Search the Community

So after a lot of searching, I was not able to locate any threads specific to putting Flanders bars on an RSTD other than which ones and that they work well. I have wanted to do this for a while but was apprehensive about the cable and hose length when I saw different pictures of scooters with the new bars on. After starting to develop a sore left shoulder blade, my wife said it was time for me to go for it. Worst case, put the stock bars back on and sell the Flanders. Good enough. Since I couldn’t find a thread specific to RSTD's, I figure this was a good chance for me to contribute to the site and other RSTD owners who may want to put these bars on their scooter but are not sure how to do it or may be a little nervous about tearing apart their bike. Who knows, it may even end up in the tech library . I am mechanically inclined and I do most all my own car/house/electrical work. In hind sight, this job can be done by anyone with a small amount of skill, a few tools and the guts to try something. Really, what’s the worst that could happen? That being said, after I bought the bars, I was ready to tackle this project. I tore into this about 5 PM on Thursday and finished up around 10 PM (without putting the end weights on, more on that later) that same night. I did some internet price searching and found the bars that are recommended at a great price on this web site http://www.xtremerevolution.com/Store/spc-12346-19-7-flanders-1-inch-handlebars.aspx. I want to throw a BIG plug for these folks. They listed the bar for $120.95 on their site which is a GREAT price IMHO. I figured out that their store is here in San Diego, so I called them and went to pick up the bars (no shipping cost). When I got there, they sold me the bars at a discount as compared to the online price (maybe a break for being military) and I got them for $120.66 out the door (after the ‘governator’ got his cut of course). ALL the folks there were really friendly and most of them ride. Overall had a great experience and will go back for other custom parts. Here are the specifics on the Flanders bar as compared to the stock bar: 650-08373, Flanders Pullback Handlebars, Chrome, Metric Knurled (4" in side x 5" out side) - - - - - - - - Flanders - -Stock (06-09 RSTD) Height: - - - -9”- - - - - -8” Pullback: - -18.5”- - - -16.5” Center: - - - 8.5” - - - - 8” Width: - - - - 33”- - - - -33” Diameter - - 1”- - - - - -1” Here is the visual difference: The first two pics shows the pull back, the bar knurls are on top of each other. This one shows the added rise: Here are the steps I took. First step was to remove the windshield and put somewhere safe. Second and probably the most important one, COVER EVERYTHING in the area that is painted or chromed (ask me how I know this). I covered the tank, light bucket to start and then the cowling (after the aforementioned ‘ask me’ incident) so as not to ding anything as I went. After covering everything, I removed the speedometer, two 8mm bolts in the back and 1 allen bolt in the front. Once the speedo is loose, there is one connector covered by a rubber boot. To remove the connector, slide back the boot and there is a catch on the top in the center (yellow arrow). Push that in and the connector will come right out with a little jiggling. Below the speedometer are two black quick release zip ties. Lift the tab sticking out of the tie to release the lock, remove and set aside for later. After the zip ties, I released the plastic clamps that hold the cables on the sides of the stock handle bars, no pics of this, I just slid the clamp portion apart by hand and they opened right up. Now all the cables and hoses were loose. Next I removed the brake and clutch reservoirs. Pop out the chrome caps that cover the bolts then remove the two allen bolts that hold the clamp to the bar. HOLD ONTO THE MIRROR as you loosen the bolts, it will slip and turn (ask me how I know this one too). Once the bolts were out, I placed the assembly over the front of the forks between my head lamp and driving light. Repeat same process for the other side for the clutch reservoir. After the clutch is off, it’s easy to get to the two Phillips screws that hold the turn signal housing. Remove the screws and both assemblies can be put off to the side or front to keep them out of the way. Next I removed the throttle housing held in by two Phillips screws: Once the two screws are removed, the back half with the cruise control buttons and kill switch can be placed off to the side, just slip the wire housing out from the bottom of the front piece of the chrome housing. I had forgot this until later when it FELL OFF and hit the cowling (see first ‘ask me’ statement). Next, I loosened the throttle cables so the grip and the rest of the housing can be removed. I loosened the lock nut on the cable and then turn the adjusting screw to the stop to allow the most slack on the upper cable. This loosened the top cable enough to allow for removal from the throttle. I turned the throttle clockwise (as looking) at it as I slipped a scribe under the cable to pull it over the channel and then pushed the end through the holder. Picture isn’t real clear in the area I was working, but you get the idea. With the upper cable removed, the lower cable comes off easily the same way. Now the housing can be put off to the side. Next step is to remove the bar end weights. Pop the chrome cap and remove the center allen bolt. If this is the first time you are removing this bolt, it may be tight due to having red thread lock on it. With the bar end weight off, the throttle will slip off easily (make sure it doesn’t fall off when you remove the bar end weight). Remove the clutch side bar end the same way. At this point the stock bars should be pretty naked, accept the clutch side grip. I held off on removing this grip until I knew that the bars were going to fit the way I wanted, but it can be remove easily at any point. I slipped a scribe (small screw driver will work) between the grip and the bar and slowly moved it around the bar being careful not to damage the inside of the grip. Then I sprayed some lube (I used Sea Foam spray lubricant, but WD-40 or equivalent will work) between the grip and the bar. I worked it back and forth, this loosened the grip and it slipped right off. The stock bars are now ready to be removed. They are held in by two clamps with two allen bolts each. Loosen one bracket at a time. When you loosen the second bracket, HOLD ON TO THE HANDLE BARS (ask me how I know this one, glad the tank was covered). With the clamps off, the bars are free for removal. The new bars are ready to be put on. Just install them in the clamps and make sure they are centered between them. I positioned them in a neutral spot for height knowing I would have to adjust them once everything was on. This allowed for testing cable, wire and hose lengths. In order to make things easier, I removed the bracket at the top of the forks. Two allen bolts and it comes right off. This can be done before installing the new bar; I just didn’t realize I needed to until I got to this point. I found that the left side cables and hoses had plenty of room, but the right was going to be the challenge. The first thing I noticed that would need to change was the routing of the throttle cable. The cable was under the wire run to the headlight. The pencil in this picture is on top of the throttle cables and is pointing to the wire going to the head light is. In order to get the cables over the top, I needed to remove them from the chrome housing. I didn’t want to try and fit the chrome housing through the small space and scratch it when getting the cables off was so easy. One Phillips screw holds the clamp for the top cable and then it slips right out. The bottom one is screwed in, need to release the lock nut and then turn it off. Count the number of turns to remove so you know how far is goes back in when you reinstall. No pics, but pretty easy to do. Once the cables are out of the housing, it was a simple matter of feeding them back under the wire going to the head light. The cable now goes over the wire giving extra length and better options for routing. I had to test fit the throttle over the ends a couple times to find the right routing. The mounting of the throttle housing needs a hole in the bar to hold it in place. I measured the stock hole location so the mounting would be the same on the new bars. Stock location should be 6 19/32”. The tape was slipping when I took the picture, but 6 9/16” would work. The length from the end was easy; getting it the right way vertically was more challenging. I lined up the stock bars next to the Flanders to get a good idea of where to hole should be. The rest I just eyeballed. I marked the hole and then placed the housing pin over the mark to make sure it was in the right place. The picture shows two marks, the first one was for horizontal, the second for vertical, so the lower mark is the one I was using to test with. After lining up the housing and checking the about 10 times (a little nervous about drilling a hole in the bars), I took a swig of beer and hit the mark with a punch to dent the bar. Then a couple more swallows of beer, it was time to drill. After drilling a small pilot hole, I used a graduated metal bit to enlarge the hole to the right size. I put the throttle housing in the hole and everything lined up great. Next hurdle was the brake line. The stock position is in front of the forks and there was not enough slack to position the brake reservoir properly without really putting strain on the hose. I decided that I wanted to move the hose to the back of the forks as others have mentioned doing, but I didn’t want to remove the brake hose to do it (draining system, re-bleeding, blah blah). After some fiddling, I figured out that there was not enough room to fit the reservoir between the forks and the tank without some help by removing parts. I removed the right mirror (NOTE: the threading on the right mirror is reverse, that is why there is a notch in the lock nut) and the brake handle. The headlight bucket was also in the way and had to be moved to the left. Three 8mm bolts from the inside and it was loose and moved out of the way. With the fork at the left lock, a little fiddling and slow moves, I fit the reservoir through the gap in the forks. I had to go hose first, reservoir upright and clamp hole toward fork. Sorry I didn’t get pics of that step. I did the shift without hurting anything. I can tell you it was a tight fit, but go slow and you can do it. Once I had the hose through, the main thing I was concerned about was pinching the hose between the forks and the frame or tank when the bars were at the right locks. As long as the hose is next to the fork, there was no binding or pinching. This was accomplished later by zip tying the hose to the wires. If you use Zip ties, do not pull them too tight, don't want them hurting the brake hose. Just enough to hold it in place worked. (I had to go back and take these pics because the first ones didn’t come out well so these show everything put back together.) The wires and hose for the right side going to the cruise control and the brake had to be routed under the speedo and closer to the handlebar bracket. I thought I might have to pull the tank and find more slack on the wires, but turns out just messing with the routing gave enough play. The throttle cables used to go under the bracket for the windshield, when I was done; they ended up coming through the gap in the speedo housing. I had to bend the guide down to get the cables to stay down some. This shows where the cable goes under the Speedo housing. The left side was much easier. The wires and hoses just ran tighter to the bars but there was plenty of room. When I put on the left grip, I figured I would have to use some grip tape or adhesive. I was positioning the grip in place just to test fit and after it sat for a minute or two, the thing didn’t move, so I just left it. (fortunately, it was in the right place) I figure there must have been enough adhesive residue left on it to hold. Since finishing, I have had the bike out in the sun and heat and it still doesn’t move, so I held off putting anything under it. If it shifts at all, I will put some grip tape under it. You may want to use some to start with, your call. Everything gets mounted back the same way it came off except the bar end weights (more on those at the end). There is no alignment hole for the turn signal housing, just put it the way you had it or whatever is comfortable. You will have to re-align your mirrors because of the height and pullback change, but that is easy. I am sure everyone has done that, but if not, the directions are in the owner’s manual. Before putting the speedo and the headlight back on, I moved the bars lock to lock several times to make sure there was no binding or pinching. Everything was clear, so I put her all back together. Tested the throttle several times as I went, pulling lock to lock to make sure there were no issues. Worked great with no binding. I also tested the bar height to get close. I knew I would have to adjust them after riding and I was right. I had them too high to start so I just pull the speedo back off, loosened the clamps a little and pulled them down. Just make sure they don’t hit your legs at the locks. Last step was to reset the throttle play by tightening up the cable nut and then setting the lock nut. After everything was back on, I had to wait until the next morning to test ride. Between the late hour and having consumed several Guinness drafts during the change, I opted to wait until morning. My buddy that was helping me told me when we were done that we should have got picture of the arm position with the stock bars and then with the Flanders. Of course, we didn’t think of this until after the Flanders bar was on. Oh well, not putting the stock one back on for that. I can tell you that these bars are incredible. It is so much nicer to have that extra pull back, has to be one of the best mods next to the air horns. Not sure if I notice the height change as much, but there are more options for positions overall. Here is what you can expect to see when the project is done. (Ignore the man in the mirror, he is insignificant) ======================================================================== THE STOCK BAR ENDS As promised, here is my idea for keeping the stock bar end weights. Not sure if I should have put this in a separate thread, but here it is. I have read where several people changed to the ISO grips with the Flanders handle bars, but I really like the stock grips and weights, and I don’t like the stiletto bar ends that go with the ISO grips, so I had to figure out how to put the stock weights back on. I read Freebird’s tech article on switching the stock bar end weight holders, but when I took the grips off, there were no tack welds to be found. I think they may be pressed in. I pulled on them, put a bolt in and hit it with a hammer and the things won’t budge. So that solution wasn’t going to work. I may try more later on, but I don’t want to hurt the stock bars as I plan on selling them at a later date. Here is my fix for keeping the stock bar ends. It was a little different, but it worked. I figure they need some rubber so they are flexible and absorb the vibration so I came up with this plan. I went to the hardware store and picked up a 1/4x4” bolt, ¼” flat washer and matching nut. Also picked up a nylon spacer, 1” long, 1/2“ OD and .257” ID. They are in the bins at Home Depot in the bolt isle. I cut the spacer in half with a hack saw at a heavy angle so it looked like this: Then I ran the bolt through the weight and the spacer, putting a washer in between the spacer and the nut on the end. The theory being that if the spacer is pulled together, it will expand as I tightened the bolt. Next I covered the spacer with a strip of old inner tube I had lying around (kind of a pack rat). I wrapped it until it was the same diameter as the inside of the handle bars, about 7/8”. I had to keep test fitting and cutting back on the amount of tubing until it was snug inside the bar. The final layer was a short piece of grip tape (from changing my golf club grips, again, I am a packrat). Make sure the first layer of rubber hits the nut to keep it from moving. I could have glued the nut to the spacer, but this worked too. I ended up with the tape because I found the rubber would slip a little while trying to tighten the end down. Now it’s ready to fit into the bar. Before putting it in the last time with the tape, I put a light layer of lighter fluid on the tape. This allowed the rubber and tape to slip into the hole and evaporates pretty fast. After it set for a minute to let the lighter fluid evaporate, I twisted the bar end clockwise and it snugged right up. I tugged a couple of times and it held. It took several attempts to get it right, including pushing rubber into the throttle, and having to thump the left one with a rubber mallet to seat it, but with a little patience, it worked. I have ridden the bike several times since I did this and the bar ends are just as tight as when I started. I was a little worried about losing one, but it seems to be holding. If this changes and one pops out, you folks will be the first to know. I am still going to try and get the stock nuts out of the stock bars, but that is later. Hope this helps some of your folks out. (I can tell you this. I have a new respect for all the contributors who have written articles for the tech library.)

I'm getting nervous because of the amount of force I'm having to use to get the water pump off so I thought I should stop and ask someone.. I've taken 5 bolts out of the cover I've taken 4 remaining bolts out of the housing.. Does the housing just pry off now?? And I should expect the impeller to come off with the housing? I don't have to somehow remove the impeller first do I? My housing isn't budging. I see that I've got the plastic impeller so thats gotta go, along with replacing the mechanical seal and what not.

So, it looks like there is a very slight seeping leak around the top of the thermostat housing. But, the biggest leak that showed up is where the tube that comes between the "valve" and goes into the side of the thermostat housing. This seems to be a pretty good leak that just started after changing the coolant. Is there a "kit" that has all the o-rings and gaskets for the thermostat housing, or do I need to purchase each one separately ? Any input from others that have done this, what looks like a real pain in the @$$ job ?

I need the metal tube from the thermostat housing that has the bypass valve in it. The interface on the RSV/Hybrid 1st gen motor to 2nd gen cooling system is in the MvGyvering process. I am going to keep both the 1st gen & RSV thermostat housings on bike, but only have a thermostat in RSV housing. I need to do this to get the water pump hooked up to the lower radiator outlet. Plumbing is different between the two. Where the line enters the water pump is not going to accept the RSV water line, so I have to use the plastic elbow from a 1st gen, which is locked in place by the thermostat housing. This tube will be cut off between the selector valve & the thermostat housing and brazed shut. I need to do this to block off this port on the 1st gen thermostat housing. Out of all the parts I have, I can't find this one. Gary

Ok got my bike today and radiator is not busted but looks like footpeg was driven into thermostat housing. I think its the thermostat housing its a plastic tube with a 90 about 4 or 5 inches long.I am including photos is this a hard part to replace? Or does someone know the exact term for it so I can ask aroound. Thanks, Hamdavid

I thought that all 1st Gen Choke Switch are all the same. Located at the bottom of the switch housing. What years are between Switch Housing and the hand Grip?

I need some help...I just recently switched to LED turn, run and brake lighting. They work great thanks to Custom Dynamics. I also changed my driving lights to LED Sun spots and they too are great. So here's the problem: I have a Phase 7 LED headlight to replace the original, but HOW DO YOU OR CAN YOU REMOVE THE METAL HOUSING BUCKET FROM THE GLASS? I need the housing in order to mount the new LED bulb. Is this possible because without the metal housing I cannot mount the new LED bulb? If I cannot use the metal housing can anyone shed some light on a possible alternate solution. I really cannot use the LED driving lights with a regular headlight bulb because it doesn't look good at all. Thanks in advance:) Jakbag

So I'm trying to re-mount my R/R that fell of the other day. (I would copy the link to my previous post and pics but I haven't figured out how to do that yet) The bracket that the exhaust hanger mounts to, as well as the R/R, is slightly bent now and I'm not sure if the forward mount for the R/R is correct. So my question(s) is... Does the front of the R/R mount to bolt that also secures the fuel pump and is the R/R suppose to touch the drive shaft housing at all, cuz mine is. I still need to straighten the exhaust hanger bracket to properly secure the rear portion of the R/R but it seems, based on the pics, that the R/R will still be in contact with the drive shaft housing, towards the front, and I'm assuming that moves as the rear suspension is "activated." Can someone confirm that proper mounting for the R/R on my 86 VR and possibly post a pic for my visual brain?

Can anyone inform me of which " xenon or hid bulb to install in my 03 venture..i dont want to replace the housing ..just the bulb on my headlight and passing lamps...thanks.

I got the rear housing / gears from a VMax and swapped this out with mine on the 2008 RSTD. I don't have the rear wheel back on as yet as I wanted to take the time to check the drive pins before re-installing. My questions are; on the forum someone mentions two special tools required to change the drive housing. One, I assume, is to hold the coupling up inside of the fork tube to make it easier to get the drive shaft spline into it. The other is for some sort of bearing retainer? I didn't have either tool. One thing I did do was to start the driveshaft into the coupler, then push it into the housing aligning the spring, etc. Then I slid the entire assembly together and started the acorn nuts. Anything I may have missed on the rear housing end by doing this?

I thought this might be of interest to you GL1800 0wners. Installation is fairly easy. 1 Remove the screw through the bottom of the housing. You'll need a good phillips screwdriver, the factory screw has loctite. 2 Wiggle the mirror while pulling it toward you. It will slide out eventually. On the bench the factory mirror is on the right. 3 Mirror housing with mirror removed. 4 From the front of the motorcycle, peel back the rubber boot to expose the wires and connector. 5 The wires are long enough to pull out in order to install the supplied harness. You have to lift the catch on the factory connector to disconnect it. 6 New harness connected, ready to fish through to the inside of the mirror housing. 7 Muth mirror turn signal connector protruding into the mirror housing. A little tricky to get it in there, just be patient and work with it. 8 Wires connected, I have them on top to better show them. Actual installation was with wires laying on the bottom of the housing. The extra length of wire was pulled back to the outside of the mirror housing and stored inside the fairing by the rubber boot. 9 Carefully slide the assembly into place, making sure the two tabs at the top are properly inserted into the factory bracket. Install the supplied screw. Viola!!! A turn signalling mirror.

Dark red Gen 1 turned west on SE 44th Street from S. Sooner Road. Then turned south into housing area. Anyone from here?

I'm sure this has been covered, but I thought it bears repeating. My starter cranked very weak. All connections were great and little loss through the solenoid. Skydoc_17 suggested that I install a VMAX starter (4 brush vs. 2 brush), which he sold me at discount (thanks). This Totally solved my problem-period! I read a tutorial somewhere that detailed removing exhaust pipes (it's not that involved and you don't need to disconnect the exhaust)! You DO need to remove the radiator and lower hoses. The bypass tube leading from the thermostat housing and the housing itself (remove the plastic elbow from the water pump and take the entire assembly out). Use new O-rings for everything and use some vasoline to lube them (or something similar). I have a first Gen and I needed to remove the air dam and it was easier with the right side crash bar removed. I spent about 3 hours, but I changed the thermostat and did some other things as well. I should have taken pictures, but that would have cut into my drinking time!

Anyone currently drive or used to own an Olds Silhouette, Chevy Venture or the like? I have an 03 Olds Silhouette that the left front turn signal bulb went out. Thought easy enough to change out (and it normally is). Well the bulb actually melted into the signal housing. If you look at the hole the bulb goes through, the entire circle is bubbling like the bulb gets too hot for the plastic housing. Looked at the right side and same thing with the bubbling. The issue is on the left side the socket the bulb plugs into got so hot it has what looks like burn marks around the socket and became brittle. So what happened is part of the socket broke in pieces so it was no longer held in place. So the bulb touched the side of the housing and melted to the side. Found replacement parts for the socket and housing. Even found led bulbs that I wonder if that would be cooler. Just wondering if anyone else has had similar issues?

If you have a light bar, are the turn signals the stock ones and just relocated to the lightbar? The lightbar was already on the bike when I bought it. Had an oops moment yesterday. I was taking off the old front amber lense (clutch side) to put on a new clear one. One screw was stubborn and didn't want to come out. The lense itself eventually broke and so did the screw. Unfortunately It broke pretty flush with the part that it screws into in the turn signal housing so only option was to drill out the screw. I will say that I am usually good at drilling out old bolts and such. Well this is one time I wasn't. I didn't have the correct angle so ended up drilling out completely part of the hole the screw goes into. So the option I see is replace the turn signal housing. I also want to get another amber lense in case I ever want to go back to stock or go to LED signals (thanks Freebird for the input on matching led color to lense for brightness). Are the front and rear signal housing interchangable? Any suggestions?

So after a lot of searching, I was not able to locate any threads specific to putting Flanders bars on an RSTD other than which ones and that they work well. I have wanted to do this for a while but was apprehensive about the cable and hose length when I saw different pictures of scooters with the new bars on. After starting to develop a sore left shoulder blade, my wife said it was time for me to go for it. Worst case, put the stock bars back on and sell the Flanders. Good enough. Since I couldn’t find a thread specific to RSTD's, I figure this was a good chance for me to contribute to the site and other RSTD owners who may want to put these bars on their scooter but are not sure how to do it or may be a little nervous about tearing apart their bike. Who knows, it may even end up in the tech library . I am mechanically inclined and I do most all my own car/house/electrical work. In hind sight, this job can be done by anyone with a small amount of skill, a few tools and the guts to try something. Really, what’s the worst that could happen? That being said, after I bought the bars, I was ready to tackle this project. I tore into this about 5 PM on Thursday and finished up around 10 PM (without putting the end weights on, more on that later) that same night. I did some internet price searching and found the bars that are recommended at a great price on this web site http://www.xtremerevolution.com/Store/spc-12346-19-7-flanders-1-inch-handlebars.aspx. I want to throw a BIG plug for these folks. They listed the bar for $120.95 on their site which is a GREAT price IMHO. I figured out that their store is here in San Diego, so I called them and went to pick up the bars (no shipping cost). When I got there, they sold me the bars at a discount as compared to the online price (maybe a break for being military) and I got them for $120.66 out the door (after the ‘governator’ got his cut of course). ALL the folks there were really friendly and most of them ride. Overall had a great experience and will go back for other custom parts. Here are the specifics on the Flanders bar as compared to the stock bar: 650-08373, Flanders Pullback Handlebars, Chrome, Metric Knurled (4" in side x 5" out side) - - - - - - - - Flanders - -Stock (06-09 RSTD) Height: - - - -9”- - - - - -8” Pullback: - -18.5”- - - -16.5” Center: - - - 8.5” - - - - 8” Width: - - - - 33”- - - - -33” Diameter - - 1”- - - - - -1” Here is the visual difference: The first two pics shows the pull back, the bar knurls are on top of each other. This one shows the added rise: Here are the steps I took. First step was to remove the windshield and put somewhere safe. Second and probably the most important one, COVER EVERYTHING in the area that is painted or chromed (ask me how I know this). I covered the tank, light bucket to start and then the cowling (after the aforementioned ‘ask me’ incident) so as not to ding anything as I went. After covering everything, I removed the speedometer, two 8mm bolts in the back and 1 allen bolt in the front. Once the speedo is loose, there is one connector covered by a rubber boot. To remove the connector, slide back the boot and there is a catch on the top in the center (yellow arrow). Push that in and the connector will come right out with a little jiggling. Below the speedometer are two black quick release zip ties. Lift the tab sticking out of the tie to release the lock, remove and set aside for later. After the zip ties, I released the plastic clamps that hold the cables on the sides of the stock handle bars, no pics of this, I just slid the clamp portion apart by hand and they opened right up. Now all the cables and hoses were loose. Next I removed the brake and clutch reservoirs. Pop out the chrome caps that cover the bolts then remove the two allen bolts that hold the clamp to the bar. HOLD ONTO THE MIRROR as you loosen the bolts, it will slip and turn (ask me how I know this one too). Once the bolts were out, I placed the assembly over the front of the forks between my head lamp and driving light. Repeat same process for the other side for the clutch reservoir. After the clutch is off, it’s easy to get to the two Phillips screws that hold the turn signal housing. Remove the screws and both assemblies can be put off to the side or front to keep them out of the way. Next I removed the throttle housing held in by two Phillips screws: Once the two screws are removed, the back half with the cruise control buttons and kill switch can be placed off to the side, just slip the wire housing out from the bottom of the front piece of the chrome housing. I had forgot this until later when it FELL OFF and hit the cowling (see first ‘ask me’ statement). Next, I loosened the throttle cables so the grip and the rest of the housing can be removed. I loosened the lock nut on the cable and then turn the adjusting screw to the stop to allow the most slack on the upper cable. This loosened the top cable enough to allow for removal from the throttle. I turned the throttle clockwise (as looking) at it as I slipped a scribe under the cable to pull it over the channel and then pushed the end through the holder. Picture isn’t real clear in the area I was working, but you get the idea. With the upper cable removed, the lower cable comes off easily the same way. Now the housing can be put off to the side. Next step is to remove the bar end weights. Pop the chrome cap and remove the center allen bolt. If this is the first time you are removing this bolt, it may be tight due to having red thread lock on it. With the bar end weight off, the throttle will slip off easily (make sure it doesn’t fall off when you remove the bar end weight). Remove the clutch side bar end the same way. At this point the stock bars should be pretty naked, accept the clutch side grip. I held off on removing this grip until I knew that the bars were going to fit the way I wanted, but it can be remove easily at any point. I slipped a scribe (small screw driver will work) between the grip and the bar and slowly moved it around the bar being careful not to damage the inside of the grip. Then I sprayed some lube (I used Sea Foam spray lubricant, but WD-40 or equivalent will work) between the grip and the bar. I worked it back and forth, this loosened the grip and it slipped right off. The stock bars are now ready to be removed. They are held in by two clamps with two allen bolts each. Loosen one bracket at a time. When you loosen the second bracket, HOLD ON TO THE HANDLE BARS (ask me how I know this one, glad the tank was covered). With the clamps off, the bars are free for removal. The new bars are ready to be put on. Just install them in the clamps and make sure they are centered between them. I positioned them in a neutral spot for height knowing I would have to adjust them once everything was on. This allowed for testing cable, wire and hose lengths. In order to make things easier, I removed the bracket at the top of the forks. Two allen bolts and it comes right off. This can be done before installing the new bar; I just didn’t realize I needed to until I got to this point. I found that the left side cables and hoses had plenty of room, but the right was going to be the challenge. The first thing I noticed that would need to change was the routing of the throttle cable. The cable was under the wire run to the headlight. The pencil in this picture is on top of the throttle cables and is pointing to the wire going to the head light is. In order to get the cables over the top, I needed to remove them from the chrome housing. I didn’t want to try and fit the chrome housing through the small space and scratch it when getting the cables off was so easy. One Phillips screw holds the clamp for the top cable and then it slips right out. The bottom one is screwed in, need to release the lock nut and then turn it off. Count the number of turns to remove so you know how far is goes back in when you reinstall. No pics, but pretty easy to do. Once the cables are out of the housing, it was a simple matter of feeding them back under the wire going to the head light. The cable now goes over the wire giving extra length and better options for routing. I had to test fit the throttle over the ends a couple times to find the right routing. The mounting of the throttle housing needs a hole in the bar to hold it in place. I measured the stock hole location so the mounting would be the same on the new bars. Stock location should be 6 19/32”. The tape was slipping when I took the picture, but 6 9/16” would work. The length from the end was easy; getting it the right way vertically was more challenging. I lined up the stock bars next to the Flanders to get a good idea of where to hole should be. The rest I just eyeballed. I marked the hole and then placed the housing pin over the mark to make sure it was in the right place. The picture shows two marks, the first one was for horizontal, the second for vertical, so the lower mark is the one I was using to test with. After lining up the housing and checking the about 10 times (a little nervous about drilling a hole in the bars), I took a swig of beer and hit the mark with a punch to dent the bar. Then a couple more swallows of beer, it was time to drill. After drilling a small pilot hole, I used a graduated metal bit to enlarge the hole to the right size. I put the throttle housing in the hole and everything lined up great. Next hurdle was the brake line. The stock position is in front of the forks and there was not enough slack to position the brake reservoir properly without really putting strain on the hose. I decided that I wanted to move the hose to the back of the forks as others have mentioned doing, but I didn’t want to remove the brake hose to do it (draining system, re-bleeding, blah blah). After some fiddling, I figured out that there was not enough room to fit the reservoir between the forks and the tank without some help by removing parts. I removed the right mirror (NOTE: the threading on the right mirror is reverse, that is why there is a notch in the lock nut) and the brake handle. The headlight bucket was also in the way and had to be moved to the left. Three 8mm bolts from the inside and it was loose and moved out of the way. With the fork at the left lock, a little fiddling and slow moves, I fit the reservoir through the gap in the forks. I had to go hose first, reservoir upright and clamp hole toward fork. Sorry I didn’t get pics of that step. I did the shift without hurting anything. I can tell you it was a tight fit, but go slow and you can do it. Once I had the hose through, the main thing I was concerned about was pinching the hose between the forks and the frame or tank when the bars were at the right locks. As long as the hose is next to the fork, there was no binding or pinching. This was accomplished later by zip tying the hose to the wires. If you use Zip ties, do not pull them too tight, don't want them hurting the brake hose. Just enough to hold it in place worked. (I had to go back and take these pics because the first ones didn’t come out well so these show everything put back together.) The wires and hose for the right side going to the cruise control and the brake had to be routed under the speedo and closer to the handlebar bracket. I thought I might have to pull the tank and find more slack on the wires, but turns out just messing with the routing gave enough play. The throttle cables used to go under the bracket for the windshield, when I was done; they ended up coming through the gap in the speedo housing. I had to bend the guide down to get the cables to stay down some. This shows where the cable goes under the Speedo housing. The left side was much easier. The wires and hoses just ran tighter to the bars but there was plenty of room. When I put on the left grip, I figured I would have to use some grip tape or adhesive. I was positioning the grip in place just to test fit and after it sat for a minute or two, the thing didn’t move, so I just left it. (fortunately, it was in the right place) I figure there must have been enough adhesive residue left on it to hold. Since finishing, I have had the bike out in the sun and heat and it still doesn’t move, so I held off putting anything under it. If it shifts at all, I will put some grip tape under it. You may want to use some to start with, your call. Everything gets mounted back the same way it came off except the bar end weights (more on those at the end). There is no alignment hole for the turn signal housing, just put it the way you had it or whatever is comfortable. You will have to re-align your mirrors because of the height and pullback change, but that is easy. I am sure everyone has done that, but if not, the directions are in the owner’s manual. Before putting the speedo and the headlight back on, I moved the bars lock to lock several times to make sure there was no binding or pinching. Everything was clear, so I put her all back together. Tested the throttle several times as I went, pulling lock to lock to make sure there were no issues. Worked great with no binding. I also tested the bar height to get close. I knew I would have to adjust them after riding and I was right. I had them too high to start so I just pull the speedo back off, loosened the clamps a little and pulled them down. Just make sure they don’t hit your legs at the locks. Last step was to reset the throttle play by tightening up the cable nut and then setting the lock nut. After everything was back on, I had to wait until the next morning to test ride. Between the late hour and having consumed several Guinness drafts during the change, I opted to wait until morning. My buddy that was helping me told me when we were done that we should have got picture of the arm position with the stock bars and then with the Flanders. Of course, we didn’t think of this until after the Flanders bar was on. Oh well, not putting the stock one back on for that. I can tell you that these bars are incredible. It is so much nicer to have that extra pull back, has to be one of the best mods next to the air horns. Not sure if I notice the height change as much, but there are more options for positions overall. Here is what you can expect to see when the project is done. (Ignore the man in the mirror, he is insignificant) ======================================================================== THE STOCK BAR ENDS As promised, here is my idea for keeping the stock bar end weights. Not sure if I should have put this in a separate thread, but here it is. I have read where several people changed to the ISO grips with the Flanders handle bars, but I really like the stock grips and weights, and I don’t like the stiletto bar ends that go with the ISO grips, so I had to figure out how to put the stock weights back on. I read Freebird’s tech article on switching the stock bar end weight holders, but when I took the grips off, there were no tack welds to be found. I think they may be pressed in. I pulled on them, put a bolt in and hit it with a hammer and the things won’t budge. So that solution wasn’t going to work. I may try more later on, but I don’t want to hurt the stock bars as I plan on selling them at a later date. Here is my fix for keeping the stock bar ends. It was a little different, but it worked. I figure they need some rubber so they are flexible and absorb the vibration so I came up with this plan. I went to the hardware store and picked up a 1/4x4” bolt, ¼” flat washer and matching nut. Also picked up a nylon spacer, 1” long, 1/2“ OD and .257” ID. They are in the bins at Home Depot in the bolt isle. I cut the spacer in half with a hack saw at a heavy angle so it looked like this: Then I ran the bolt through the weight and the spacer, putting a washer in between the spacer and the nut on the end. The theory being that if the spacer is pulled together, it will expand as I tightened the bolt. Next I covered the spacer with a strip of old inner tube I had lying around (kind of a pack rat). I wrapped it until it was the same diameter as the inside of the handle bars, about 7/8”. I had to keep test fitting and cutting back on the amount of tubing until it was snug inside the bar. The final layer was a short piece of grip tape (from changing my golf club grips, again, I am a packrat). Make sure the first layer of rubber hits the nut to keep it from moving. I could have glued the nut to the spacer, but this worked too. I ended up with the tape because I found the rubber would slip a little while trying to tighten the end down. Now it’s ready to fit into the bar. Before putting it in the last time with the tape, I put a light layer of lighter fluid on the tape. This allowed the rubber and tape to slip into the hole and evaporates pretty fast. After it set for a minute to let the lighter fluid evaporate, I twisted the bar end clockwise and it snugged right up. I tugged a couple of times and it held. It took several attempts to get it right, including pushing rubber into the throttle, and having to thump the left one with a rubber mallet to seat it, but with a little patience, it worked. I have ridden the bike several times since I did this and the bar ends are just as tight as when I started. I was a little worried about losing one, but it seems to be holding. If this changes and one pops out, you folks will be the first to know. I am still going to try and get the stock nuts out of the stock bars, but that is later. Hope this helps some of your folks out. (I can tell you this. I have a new respect for all the contributors who have written articles for the tech library.)

I've been fighting with the cover on the thermostat housing leaking on my '89. When I bought it 2 1/2 years ago, it had a small leak. I took the thermostat housing off and changed all 4 O rings. Everything was fine---for a little while. A month or two later it started leaking intermittantly. Usually when left outisde in the cold, but not always. Last winter I pulled it off again and replaced the O rings again, and also the housing cover because it was mentioned here that they do warp from the exhaust pipe heat. BTW, I put it together with O-rings I purchased at my dealer. It was OK all last year, but this winter it started leaking again. The coldest my garage gets during the winter is about 32 degrees F. When I took it apart, I found that the O-ring was damaged (it looked like it'd been nicked). I remember that it was real hard to get the top on the housing last year and the OE O-ring is 2mm dia., so I installed a 1/16" O-ring. Now it seeps a little bit when it starts to warm up, but when it's hot it's fine. BTW, 1/16"=.0625" 2mm=.079" I will pick up a Yamaha O-ring tomorrow, but I think that something else is wrong because it's happening so frequently. I cleaned up the main housing surface that mates wtih the O-ring so there shouldn't be anything keeping the O-ring from seating. With the 1/16 O-ring, the top felt snug. When I use a 2mm O-ring, it is TIGHT. I'm pretty certain that on my 83' I used a 3/32" (.094") O-ring, but there is no way I could get that to fit this bike. I used a coating of Vaseline to keep from damaging the O-rings when things were assembled. Any ideas?? I'm thinking of heating up the aluminum portion of the housing (in hot water) to get it to expand so that the top will go on easier and not damage the 2mm O ring. Frank D.

Trying to rescue my daughters boyfriends car. He filled the tank up and shortly after the car started stuttering and stalling and will start again after a few minutes but has no power on a hill and will stall out again. I'm thinking bad gas and/or it is clogging the fuel filter. It's a 1988 Cutlass with the 5 Ltr. Working from memory that car has a fuel fitler that screws into the carb body with either a filter inside of the barrel housing or the barrel housing itself is a filter. I'm pretty sure it has steel fuel lines. Anybody have any info on that. Headed out in a bit to see what I can do. Be nice to grab the right filter on the way. Thanks Mike

Hey Guys!------I changed the "thermastat housing" and all the hoses on my 89 Royale and now it seems to be running "hot"---any ideas why this could be?---I have the plastic drain plug at the bottom of the radiator with the "off" mark at the "2-O-clock" position like someone on here said was the correct place for it-----It seemed to cool down some after I returned from the initial run and let it idle with the fan runnining------I actually revved it up to about 9000 rpm's one quick time to see if maybe something was stuck and the temp guage seemed to drop to about 3/4 way up (at least it was in the green area after I did that)----I used the same thermostat that came with the housing because it had only 29,000 mi. on it---Do you guys think maybe it was just kinda stuck?----i sure hope that's all it is:fingers-crossed-emo..................................................Larry

When I bought the 86 Vr the owner said the hydraulic clutch needed to be rebuilt and when I played with it that is all it seemed to be. I had spare rebuild kits for the master cylinder and slave so I went about fixing it today and low and behold someone had tried fixing the slave and ruined the housing now I need to find a slave cylinder housing.

My late winter maintenance this year is to change out all the hoses, thermostat, o-rings in thermostat housing and thermo switch at housing. As some of you know I have a lot of miles and it is past nine years old. I plan a 5,000 mile ride in April so I am going to start on this soon. My question is "is there anything else I should be looking at". Last spring I put new tires on and lubed the swing arm, pins, and differential. I change the rear oil when I change the engine oil and clean the K&N filters. After these 135,000 miles this bike has been flawless although I lost the CB last summer.

I am switching from the OEM grips to ISO grips from Kuryakin. Left side was a breeze. Is there any secret to accessing the screws on the throttle body housing? Seems like the faring is in the way of getting a screwdriver in there with leverage.

While wiring in the isolator circuit for my trailer wiring harness, I came across this rubber hose.... it's to the right (throttle side) of the battery, up against the inside of the frame. The one end can be pulled out to expose a small hole (as seen in the second photo). It looks like the other end attaches to the housing around the rear shock. I'm sure one -- or many -- of the experts here can educate me as to what this is? Thanks, in adavance.

I have read a couple of posts about cleaning the contacts in the kill switch. Can someone explain how to get at them. I split the housing and see a white block under the red switch, does the red switch pop off the top of the housing and the block pull out to get at the contacts? Thanks..

I've not been satisfied with the Ajure passing lamp lens and I would like to go to a halogen housing. So I'm still wondering if the Vstar lamps will fit on the Venture light bar? The catalog says they are not for the Venture and I just wonder why they won't work. I know the switch is on the housing so it would be tough to reach if that was the only switch. Any other reasons? Dennis