Fig 1 - The bars
In this picture, the clutch side bar is on the left of the picture; the
throttle/front brake side bar is on the right. In other words, the
way you're looking at them now is as if they're fitted to the bike and
you're looking at it from the rear.
The bottoms of the bars bolt onto either side of the lower front frame
tubes, and the tops push together in the area above the engine, held onto
the frame by the lugs you can see at the top, which bolt onto the frame
just behind the radiator - see Fig 2 below.
Also, though it's not that clear in the picture, there's a bend in the bars
just inside the lugs at the top of the bars, from which the outer edges of
the bars bend slightly forwards.
My bars also came with (and so should yours) a bolt, two washers and a nut
to fit the lugs on each side. The bolts have a hexagon head.
Fig 2 - Top Mounting Hole (lhs)
(Excuse the focus)
This photo shows the location of the upper mounting point for the bars.
On the left of the picture is the radiator, the camshaft cover is in the
bottom right corner, and the underside of the fairing is across the top.
There's also a couple of frame tubes - the one that goes across the top of
the engine and the one coming up the front.
Look at the plate in the elbow where the tubes meet - you'll see a small
hole (arrowed) through which a bolt holding the top lugs is passed.
You will need :-
12mm socket;
12mm spanner;
10mm socket;
Hex key (size to fit the bolts that came with the bars);
A square of kitchen/bog roll;
Some rag;
A couple of dollops of grease (any will do, as long as it's thick);
A torch (maybe)
Preparation
1. Put the bike on the centre stand. Best to start with a cold bike - you're
mucking around near the engine, so if it's hot, you might end up with
blisters.
2. Disconnect the HT leads, and route them out of the way, down to the back
of the heads.
3. Push the rubber mud-flap thingy (hangs down onto the front of the head)
out of the way to the back.
4. Oh, and by the way - so we're all talking the same language:
- Bolt/Screw: Long thing with the thread on the outside;
- Nut: Small thing with a hole in the middle and thread on
the inside
(The number of people that get their nuts and bolts mixed up...)
Fitting The Bars
5. Loosen and remove the bottom of the two bolts on the bottom right and
left-hand frame tubes (see Fig 3 and 4 below)
Figs 3 and 4 - Lower Mounting Bolts
There's a nut at the other end of each of these bolts, which will probably
need holding, but I warn you, they will probably be a swine to get to
(access is hampered by the downpipes). You should be able to get the ring
spanner on the nut, and then just turn the bolt.
If you can't do it this way, then I'm afraid you're going to need to take
the downpipes off.
Oh, and if either (both?) of the bolts won't pull through, push on the back
(threaded) end (of the bolt, not the bike) while turning it in an undoing
direction (anticlockwise). Should come out far enough that you can then
pull it through.
6. Right - having got the bolts out, grab the right-hand bar and bung the
bolt through it, and the hole - like below.
Fig 5 - RHS Bar Fitted
When you've done that, may as well put the nut (loosely) on the other end
of the bolt - there's less chance of you accidentally kicking it across
the floor if it's where it's supposed to be - but don't tighten it up yet.
7. Having fitted the right-hand bar, go round the other side and fit the
left-hand one - inserting the slightly smaller (top) end of one bar inside
the other. Again, fit the bottom bolt and putting the nut on the end, but
don't tighten it up yet.
8. Now the tricky bit - the top bolts. What makes this bit hard is you're
trying to get a washer and nut on the end of a bolt you can't see.
You could push the bolt through from the inside and put the nut on
the outside, but I preferred not to as it doesn't look too good.
The way I see it, you're only going to do it once, so do it so the thing
looks as good as possible.
Before going further, a few words of warning - BE CAREFUL - you're going
to be manoeuvring small nuts and bolts around the top of the head, in
spaces you can't see.
The spark plugs are *very* recessed between the cam covers, so small bits
dropped down there will be the devil's own job to retrieve.
It's well worth laying a cloth or something in the area over the top of
the heads so that any small bits you accidentally drop won't end up
in hard-to-reach places.
Plus, if you do drop them onto a bit of cloth, there's less chance of them
bouncing off the engine and going who knows where.
(Incidentally, you won't see this advice followed in the pictures, because
I only just thought of it but I would if I was doing it again)
OK, warning over, now for the fun.
First, of all, get a dollop of grease, and smear it on the far side of the
hole the bolt's going to go through - ie on the side that's away from you
(this will help hold the washer in place between you getting it in there
and the nut going on the end).
Now, get one of the bolts, pop a washer onto it, and then put the bolt
(pointing away from you) through the top lug of the bar and the hole in
the frame bracket.
Now, holding the bolt in place with one hand, spend a bit of time feeling
around with your index finger of the other hand to get a feel for where the
end of the bolt is. Once you're reasonably happy where the end of the bolt
is, get a blob of grease on your index finger, stick the washer to it, then
try and poke it onto the end of the bolt.
If you're good/lucky, you'll get the washer over the end of the bolt first
time, in which case you push it along and stick it to the grease blob you
put on the frame bracket earlier. And then sit back, and breathe a short
sigh of relief.
However, if you're anything like me, you'll now have to set about finding
the washer you just dropped (a torch may come in handy here), and then try
again, repeating the whole process as many times as it takes.
Having eventually got the washer on the end of the bolt, push it along it
so it sticks to the grease you stuck on the inside of the bracket earlier.
Now to fit the nut. There's a trick to this.
Get your 10mm socket, and pack it with just enough of the kitchen roll for
the nut to fit in there but not disappear down to the end. Use some grease
inside the socket to hold the nut in place so it doesn't fall out.
Now get the hex key on the end of the bolt, and - CAREFULLY - wheedle the
socket and wrench around behind the bracket until (with a bit of luck) the
nut meets the end of the bolt - turn the hex key to get it on there. But
watch out for cross-threading the nut and bolt.
A couple of hints here:
(1) it's worth putting a rag or something between the end of the ratchet
and the cam covers to prevent damage;
(2) Once you've got the nut roughly in the right area, hold it still and
use the hex key on the bolt head to 'steer' the end of the bolt into the
nut, and then do it up, rather than trying to move the nut onto the bolt.
It's a lot easier the first way.
Fig 6 - Fitting the Top Mounting Bolt (lhs)
Now tighten the nut and bolt up fully, then go round the other side and
repeat the exercise for the bolt on that side.
9. That's the job pretty much done. Once you've got the top fittings done
up, fully tighten the bottom nuts/bolts. Having done both sides, top and
bottom, your engine bars are now fitted.
Now remove all rags and the like, push the 'mudflap' things back into
place, and refit the HT leads (hint - get the leads on the right plugs.
Not that I didn't or anything...probably...)
Fig 7 - Don't Forget These Bits
Finally, double check that everything is done up, clean your tools, put
them away, and you're done.
Fig 8 - Job Done
This is pretty much what it should look like.
Note that there seems to be a bit more bar to one side of the radiator than
the other; this doesn't mean there's anything wrong; it must just be how
they're designed.