Need help trying to determine "which" clip on is bent??

OK for some background:

Purchased a 2008 VFR800 from a guy in Florida (I'm in NJ) listed on Cycle Trader back in Sept. Bike had 1600 miles on the clock and it was going for $5000. I quickly called the guy (which seem very nice and sincere) and made a verbal commitment to buy. I mailed him a check and arrived the next day at the closest airport where he picked me up (1 hour from his house). The bike looked new in every way. The guy even put a new pair of Michelins on her (said the stock tires started to get dry rot). I thought that was strange but I accepted it as the truth. Anyway we finished our business and I was on my 2 day road trip home. The trip went smoothly without a glitch. After arriving home, I took the bike to my local hometown mechanic to have all the fluids changed and a good going over. He later informed me the bike had been down on the left side. He said it appeared to be a slow parking lot mishap perhaps and said not to worry about it. He showed me all the evidence which showed for sure the bike had been down. Well, giving the seller the benefit of the doubt, since he was the second owner, maybe he didn't know but that's a stretch since he seemed very anal about everything about the bike.

So now for the question: Which stock clip on bar is bent? One or both? (Could be the right because I also noticed the brake pedal is bent).

Here are some measurements I took.

The left bar comes within 1/2" from hitting the tank when fully cocked to the left (the horn button to the tank). The left bar end is 37" from the ground when on centerstand.

The right bar comes within 1" of the tank when fully cocked to the right. The right bar end is 39" from the ground when on centerstand.

So the left is 2" lower and comes closer to the tank. This is quite apparent when the bike is on centerstand pointed straight and you look at it straight on from about 10 or 15 ft away.

So here's my predicament, should I assume it the left clip on and change it out since most of the damage was on that side?

I would like to ask owners of bikes with stock bars what the dimensions are of the measurements I gave.

Thanks.

 

Find a replacement drawing from a Honda parts seller on the net preferably a vectored version make a scale template and use that to check to see which bar (both?) is bent.

 

Holy crap if the bar pitch angle was really bent up 2 inches on that right clip-on or bent down 2 inches on that left clip-on you wouldn't be needing to ask anyone here which bar is bent because unless you're cross-eyed you'd be able to see it plainly. :shocked:

Just put the bike up on the centerstand with the bars centered and stand at the back of the bike looking forward and you should be able to tell.

Almost sounds to me more like your bar positions are simply out of adjustment Hogsniper.

By simply loosening the clip-on pinch bolt (Red arrow) you can raise or lower the entire clip-on on the fork tube (Yellow arrows) or rotate it around the fork tube to make the bar position further away or closer to the gas tank at full lock (Green arrows).

You sure you don't just have a pair of mismatched clip-ons with two different riser heights like you see in this pic?

 

Stoshmonster
Every time I look at your bike I am getting hungry......It's look sooooooo fruity :livid:
To the op :welcome: to the madness
Congratulation on your new ride. Might want to post some pictures so we can help better.

 

Btw you can make adjustment by turning your wheel till stop then bring the clip on close to the tank about an inch. Do the same to the other side until you are satisfied.

 

If I'm not mistaken the stock clip-ons have a tab that "locks" the clip-on on place so to speak, keeping it from rotating around the fork tube, at least on my '09 they did. If the clip-on does not have the tab on it, then it might be after market. I'll see if I can grab a photo of my stock clip-on and where the tab mates to the triple tree.

 

The tab is just to prevent it from swinging really off. But there is play in it if you loosen the pinch bolt.( EDIT: there may not be on stock setup. I have the CNC riser plates/blocks on mine. )

I thought my bars were bent upon purchase. I had uneven gaps at the tank too.

My bike had obvious signs of going for a stroll on its side. Ground up brake pedal, ground down brake lever, bent rearset, scuffed taillight.

My mechanic said not to worry. Bikes go down all the time and the fact it's still all original parts tells you it's prob not that bad, more cosmetic than anything.

I pointed out my tank to bar issue.. In response he looked down at my fork and loosened up the pinch bolts on the triple tree and gave the bars a yank while pinning the wheel in between his legs.

Straight as an arrow now.

There's a good online tutorial of how to check your bikes alignment with string. If I can find it I'll post it.

Congrats on the purchase!




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Here ya go: http://www.framestraightsystem.com/Motorcycle Frame Check.htm


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Good link to check alignment. I will check to see if my forks a out. They don't feel like they are and I've been riding the bike since I got in Sept. without any hint other than the bar to tank clearances. I do have tabs on my clip-ons so there is not much if any adjustment by loosing up the pinch bolts- tried that already. I purchase a pair on Ebay but the tabs were in the wrong spot so they didn't fit. Later I found they fit the 1998-2001 bikes. By looking at the bars they don't look obviously bent. The vertical portion on the right bar is more vertical than the left. Both bars are mounted right to the top of the fork tubes so the are flush to the pinch portion of the bars. The bars look fine that is why I'm hesitant about buying ones off Ebay that are from a salvage or unknown history of where they came from. As of now, there's nothing on Ebay that I can find that fit.

I will try to add a picture or pictures to show what I'm trying to depict.

 

I considered Heli bars but I have a long-distance tourer also in the garage ('06 DL1000 VSTROM) so I wanted to keep this bike's somewhat aggressive position with the stock bars.

 

What I meant was I don't know if the left is bent down or the right is bent up OR possibly both are bent slightly up or down.

 

This is correct. Tabs that lock bars and also do not allow adjustment fore and aft.