You ride your motorcycle along a straight road, and your handlebars feel a bit twisted. What has happened for this scenario to have occurred?
There are 4 simple things you can check on your motorcycle, and if you find that one of these is the cause, it can usually be fixed fairly easily and doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.
So, can you bend your motorcycle handlebars back?
It would be best if you did not repair or bend back damaged motorcycle handlebars, as the handlebars may also have been weakened, and since these are an essential control item, they should be replaced.
There are many reasons why your handlebars may feel that they are bent when riding down a road, and below I have listed the 4 things you can check first before you start inquiring about how much it will cost you to replace the handlebars.
- Check the alignment of the handlebar in the top yolk.
- Check the back wheel alignment.
- Check that your front folks are not misaligned.
- Check to see if the handlebars are actually bent.
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Check The Alignment Of The Handlebar In The Top Yolk
It is easy to see if your handlebars are aligned with the top yolk on your bike.
Sit on the bike and look down onto the handlebar clamp with the front wheel facing straight away from you. You may wish to stand for this to get a better view of the clamp.
Is the handlebar clamp and the top yolk in a straight line?
If they are not in a straight line, loosen the clamp which holds the handlebars, and with both hands, turn them slightly until they are straight. Once you have straightened them, re-tighten the two bolts which hold the clamp in place. The two bolts are usually found on either side underneath the handlebar clamp.
It may help if you stand in front of the bike, with your legs on either side of the front wheel. Then make sure the handlebars are in a straight line. Once you are happy, they are straight, tighten everything up again.
You have successfully straightened your handlebars.
If your bike is still riding a little bit twisted move onto the next check.
Check Your Back Wheel Alignment
The back wheel of a motorcycle can come out of alignment for many reasons. These include riding over potholes or maybe going up and down curbs etc
These impacts on the back wheel may cause it to become unaligned. You should really check your back wheel alignment a few times a year. If it is not quite in line, it can cause the bike to feel like something is wrong with how it is operating and can give a similar feeling as if the handlebars are out of alignment.
Once you have checked your back wheel is aligned, and the problem persists, move onto the next step.
Check The Front Folks Are Not Misaligned
Having misaligned front folks can make the bike feel that the handlebars are bent and are among the most common reasons for this feeling.
We are not talking about bent front folks here, which can occur if your bike has been in an accident, with maybe a front impact, just folks which may have become misaligned.
There are pinch bolts in the bottom yolks and the top triple trees, which apply pressure to the front folks that keep them straight. These bolts could have loosened slightly if the bike has been dropped.
When a bike is dropped, in most cases, the handlebars hit the ground in one direction and the wheel in the opposite direction. This can put a lot of pressure on the pinch bolts and loosen them, allowing them to shift and twist slightly within the brackets and, therefore, knock the folks out of alignment.
If this is the case, you can re-align the folks and tighten the bolts again.
You have successfully straightened your front folks.
However, if you notice they are bent when checking your folks, you will need to get this rectified straight away as this is classed as a major fault and can be life-threatening. It can cause the bike to act uncontrollably and even cause oscillations at high speeds.
If this is not the case move onto the final step.
Check If Your Handlebars Are Bent
To check if your handlebars are bent, you will need to remove them from the motorcycle and take all the items off them so they are empty and bare.
Place the stripped handlebars on a flat surface and press onto the center bar. Now rotate the handlebars forwards (away from you) and check if the handlebars’ two tips touch the surface simultaneously.
If both tips touch at exactly the same time then the handlebars are straight.
However, if one tip is touching but the other is not, your handlebars are bent. Depending on how much spring the tip has, which is not touching the surface, will depend on how much the handlebars will affect the bike’s feel.
Another check would be to lift the handlebars towards you, and without pressing on the center bar, can you see that the line along the center bar is not lifted at one end?
Check if the center bar’s surface is flat along the bottom part where the handlebar clamp connects. If there is a gap along one side, this would confirm that the handlebar is unaligned, and the handlebars will need to be replaced.
Related Questions:
How Do You Tackle Handlebar Vibrations?
There are many reasons the handlebars on motorcycles may vibrate, and this can be a varied and complex subject. However, there is a common way handlebar vibrations can be reduced.
So, how do you tackle handlebar vibrations? The most common and easiest way to reduce vibration of motorcycle handlebars is by adding bar end weights. These are fitted to the left and right far ends of the handlebar, where most of the vibration can occur, resulting in the rider getting numb hands.
When purchasing a new motorcycle, many manufactures now include these weights as standard with their motorcycles.
However, if your motorcycle does not have any weights, you will need to check the correct ones for your particular bike, handlebars, and manufacturer. Putting the wrong bar weights on the incorrect handlebars will not be beneficial and could add to the vibration and make matters worse.
Bar-end weights may only reduce the handlebar vibrations to a certain level, and if further reduction is required, you may need to coincide looking at reducing the engine vibration as well.
Checking to make sure the engine mounting dampers are in good shape and working correctly is another check that can be carried out as worn engine dampers can cause a vibration when the engine is idling.
Also, making sure the engine mounting bolts are tightened correctly. An expert should look at what needs to be done, as this level of vibration dampening can become quite complex and above the normal scope of a novice.
Another check or possible upgrade which can be performed to help reduce vibration through the handlebars would be to make sure the motorcycle’s suspension is set up correctly, or an aftermarket suspension kit is fitted to the motorcycle.
There are many ways vibrations on motorcycles can be addressed, and I have only listed a few in this case. Obviously, each bike would be different and have its own individual diagnosis.
