I'd love to see pictures of the mounts.

Thanx
Chris

http://www.vtwo.demon.co.uk/firestorm/firestorm.htm

will this help someone?

New Progress
 

I have been out of the country for a couple of weeks and haven't really done any new work. But since my last post, there have been some breakthroughs.

-I drilled and installed Pro Taper 1 1/8" clamps and quickly discovered that the PRo-taper bar had ZERO chance of working without new cables and fluid lines and removing the fairing. So I ordered super-bike bars and tried to acquire some spacers for the the 1 1/8" bars to be able to use 7/8". Well they are backordered for 6 months, but I figured I would just fabricate my own. Well, I just scored big time and have changed my plan yet again. I found some 929 Helibars in my home town that have never been installed and they are black for a smoking deal of $125. SO, I snatched them up as soon as I returned to the US, and I am ready to get back to the action. I will abandon the idea of using the superbike bar, and now have 3 unused handlebar solutions.

never mind

Make it 4 unusable handle bar solutions!!

As has been stated in another thread, the 929 Heli's don't quite work either. They were the most promising solution I have seen yet, right up until I put the throttle on. These things clear everything nicely, and the first point of impact would be the pinch bolts on the frame which gives a good steering lock....BUT, the throttle housing tubes hit the fairing with hardly any right turn induced. I am about to throw my hands in the air. I have spent $400+ on different Clip-on and Handlebar solutions. I could have bought some of the adjustable bars and been about even. Because my fairing is in poor condition as it is, and I am going to be painting it. I am thinking that I will just cut relief zones into the fairing that allows the tubes to clear.

See if you can find some Ducati 900SS Helis (got mine on EBAY for 100).... That's what I'm using and the bars net out almost exactley were my old VFR bars did height and angle wise, although a bit wider (do to the wider forks)... All the controls clear, except for the stupid headlight switch that goes to high beam when turn full right.

I have pics at home, if you interested LMK, and I'll post up.

J.

Post pics!

Being that I only need a 1/4 of an inch at most, I am going to try to bend the throttle housing tubes a little bit, and possibly raise the tripple clamp and clip-ons a tad, and see what I can do. There even appears to be a 1/16th of extra material on the bottom of the fork clamps that I may grind off to be able to raise the clip-ons a little bit. If I can gain a 16th here and 16th there, it all adds up!

Slowhawk, I know you sent me several emails on this topic but I never thought to ask what year 900SS? Can you clarify, please? Thanks,

Hey guys...

Here are pics of the 900SS helis on my RC front end. You can see, even if I was running the 929/954 triple that I'd still be able to put the bars in exactley the same spot, as I have them about 13mm room between the lower triple and the bottom edge of the upper triple. This location was the blend between as high as I could go without hitting everything, and not having the cables bind.

As for the year the bars are from.... I don't remember... I'm pretty sure they were a early model (1999-2001ish) but you'd need to take a look first. I did a search on EBAY for race clips for the RC (woodcraft or any other brand), then just look at what other bikes those fit as well as they fit like 30 bikes (all the same 50mm diameter)... the SS Duc was listed, and I knew they were pretty talk in stock form, the helis were just a bonus.

J.

BTW... Don't bother with 99 GSXR 750 helis.... too short.... as I have a set of those as well!!!

ever tried putting the left on right & visaversa? just a thought...to get em back

I don't know if that post was about my pics... but if it was, I probably should have stated they are showing the bars at "full" turn right and left, and how they clear the fairings and gauges. I've attached 2 more showing the bar placement with the steering "straight ahead".

J.

929 Heli's
 

Some snaps I just took.

From the looks of things it seems the issues are 2 fold.... first the 929/954 front end with upper triple mounts bit shorter/lower than the RC setup... and those helis aren't very tall in comparsion to the Duc ones I used...

I don't know what your geometry is like, but if you were able to use the RC upper triple, requiring you to slide the forks up another 13mm (approx) you may be able to use the bars you have.... although i don't know if your steering geometry would go out of whack.

J.

Oh.... one other option.... (I'm planning on doing this with the 2nd bike I'm working on now) I talked to guys at Heli... and was told the bars are made of mild steel. I plan on cutting the short GSXR helis I have, and adding a "shim" piece of tubing in the middle to get the height exactley where I want them... then welding them back up.... It's a bit of work to do on the labor side, but if you can do it yourself, may be a way of using what you have instead of spending more.

J.

fundgh,

How about pulling off your throttle tube, drilling a locating hole about 30° CCW (looking at the barend), and then putting it all back together? That would give you the clearance on the throttle cables that you need to clear the fairing.

Right now the throttle is rotated as far CCW as I feel that it can go with interfering with the brake lever. If I knew exactly the furthest in the lever will be able to be pulled when the brakes are filled and blead, then I might be able to rotate it even further. I don't have a reservoir at the moment so I can't do that. If someone can post a measurement of their fully compressed lever to the grip, I could at least look into it.

I could cut and weld. I have the skills and tools, but no desire to start messing with perfectly new Helibars.

Since I already drilled holes in the top triple clamp for a handlebar, I have considered a new top triple and if the geometry wouldn't be horrible, I would look for an RC51 item. But I am concerned about dropping the front end that much more. I already have clearance issues and I am not sure if the steering would be too quick or unstable.

At this point I will get it ride-able as is, and deal with reduce right hand steering lock. Then I could test moving the forks up. I can feel how the ergonomics are and if I would prefer higher bars. I am already concerned that they are getting too high and too wide for trackday use, and would not want to go any higher and wider than necessary. I would rather sacrifice the looks for performance. So if I have to cut the fairing to fit the ideal clip-on, that just may be what I do.

If I could get a different throttle setup that worked above the clip-ons that would be great. I tried flipping the stocker over, but the cables aren't long enough. Anybody have a quick link or solution for 3-4 inch longer cables?

Another suggestion: There was a guy who did a fork swap and lowered the fairing to allow the controls to clear. This may be better than trimming it.

Lowering the fairing
 

Lower the fairing huh? I actually thought about that, or even trying to retrofit some other bike's bodywork, but thought is just asking for too much work. Lowering it could be doable. Let me think. Change the fairing stays (the little ones) either their rotation or using relocating tabs. Then, I guess the easiest way to deal with the front would be to slot the holes for the main stay which would lower the gauges, fairing, and headlight.

I have been playing with a plastic welding device to repair the broken part of this fairing and I am going to paint it, so I am not afraid to try to "modify" it. I may use the welder to heat and soften the point of contact and press a bit of relief contour into it. I don't have much to lose.

Looks like you might want more penetration on that...but then don't we all! :mrgreen:

I had www.motionpro.com make me new throttle cables at 3" longer than stock. $70 delivered and fit perfectly. All is well now.

Problem solved
 

After doing some plastic welding to get the "ear" back on the fairing, I decided to apply the welder to my "point of impact". I successfully pushed the fairing in to allow clearance of the the throttle tubes, and I don't think it will look that bad when it all painted.

I am painting now, and I have to wait for some Master cylinder parts before I can finish up the front end. Once the tank is done (by next weekend) I will be able to go out for some "tuning" rides.

I guess next week got pushed out a bit. But today I got the tank on and put some gas in it. She fired right up after a few cranks. What a bike!

So I am still in the process of painting the plastics. I am going with Flat Black Rattle can for an intended Hot Rodder/DIY/Rat Bike effect. Did you know it is damn hard to make a glossy paint job flat? I will let you know when I figure it out, but so far, steel wool is the best option.

But I got the tank on and the bike running. New EBC HH pads on the front, fresh bearings in the head, fresh brake fluid, and new detent spring and arm on the shifter (stock spring).

Some notes on the progress:
-When filling a new brake system with new fluid, it can be difficult to get the fluid down to the calipers. I took the shop vac, and adapted the crevice nozzle to a piece of 3/8 tubing. Hooked the tubing to the bleeder valve on the caliper, opened the valve, turned on the vacuum and squeezed the lever. It took a couple minutes per side, then I properly blead the brakes.
-I discovered after not noticing it when I took it apart, that there are only three function screws on the gas cap. The two next to the hinge and the one at 12 o'clock. The rest are dummies, don't bother removing those.

Test Ride:
I just rolled around my hood since I wasn't 100% sure about anything, and I only got into third and fairly slow speeds. But the brakes feel awesome. I am using 954 calipers, and an RC51 MC. I look forward to seeing how they work at speed, but definite stoppy potential now. I also noticed immediate difference in shifter feel from the partial shift kit. The shift seemed crisper. A little quicker, not sure if the throw is shorter (it kinda feels like it), but certainly more positive engagement.

I don't even know where to start with the suspension set up, so I have to do some research on that. More reviews to come as I get her up to speed.

After a couple more rides around town, I have to say that this project is ending as "well" as it began for me. It appears that something is tweaked, and I am guessing it is the lower triple clamp. The upper triple is clearly pointing a bit left when I am riding straight. I guess I have to pull it all apart again. That's the way it goes when buying stuff on eBay.

As far as fit and function are concerned, I am fairly happy with the way it turned out. This is not a conversion I would recommend for you average street rider. It is definitely a PERFORMANCE upgrade, but there are definite compromises with regards to ergos and street handling that would not be satisfactory to me if I did not take it to the track. If I were to put a superbike bar on it, it might be a little more street friendly.

I have yet to really tune the fork or even take it out in to the twisties, so more feedback to come.

I can't believe I never finished this thread off.

Well, it has been a year and a half since I finished the upgrade. I painted the bike flat black and enjoyed it for a while. Now my neck hurts and I stopped going to the track. I am doing a street fighter thing to it now. Preliminary testing has shown that this bike should have been a naked fighter all along. With risers and dirtbike bars on it, it looks and feels awesome. I will throw a couple photos up here to show the progress!