measured the inserts, and I measured the bars. It won't go in any further due to the lip inside the bar. The larger diameter hole is only deep enough to just hold the insert. The measurements don't lie. Sometimes I do, but I was pretty careful here - I think I measured accurately.

 

[user 17635]

What's freakin' hilarious here, is that my (dead stock/never modified) '04 grips look exactly opposite of yours.....
The throttle-side weight is just close enough to the throttle grip as to not bind...but the clutch side has about a 1/4 inch gap.

Never noticed it until today. Thanks-a-lot!!

Now I gotta go fix something that ain't broke, ya bastard!!! :finger:

Haha- sorry about that. Can you tell if the throttle tube extends past the metal bar by any substantial amount? I still suspect that the throttle tube needs to be moved outboard. I think your fix will be easy - just slide the grip out over the weight.

 

[BkrK12]

It's like driving bearings on. The freezing shrinks the grommet to give you some more room. I'm not sure you have anything to lose by trying it.

It's not entirely clear that the problem hasn't been exacerbated by driving them in not quite straight. You may have added to the lip. If you keep trying to do it with brute force, the interior surface will eventually get so boogered up that nothing will go in far enough, even after market stuff.

Just an idea - probably worth exactly what it cost.

 

[user 17635]

It's like driving bearings on. The freezing shrinks the grommet to give you some more room. I'm not sure you have anything to lose by trying it. It's not entirely clear that the problem hasn't been exacerbated by driving them in not quite straight. You may have added to the lip. If you keep trying to do it with brute force, the interior surface will eventually get so boogered up that nothing will go in far enough, even after market stuff.

Just an idea - probably worth exactly what it cost.

Sorry, I don't get it. How could I have added to the lip? I didn't add any material to the inside of the bar. And believe me, these things are far too tight to ever go in in any way other than perfectly straight. The problem is not that I can't move it. I stopped trying a long time ago. The physics of it mean they are in as far as they will ever go in. The hole is 18 mm deep, and the insert is 17mm long (or it could be the other way around, but either way, my problem is bigger than 1mm). No amount of freezing is going to change that. And frankly, I could feel/hear the resonance change when the grommet hit the lip inside the bar while I was pounding it in. Once I used the deep socket to ensure I was applying the driving force to the outer edge of the grommet rather than the rubber-mounted inside part, driving the inserts in was MUCH easier. It took about 10 hits with a hammer to get it all the way in, at which point the sound becomes a higher-pitched ping and it completely stops moving (which is precisely what I would expect knowing the dimensions).

I have removed and re-inserted both grommets now a couple of times. The inside of the bar and the outside of the grommets are still in good shape. Moving them is not the problem. The fitment/gap is the issue.

 

[BkrK12]

OK

 

[user 17635]

I think I get what you meant about adding to the lip. If the grommet were not straight, it could theoretically dig into the inside of the bar and push some material up against the existing lip, thus effectively adding to it. So that makes sense, but like I said, the surfaces have been clean when I removed them, so I don't think that is what happened here.

I was playing around with the grips, and I was able to "stretch" the left grip out to just about touch the weight, so at least that side looks better. I tried the same on the right grip, and it moved a little (maybe the throttlemeister had compressed it laterally through use or through installation of the extra tube under the grip), so it is closer now, but still not looking like it should (or at least how I think it should).

I could ride the bike as it is. This is just a cosmetic issue, but it is annoying to me.