| Author |
Message |
    
Rocketman
| | Posted on Monday, April 11, 2005 - 08:21 pm: | 
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Metal's a funny thing isn't it.
When we talk about a steel tubed handlebar, and how cheap they supposedly are, it's easy to condemn the bar once it becomes bent because you see it as a major factor in safety.
Imagine if you will. You take out your AC Cobra for a Sunday morning stroll when suddenly you lose concentration and control. Next thing you know your 400 horse power tuned motor won't move the canyon wall. Instead it bends your fender, your inner fender and the chassis leg that runs right up to the A post.
What do you do next? You strip off the damage and put the car on a jig, then you proceed to pull the bent leg straight. Only in extreme cases would you replace the damaged chassis leg.
So tell me. Why is a handlebar that suffers a minor bend dangerous to straighten? Price and availability? Well last time I bent my S1 bars they were no longer available in the UK. Anyway. not trying to argue but hey it's not all doom and gloom. You can straighten handlebars. It takes three things. A big steel tube. A straight edge and common sense.
Rocket |
Oldog
| | Posted on Monday, April 11, 2005 - 09:45 pm: |
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Point taken, Rocket. As an old school machinist and tool maker I have seen steel do some un expected things. If the bend section is small and / or extreme you run the risk of cracking and / or deforming the tube.
Un like the cobra the bars are $40?? When I bent the bars on my 79 suzi I took the wheel barrow bars off and put on clubmans with 1" of rise. If I could not find bars or could not afford them I would straighten them. BUT rest assured that they would under go a good looking over before being placed back in service I "fixed" some handle bars as a kid and was almost impaled
any way nor trying to give you any grief. In the case of the cobra I would hope that I had a competent first rate tech like you to fix it
Ride safe rocket |
Smitty808
| | Posted on Monday, April 11, 2005 - 10:00 pm: |
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So....I FINALLY got to talk to a human at his insurance company today. He said they pride themselves on getting most claims taken care of within 24-48 hours. So I asked him why it had been almost a week. If I hadn't kept calling I would still be waiting! I have to fax them a estimate, then wait again(24-48 hours???) |
Oldog
| | Posted on Sunday, April 17, 2005 - 11:02 pm: |
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smitty any progress? |
Mmmi_grad
| | Posted on Sunday, April 17, 2005 - 11:13 pm: |
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new handle bars new light new shifter new helmet add the 60 bucks an hour shop labor and you got a nice check coming! Ill bet your neighbor is crapping his pants fearing retalition.  Probley not but hope so. My new neighbor almost cost me an accident 60 days ago. not cool not cool. |
Smitty808
| | Posted on Sunday, April 17, 2005 - 11:47 pm: |
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I talked to them friday....supposed to be in the mail....we'll wait and see! |
Smitty808
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 - 11:00 pm: |
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still no check |
Gnomad
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 - 11:58 pm: |
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"That derby hat is ace man!
Bars are made from sprung steel and I've straightened hundreds of them over the years and I've never know one snap because it was straightened.
Of course you'll always here scare stories but you can bet they're from someone who's never straightened a bar or owned a dirt bike.
Rocket"
Actually, I've had a straightened bar break on me, and since it was on a Honda Trail 90, it wasn't like it was in a high-stress environment.
And was it ever fun to ride home with only one side of the bars, and naturally it was the throttle side that broke off. LIke I said, an intersting ride home. Good thing I was a teenager at the time and knew everything or I;d have never made it. |
Rocketman
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - 09:05 pm: |
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Well I can only speak of my own experiences Gonad 
My point was simply that there are scare stories and there are scare stories. If in doubt always take the safest option. God forbid I'd want anyone to follow my advice then have a handlebar snap on them. I'm not knocking anyone for taking the safest option but, and it's a big but for some to even consider never mind take, there are alternatives that have worked for me. I have to say, a handlebar is a pretty well engineered piece of kit and I imagine it is one of those components that is stress tested far beyond the limits it should be subject to under extreme use never mind ordinary use. Of course, I may well be wrong and a handlebar like some other parts is only subject to minimum manufacturers tolerance in order to keep manufacturing costs down to a minimum, but I doubt it based on the number I've put back into shape but that's purely subjective on my part.
Please, use common sense and be careful.
Rocket |
Mmmi_grad
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - 11:38 pm: |
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you guys know what, I had just about the whole cornucopia of bicycles when i was a kid, forgien folding 3 speed bikes, tandem schwinns, 5 speed schwinns, even a 1982 $500.00 CW dual chain dirt track bike!!!!! I have wrecked alot of bikes in alot of ways, jumped many hills..........only one handle bar gave out on me and that was on a schwinn tandum that i pulled on to real hard one day trying to pedel it hard. One side of the bar went snap and I crashed the bike.
My panhead has also had its handle bars tweaked and since almost mo pressure is put on them I cannot comment. |
Smitty808
| | Posted on Saturday, April 23, 2005 - 12:15 am: |
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FINALLY got the check.
Parts ordered!! |
Mmmi_grad
| | Posted on Saturday, April 23, 2005 - 03:07 am: |
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GONGRATS , Interested in whats left over in profit
I totalled my 97 olds achiva couple years ago in a bad snow and ice storm . Just spun around 2wice on country road and fired backwards at a 30 degree angle off the road into a slight hill , LOL THE CAR EVER SO SLIGHTLY AND SLOWLY TIPPED OVER ON ITS SIDE. With me in the drivers seat causually holding onto the stearing wheel!! LOL I was pissed at first since the car was about scratchless and boaght almost new. Anyway insurance gave me $4600 bucks for the car and put me in a loaner for 45 days. When i got the car loan paid off and got the check it took me about 400 bucks to get it back on the road. Junk yard rear end , right mirror, new radiator, junk yard rim, and then just look at a ugly wrinkeled right front fender.
40k later its still a decent car! |
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