Bent Handle Bars on a 1999 KX250

[jjmancini]

Hey Everyone!

I am new to the forums as well as to off-road riding...
I ABSOLUTELY love it!

But, I did have my first spill today, nothing to bad, but I did end up bending the handle bars a little. How do I go about fixing that?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

J.J.

[Mr mischief]

A metal tube over one end of the handle bar that is bent, a wall and a mate!
As long as there is no crease in the metal before or after – no problem.
To check your results, put some weight on them (you).

DO NOT use the lock-stop on the handlebar movement (knobby thing on the
headstock), that is what the wall and mate are for!!

The lock stop while normally well welded in position is only attached to a
relatively thin section of metal (normally). This holds in place the
steering head bearings, so avoid any undue stress there.

Mr mischief.

[jjmancini]

Really... so no unscrewing, just sheer force. Okay, I'll try it!

What is the part that actually bends on a simple spill?

J.J.

[The Menace]

Are the bars actually bent, or are they twisted in the forks?

If they are just twisted in the forks, loosen the triple clamps, and just turn the bars until straight. Tighten them back up.

If the bars are actually bent after an easy spill, I would invest in a quality set of handlebars. A cheap replacement set will run you $40, and high quality Pro-Tapers or Renthals about $100. Well worth it in the long run. I prefer oversized Pro-Tapers, but you have to either replace the mounts or the top triple clamp to use them.

I never have trusted bars that have been bent and restraightened. The metal becomes fatigued.

Dennis

[jdager]

buy new handle bars like pro taper or something similar. a lot of them are guarenteed not to bend, and the stock ones will bend the first time you lay your bike over wrong, I did the same thing with mine and switched them out with pro tapers and love them

[jjmancini]

Aha! That makes sense. Thanks! I will look into getting some pro-tapers. Unitl then, will it hurt the triple clamp or fatigue the metal by straitening the currently bent handle bars? Or should I just wait and get some new ones?

Thanks so much for the info!

[Mr mischief]

When straightening handlebars, the idea is not to put to any stress on
any other part of the bike and it is relatively easy to do, just takes some
practice and mechanical savvy!
(that's where your mate comes in!)

The other suggestions are all good, just depends on the depth of your
wallet and, how much serious off-road work you do.
The good and bad point about handlebars that bend is, that they bend!!
That means stress relief - takes some of the shock out of the rest of the
impact to the bike.
The plus for new bars, well, they are shinny - new, and, yes, that is an easy
part of the motorcycle that can be upgraded = better look / more leverage
and less flex.

Also remember that you will have to do some drilling, there are some locating
dowls or pegs that will need to be added to the new handlebars.
Kind of prevents the handlebar controls from twisting around the bars.

Have fun choosing.

Mr mischief.

[chase114]

Also remember that you will have to do some drilling, there are some locating
dowls or pegs that will need to be added to the new handlebars.Kind of prevents the handlebar controls from twisting around the bars.

Huh??

Actually, you want your levers to twist in a crash. You want them snug, but not overly tight That way there is some give and they won't break and you are able to hit them back in place and finish the race. There is no drilling involved with replacing bars on an MX bike.
I would recommend Tag Metals.

[jjmancini]

Thanks for all the great input!

I was able to straighten them out by putting the front tire against the garage wall and then twisting the handle bars in the opposite direction. It worked out good!

I would like to get some new handlebars soon, so I will take into account all of your suggestions, thanks again!