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Changing handlebars

5K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  MisterX 
#1 ·
Ordered the sm bars. Should be here Tuesday. I have not found any good walkthroughs for removing the stock bars. Any good vids, threads, or pdfs that outline this?
 
#2 ·
Let me see if I can articulate a bit... There are 4 plastic caps that sit over the top of the bolts that hold the clamp in place. I'm referring to the black "X" shaped piece that sits right in the middle of the bars when you look down. I'm having a hard time understanding how to remove those 4 caps. I didn't wanna go prying on em with a screw driver since they are soft.

Anyway if anyone could answer this one question for me, I can handle the rest.

Thanks guys! :)

I'm working with a 2004 Z1k btw...
 
#5 ·
They are just plastic caps that go into the bolt head less then 1/4". A small pocket knife, screw driver or whatever you can stick under the edge and pry up slowly. Hopefully they didn't super glue them in for you. If you damage them they can't cost too much to replace them. My '07 I bought used and I didn't even know they were missing, or are they even on an '07? I'll have to look it up in my manual. Maybe they bought a plug kit for the whole bike? I have heard of a complete bolt plug kit but never seen them online so far. You don't need these plugs other then for looks anyway. Good luck.
 
#7 ·
I have the SM handlebars on mine. I'm diggin' them. They actually come with written instructions. They're ok for the most part. The installation was pretty straight forward. Here's what I did:

  • Unbolted the control system and clutch from the left side and moved them out of the way.
  • Unbolted the control system, brake, and throttle on the right. Moved the controls and brake out of the way and then slid the throttle off of the bar.
  • Used a long, small screwdriver and slowly pried it between the left grip and the bar. I then slowly moved the screwdriver around the circumference to separate any possible adhesive.
  • While the screwdriver was still between the grip and the bar, I used a squirt bottle filled with soapy water and sprayed it in between. This helps the grip come off very easily.
  • I then used one of those tiny screwdrivers from a kit you can find in just about any electronics store to pry off the four small caps at the mounting point of the handlebars.
  • I then put the new handlebars in place, but only tightened the mount enough to where they would stay in place but also allow me to make any adjustments as I was placing everything back on the new bars.
  • I then put everything back on, but in reverse order.

Be very careful and pay attention to the drill points on the new handlebars. These are indicators to where the controls go and it can also be easy to break off the little tabs on the controls if not careful. Also, be very careful of the brake line and that it does not get bound up or pinched. Otherwise you could possibly end up with a front brake locked up at the worst time. In all honesty, the brake line was my biggest problem, but after some finagling and raising the bar upwards a bit more, I got it all worked out.

Hope this helps.
 
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