Things Best Said

As I’ve been riding my ST I’ve noticed two slight problems, my palms and back hurt a bit after a long ride. Not debilitating, just uncomfortable. So, after reading lots of comments about how to alleviate this type of pain (relax a bit, lean back, bend your elbows) and trying them with some success I decided to go the next logical step -order a riser plate for my handlebars.

I ordered the Helibar bar adapter from California Sport Touring and installed it yesterday…what a difference! What it does is raise the handlebars 1″ and pushes them closer by 2″. It’s amazing how much more comfortable it is with just that small amount.

My only complaint with the installation is that Helibar doesn’t provide a pictorial guide for installation. It’s just text…argh! If you’re not familiar with the names for some of the parts then the “left and right control housing wire looms” are really going to confuse you.

Luckily I took a few pictures for that lost soul who is standing in his garage right now scratching his head and will, any moment, look online for some help. Most of this will be directly from the Helibar text but with a few illustrations.

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional mechanic (as you will soon learn). At no time did my hands lose a digit nor my eyes get poked out with a hex wrench. Your mileage may vary. Don’t sue me.

For starters, get your work area set up. Throw a couple towels or a packing blanket over your gas tank so it doesn’t get scratched when you pull the bars off. Then get your tools out and ready.

Tools
Jeweler flat-head screwdriver (or any fine-tip screwdriver)
#6 hex wrench
#4 hex wrench
12mm socket wrench
14mm closed end wrench - the smaller in length the better
Bolt bucket or matt to put parts

Disassembly (the fun part) -
1. Remove strap that holds the control cables in place. It attaches them to the outsides of the bars riser beams. The picture here shows the screw that holds the right side of the loom and what the stap looks like. Heli doesn’t say to remove it, but I felt it was better than chasing it as it drops down to the forks. Besides, having it off and in my part pile reminded me to put it back on.

2. Take the plastic cover off from between the handlebars. This will require the #4 hex wrench. This Honda logo piece will not be used again.

3. Remove all the chrome-plated plastic caps. I suggest using a jeweler flat screwdriver because they’re pretty fragile. You may decide not to ever use them again but they do keep water from pooling in the ends of the bolts.

4. Now you’re left with the Evil Owl, well, that’s what it looks like to me. There are 6 bolts on here you’ll need to remove. The ones I marked in RED will require the #6 Hex. Yes, one of the hex bolts is obscured by the control cables on the top right.

The two others marked in GREEN require the 12mm socket.

I had problems with the hex bolts and needed an extra breaker bar of sorts to torque it a bit. It took some muscle to get the bolts to turn. Once you get the bars off, just lay them on the towel so they don’t scratch the body or gas tank.

5. Now, we need to remove the actual handlebar mount that is being replaced by the Heli.

You’ll use the 12mm socket on top and 14mm closed end wrench underneath. Earlier, in the tools area, I said that wrench should be small, here’s where you’ll understand why. It’s a very tight squeeze getting down between the faring and the steering column.

Once you’ve got everything off, the bar should look like this:

and, you should have a pile of parts like this:

6. Reassembly. Do everything in reverse but this time place the Helibar in the place where the older, smaller handlebar mount was. If you ordered the version with the Ram Mount spot, you’ll want to remove the cover first using a #4 hex wrench.

You’ll put the two main bolts in on either side. Here again you’ll need to squeeze a hand and wrench down to get the bottom washer and nut on. Heli recommends the bolts be torqued to 14 foot pounds.

7. Put the handlebars back on. The cable assemblies should have plenty of slack to get back into place without much hassle. Once you’ve got the bars mounted, it’s a pretty good idea to make sure they control cables aren’t pinched anywhere. So, turn the handlebars to full left and right a couple times. Once again, Heli suggests 12 foot pounds of torque on those hex bolts.

8. Put the control cable strap (from #1 above) back on. I found that mine went ON easier than it came OFF.

9. Make sure everything is tightened the appropriate amount and replace the Heli cover. Start machine and in neutral, turn the handlebars full left/right and make sure the throttle cables move freely.

10. Before heading out on any long rides, take it for a short, slow-speed run through the neighborhood. Once you’re sure it’s all locked down tight..go enjoy your new, more comfortable ride.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance it ain’t but that’s how you do it.

Motorcycling song for today: Dirty Laundry by Bitter:Sweet