Based on a suggestion from Lee Parks when I took his TCARC class last fall, I decided to replace my Triumph clip-ons with the TracStar ones from
HeliBars. The instructions that came with the bars were quite thorough and comprehensible, but the pictures included were a little lacking. Also, I think many folks are interested in seeing the difference between stock and aftermarket clip-ons, in order to decide how valuable this upgrade is. So, I decided to try to document my HeliBar upgrade...
Comparison
Installation
The HeliBar instructions tell you to install the right clip-on first. I switched it around and did the left first because I thought it would be simpler. It turns out that the right has the brake reservoir to deal with, but the left requires removing and installing the grip (as opposed to the throttle assembly on the right), so it's really a wash as to which to start with.
- First, I recommend covering the tank with a cloth. This would have saved me a nick or two in the process of dropping various tools and such.
- Remove the bar ends. I didn't spring for the Craftsman tool suggested by the directions, but used a rag and a set of channel-locks. This was not so easy to grip the funny angle on the bar end, and I ended up nicking one of the ends. My advice is just to be very careful here.
- Remove the brake reservoir bracket. No special challenge here.
- Remove the top triple. I bought myself a 1.5-in socket, as there's no good way to get the torque right without it.
- Loosen the clutch mounting, loosen the left clip-on, and remove it. I found the screws for the turn-signal switch to be easier to remove after flipping the clip-on over.
- Use some rubbing alcohol as a lubricant (and a small screwdriver to break the seal) and twist off the rubber grip. Here you can also see the comparison between the 2 clip-ons. The differences are fairly subtle, although the construction is noticeably different (e.g. solid vs hollow aluminum bar).
- Slip the new clip-on onto the fork tube and position it roughly in place. Leave everything loose and don't worry about exactly where it goes. Mount the clutch lever roughly in place (leave it loose), and then mount the turn-signal switch. Note the hole drilled in the clip-on to fix the position of the turn-signal switch. (This picture is from the right-hand side, but both have similar positioning holes.)
- At this point, I test-fitted the top triple back on and compared the new/left vs old/right bars. The difference is most noticeable in this view.
- Now it's onto the right clip-on. Things are mostly the same as the left. You need to remove the original bracket for the brake reservoir (there's a replacement provided in the kit), but keep the original bolt and nut. Loosening the brake lever was easy enough, as was loosening the switch unit; however, the screws on the throttle mounting gave me a lot of grief. They are very easy to strip (see picture: don't do this at home...). I ended up getting them out with an impact driver and replacing them with some hex-head M5 bolts from the hardware store.
- Again, here is the comparison of new and old parts. The most obvious difference is in the brake reservoir bracket and how it attaches.
- Slide on the new clip-on and mount all of the original pieces again (throttle sleeve, switch unit, brake lever). The only thing tricky here is remembering all of the cable and hose routing. I found the throttle cables go in between the bleeder screw and the brake lever.
- Replace the top triple. I found this a bit tricky to get on and lowered into the right position. Pay attention to how it sat before you removed it (i.e. a few mm of fork tube were showing). The instructions say to rock the bike off its front wheel to extend the suspension. I did this a bit, but what I found most effective were a few taps from a rubber mallet to seat the triple. Also, be careful to get the left and right fork tubes even. That took a few more taps. When you're happy that the triple is in the right place, hand-tighten the big 38mm nut to hold things in place.
- The key to placing the bars are the 2 5mm bolts that hold clip-on to the top triple. They go as indicated in this view. Start the bolt and tighten it down most of the way, but apply the forward pressure on the clip-on before tightening fully (as described in the instructions). Then tighten down the pinch bolts on the clip-on.
- On the right-hand side, there's the extra step of installing the brake reservoir. Note that the plastic of the reservoir has a stud that fits into the extra hole of the new bracket. This locates it firmly at one joint, and you use the joint to the clip-on to adjust the level of the reservoir. It's not possible to get the fluid exactly level, but you just want to get it reasonably close.
- When you put the bar ends back on, remember to use the extra washers provided in the HeliBar kit (and make sure they sit cleanly in the bar ends.
