Heli-Bar Installation

I just got my new Heli-bars in and I am wondering now if I should do the install myself or take them to someone to do it. I am a pretty mechanically sound person, but as I was reading through the installation instructions, a couple of things worried me:

1) there seems to be a "bung" type piece of metal that holds the stock bars into place in a groove in the fork/triple tree. The new heli bars don't have that. They said to torque to exactly 12 ft*lbs but I just worry that they won't hold/will be hard to get even

2) In the instructions it tells you that you have to cut a couple of tabs holding the fluid lines in place to get them to swing forward a little to allow for the different set up of the new bars v. the old ones. Is this a tricky thing to do? Is there a good way to ensure that rough edges won't cut anything in the future

3) The damper unit. Is this a tricky thing to remove/reinstall? The instructions kind of get a little strange in the removing part: "Remove the damper units from the stock bars. Carefully place the factory clip-on bar tube in a vise with soft jaws and a rag. Reinstall the damper weight and tighten. Hold onto the damper weight with one hand. While pulling out and twisting..." It says Remove the damper units then put the bars in a vise (is this assuming the bars are OFF the bike?) then reinstall the damper and tighten (why would you put it back in just to pull it out again?)

It seems relatively simple...remove tabs on brake/clutch masters, turn hoses forward. Remove clutch/hand grip (bars still on bike). Remove damper. Remove bar from bike. Install damper on Heli-Bar, install bar on bike, install clutch and hand grip, repeat on the other side. Am I making this tougher than it needs to be?

Any help with installing these correctly and SAFELY would be great.

Thanks

 

This thread should be all you need. The main hassle is getting the steering dampers out of the stock bars. If you read on through the posts you will find several ways to do that without any grief, likewise there are some neat solutions to moving the hose runs without getting into bleeding etc. If you are happy with a wrench its an easy 2 hours job.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanics-garage/15496-6th-gen-heli-bar-install-see-before-you-try.html

Let us know how you get on.


skimad4x4 - 6th Gen Militia #218

 

After I posted this, I read through that forum post. It seems all pretty straight forward. I was thinking the tabs were much smaller than they seem in the pictures. Looks like its a job for the dremel after all.

Thanks for the post though. It will be much easier to find when I need to reference it now!

I'll let you know how it goes!

 

So I completed my Heli-Bar install this weekend. It was a pretty straightforward job like the other forum said and the only tricky part was removing the damper on the clutch side. The damper that was installed on the throttle side was much smaller/easier to remove. Not sure if it was stock because it has a cruise control built in, but either way...it all worked out and I am happy to report they ROCK! I had an idea they would be better, but not this much better. It's like a totally different, more comfortable (not to say stock was uncomfortably) bike. Definitely worth the time and money!

 

I installed my Helis last week. I read the "How To" thread that SkiMad has linked to and then it took less than an hour to do the job. For me, the hardest part was lining up the switchgear with the holes in the bars! Man, that was annoying!

I don't have a vise, either, so I simply looped some cord around the towball on my truck, then wrapped the other end of the cord around the bar ends. - Lean back and pull on the bar, while using a small slot-head screwdriver to depress the locking tabs. Your dampers will come off easily.

With the LHS grip, I just rolled it back on itself until it came off. When installing it on the Heli Bar I used a tiny bit of spit; just enough to make it slide on.

I used a hacksaw to trim the tab off my brake reservoir. I was initially worried that it might leave a sharp edge that could damage the brake line but that fear was groundless, as the brake line is nowhere near where one needs to cut.

The Heli Bar install seems complicated but it really isn't.