DIY: less than $100 Clip-ons

[Gorilla25]

So, you want clip-ons, but can't really afford them? heres a pair of clip-ons that cost less than $100...

Some back ground. I saw a SV650 clip on (one side) for sale in this forum saying that people swap those clip ons to our ninjas. after some searching, i found the DIY on Kawiforums. it was made in 2008. ALL the DIY pics are gone. so after reading through 28 pages, i'm making a DIY for those interested. I bought mine from @CZroe. im sure you can find them online.

Difficulty: 3/5

Supplies:
SV650 Clip-ons
0.020 Rod bearings (this is used as a spacer. fork is 37mm dia, clip on is 41mm)
torch
hand impact driver
Basic tools
torque wrench
front and rear stand
hammer
rubber mallet
replacement grips (optional)
paint (optional)

Here is the clip ons and rod bearings


See the nub? get your dremel and chop it off
Before:


After:




This is how a rod bearing looks, two come in a box


chop them in half and pre curve them


how they sit in the clip ons


if you want to paint them, i used 2 coats of this:


let them dry


remove bar ends using torch to heat up bar end screw and remove using hand impact driver. use screwdriver to help you remove the grips


remove bars and controls. set them aside


do not let brake reservoir flip or you have to bleed the brakes. this is how i delt with it:


the previous owner dropped the bike. bar bent and i did not know. i could not even tell it was bent.


remove stem bolt (22mm or 7/8) and loosen upper fork clamps. remove the upper tripple tree clamp


the chopped bearings did not quite fit as expected. chop two in smaller pieces


place them in clip on and slide a bit down the fork tube. this is how it sits now


*Place upper tripple tree clamp and bump it in place with a rubber mallet. clip ons should be as flush as possible with the tripple tree clamp.

*tighten stem bolt (43 ft lbs) and upper fork clamps (18 ft. lbs)

*loosely place controls on bars

*bringing front end to full lock right and left, set your adjustments and clearances. there will be some rubbing, tight clearances. this is how its going to be. this was the mod that got Woodcraft making our clip ons. these clip ons are the only ones with risers decent enough to use also the smallest diameter clip ons.

*once clearances are set, tighten the bolt for the clip ons and re-assemble bars with the controls.

here is my clearances:

Left full lock










Right full lock
*there is a small gap, but the camera did not pick it up.








all done


to clean up the look a little, i used this furniture plug things




still need to find something to plug the forks with.


***Final thoughts:
I was going to do the DIY bar ends that kkim made earlier, but i found weighted bar ends for the sv650 and got them only for $11. while test riding, the bars vibrate, but is tolerable. im gonna bet when i put the bar ends on it, the vibration will minimize. the riding position is a lot more aggressive now and will take a few rides to get used to. going into turns are really easy. it kind of just falls into the turn without hesitation. your hands get a little pinched while doing slow tight maneuvers, but you can adjust how you hold the bars and it will be just fine. for regular city riding, my hands were just fine, no pinching. have not went on the freeway yet or hit up the twisties yet, but looking forward to it. Yes my baby is dirty, gonna clean her up later

Any questions, comments, etc... discuss

[kenji_808]

I looked hi and low to find caps to cover the forks but to no avail.

I just went and bought a set of Slingshot racing fork preload adjusters, if you remember seeing blue ones on my bike.
http://www.slingshotracing.net/catal...dju-p-191.html

Only down side with them was after awhile the anodized finish on theme faded.

[dubojr1]

Great job man! This mod may very well be in my future. Keep us updated!

[Alex]

/linked

[Gorilla25]

Rode it again to work and gym. did not feel right(too crouched/squished together) so i moved my rear sets one notch back (A&L rear set adjusters) and lowered my shift peg a little. feels MUCH better now to figure out how to switch to GP shifting without cutting and welding anything...or at a minimum anyways...

[Gorilla25]

Originally Posted by kenji_808

I looked hi and low to find caps to cover the forks but to no avail.

I just went and bought a set of Slingshot racing fork preload adjusters, if you remember seeing blue ones on my bike.
http://www.slingshotracing.net/catal...dju-p-191.html

Only down side with them was after awhile the anodized finish on theme faded.

im gonna see if i can take some kind of furniture fitting or rubber cap and put it in there. i hate the look of exposed fork plugs, just paid bills, and already have a preload adjuster inside so no money for the SSR ones at the moment.

[cuong-nutz]

I found a few sets of the sv650 clip-ons online for a good price and will be doing this mod soon hopefully. Do you use the holes to line up the throttle housing and what not or did you drill new ones?

How tall are you? Reason why I ask is because I still have the stock rearsets.

[CZroe]

Awesome work, AJ!

Just wanted to add a few things:

• CajunTLR, the man who came up with these, is a racer who has fully track-tested them and was the Woodcraft guinea pig (hurr hurr-he's also a cop) for the development of Woodcraft clip ons for these bikes.
• [oops. repeated stuff from above.]
• The rod bearing sleeves are made of a soft copper metal which conforms to the shape of the forks and clip ons when tightened. Cutting them in half again is something they actually said to do in the old DIY as well.
• You can solve some clearance issues with a couple washers under the triple tree clamp to raise it up and attach the clip ons a little higher. The only issue with this is that your steering lock will no longer work. The hole that the locking pin goes into is on that clamp that you raised so it no longer aligns.
• I originally masked them off that way thinking that they'd look more like Woodcraft in a two-tone black and aluminum, but I guess AJ wasn't interested in that.
• I got a deal on the Woodcraft and sold them to AJ without ever installing. CajunTLR is the one to ask if you're looking for a comparison!
• I don't have time to look it up right now, but I think a link to the old Kawiforums thread may be in order.[thanks, Cuong]

[cuong-nutz]

Linky to old thread: http://www.kawiforums.com/ninja-250r...u-clipons.html

I remember the thread when the pictures were still up. I followed the thread up till Woodcraft finally finished producing the clip-ons for our bikes.

[Gorilla25]

Originally Posted by cuong-nutz

I found a few sets of the sv650 clip-ons online for a good price and will be doing this mod soon hopefully. Do you use the holes to line up the throttle housing and what not or did you drill new ones?

How tall are you? Reason why I ask is because I still have the stock rearsets.

i did not use the hole originally in them. and i did not drill new ones. you could drill new ones if you want, but i chose not to because i know the clearances are tight, and i dont want to compromise the structural integrity by drilling a lot of holes.

i just clipped off the nub that goes into the holes. no, it does not move/rotate when the screws are tightened. you can get them tight but not over tight and i could not get them to budge, so thats good.

I am 5'6"-5'7" somewhere along those lines. If you are the same height or taller, i suggest new rear sets or adjustable rear set adjusters so you can get the bikes pegs and shifter to comfortably align with your new riding posture.


thanks for posting the original thread.

[Gorilla25]

Originally Posted by CZroe

Awesome work, AJ!

Just wanted to add a few things:

• CajunTLR, the man who came up with these, has fully race-tested them and was the Woodcraft guinea pig for the development of Woodcraft clip ons for these bikes.
• The man is a motorcycle racer and a cop, so these are fully race-tested.
• The rod bearing sleeves are made of a soft copper metal which conforms to the shape of the forks and clip ons when tightened. Cutting them in half again is something they actually said to do in the old DIY as well.
• You can solve some clearance issues with a couple washers under the triple tree clamp to raise it up and attach the clip ons a little higher. The only issue with this is that your steering lock will no longer work because the hole that the locking pin goes into is on that clamp that you raised and no longer aligns.
• I originally masked them off that way thinking that they'd look more like Woodcraft in a two-tone black and aluminum, but I guess AJ wasn't interested in that.
• FWIW, I didn't do this because I got a deal on the Woodcraft set. This also means that I never made a comparison. Sorry.
• I don't have time to look it up right now, but I think a link to the old Kawiforums thread may be in order.

yes. all true. i'd like to add a little to the fourth point. Some people are not concerned with losing the steering lock so they added the washers. I dont mind readjusting my grip while doing tight parking lot maneuvers to avoid pinching my hands on the fairings.

i thought you just taped them to somehow protect them while shipping here

[cuong-nutz]

Picked up some clip-ons! Will look into getting the rod bearings.

[Gorilla25]

nice cant wait to see how yours turn out

[cuong-nutz]

I just picked up a rod bearing for a mid 90s Chevy v8. Chevy parts are always in stock and always super cheap ($2.99). I went with a 0.030 oversize bearing because it comes out to be about 2mm in thickness which is mathematically needed to fill in the difference. Hopefully this won't be too tight of tolerance for me to get it fitted in right. I'll see if I can find a way to get them shaped right. If not, I'll just cut them up.

Part # CB663P30

[Gorilla25]

you are going to need to cut them up. i spend almost an hour trying to shape them to fit right and just ended up chopping them up. good job on the find though. and if you do get them to fit, you get to make a DIY for that

[Gorilla25]

UPDATE: today i did some freeway riding as well as some twisties.

1) Freeway riding: currently, i dont have bar ends and the high RPM vibration made my hands a little numb after 20 mins..yes, i was wearing gloves. it is much easier to get into a full tuck and feel more "natural" while in tuck.

2) Twisties: there is this road called "Tantalus" about 15 mins from my apartment. its apx 2 miles of back to back turns...very sharp turns, including a few hairpins. half way up is uphill and the other half is downhill. like i mentioned above, after about 15 mins, the high rpms numb my hands. other then that, they felt really good. not really sure how to describe it though :/

--I do have bar ends coming in and cant wait to put them on. My friend, a fellow ninjette member has the woodcraft clipons and i sat on his bike. just from sitting on his bike and holding the handle bars, i can positively say that the SV650 clipons have a more aggressive ergo compared to the woodcraft.

[cuong-nutz]

Couldn't you have reused the stock bar ends like in Kim's DIY?:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14281

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by cuong-nutz

Couldn't you have reused the stock bar ends like in Kim's DIY?:

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=14281

He probably didn't want to. I don't because I want to try some other bar ends I ordered, so I'm not going to go buy hardware and tubing to retrofit those unless these prove to be a problem. I did notice that these were thicker because they fit my "universal" bar ends but my Woodcraft ones, like kkim's, do not.

[Gorilla25]

i originally was going to use my stock bar ends and do kkims DIY. but there is a small lip that goes over the bar before coming flush with the handle bar. that forces me to puch the controls closer with even more clearance problems. yes, those few millimeters do make a difference. also, the tubing i got(for free) the ID was too small. The bar ends that are coming in weigh apx the same as the OEM bar ends.

[Gorilla25]

If anyone is interested, i came up with a way to plug the fork tubes. I used some furniture leg plugs i got from city mill. it fits pretty snug so i dont have to worry about it coming out or some punk popping them out. so, here are the pics:

Left:



Right:



Top:


What do you think?

[dubojr1]

Not bad...

Can you take a picture of one before it's installed so when can see what to look for?

[Gorilla25]

Sorry, i did not take pictures of it before installation but heres a pic i found online. They looked like this. except the top is rounded instead of conical. and the size? im not sure. they are all in standard sizes and i had my micrometer with me so i just measured the diameters. make sure the ones you look for are hollow on the inside.

originally, i was going to find a plug that covered the entire fork tube but could not find any large enough. so i found some that will fit inside of the tube. that measurement is 32.xx mm at the base of the rounded part. i forgot what the actual measurement is. I cant just pull out the caps, they are pretty snug in there. i think i actually need to destroy them to get them out. they were only a dollar and some change anyways.

[cuong-nutz]

I found out that it's easier to go ahead and cut the bearings in half and end them with pliers or channel locks you'll need to grind down the grooves on the bearing so it's flush. Also hammer the edges of the bearing so it'll make it easier to slide in. Also get a flat head to help open up the clip-ons for the bearings. I tapped mine in with a hammer and flathead screwdriver to have them set further in.

The clearance from the control is. Very tight so you can expect some slight rubbig every once in a while. You could grind away an 1/8th if material to give you more room.

I just hope and pray that my fingers don't get broken or dislocated from a freak accident.



Thoughts: very sportier position and is great for people tall like me 5'11"+. The bars vibrate since I don't have weighted barends yet. Only cost was the bearings as a shop owner gave me these bars for free.

[Gorilla25]

looks nice. Good job

[noni47]

Nice write up AJ!

[Kygirl]

How does flipping the brake reservoir over let air into the brake line and require you to bleed the front brake? Or...is there another reason it needs to be bled if it is accidentally flipped? I ask because I lowsided in gravel the other day and ended up having to take the whole throttle tube/front brake reservoir/assembly thing off because my throttle was sticking open. I did fix the throttle sticking issue, but I didn't know that the reservoir shoudn't be allowed to flip and it might have done so. Before reading this and after riding 120+ miles today I noticed that my front brake felt "weird" but had no idea why. I'm worried I might have allowed the reservoir to flip, but don't understand the mechanics of why that would cause problems and would like to know all the "why"s so I don't do this again. =)

[cuong-nutz]

There is some air in the brake reservoir. Turning the reservoir upside down allows air to get into the line and may get trapped in it.

[Kygirl]

Makes sense! Thanks! I'll have to keep an eye on that in the future.

[cuong-nutz]

Looks like I could use more shims. The pinch bolt for the clipon is torqued down and the gap is almost closed.

[Gorilla25]

i dont think it needs to cover the entire gap. mines has even spaces around the fork tube and is pretty darn snug, but more wouldn't hurt

[leed]

I think he meant the gap between halves at the pinch bolt.

And man, these seem to be better than the Woodcrafts. I love the Woodcrafts, but I hate how the weld of the pinchbolt on the upper triple tree forces the bars orientation to be closer to parallel with one another than the stock bars. They recently released something to remedy the problem, but I don't want to pay another 40 dollars for it...

[dubojr1]

@Coung: Can we get some pics with the bars at full lock in both directions?

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by leed

I think he meant the gap between halves at the pinch bolt.

And man, these seem to be better than the Woodcrafts. I love the Woodcrafts, but I hate how the weld of the pinchbolt on the upper triple tree forces the bars orientation to be closer to parallel with one another than the stock bars. They recently released something to remedy the problem, but I don't want to pay another 40 dollars for it...

Yeah that's what I meant. Woodcraft should offer it for cheaper. It's pretty pricey.

Originally Posted by dubojr1

@Coung: Can we get some pics with the bars at full lock in both directions?

Today's payday and they spelled my name wrong on my check. Come on. Lol.

Let me run out and take some pics.

[cuong-nutz]

For some reason my bike turns farther right than it does left.

[dubojr1]

Thanks Cuong! Oh and sorry for the previous misspelling. Bank prolly won't even notice it on your check.

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by dubojr1

Thanks Cuong! Oh and sorry for the previous misspelling. Bank prolly won't even notice it on your check.

Ah, no problem. A lot of people spell it wrong. Bank doesn't care as long as it looks like the real deal

I just finished installing the stock bar ends onto the clip-ons. I went to Lowe's and picked up some 5/16 x 2.5" hex bolts. I was going to with the oval head bolts like the stock 250 ones but they didn't sell them in pairs or singles and I didn't feel like paying 6 dollars for a bag. You'll have to get some black paint because the silver bolts stick out like a sore thumb.

What you need:
2- 5/16 x 2.5" long bolts
2- 5/16 x nuts
5/16 rubber hose about 2.5" long cut in half.

You can get a 3" bolt just make sure you get a longer hose accordingly. As AJ mentioned, the stock bar ends encloses over bar and does not sit flush against the end so you'll have to adjust your grips inward some for clearance.

[CZroe]

If anyone is looking to do this, a forum member is still selling one of the two you will need:
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showt...967#post495967

[Gorilla25]

@cuong-nutz: i noticed you have your controls all the way in. how is your clearance with the brake hose to the gauge cluster when full lock left? i have prob. 1mm clearance on mines. if you have more, i'll be moving my grips and controls closer in and then use the stock bar ends since i will have more room

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by Gorilla25

@cuong-nutz: i noticed you have your controls all the way in. how is your clearance with the brake hose to the gauge cluster when full lock left? i have prob. 1mm clearance on mines. if you have more, i'll be moving my grips and controls closer in and then use the stock bar ends since i will have more room

The brake line hits the gauge surround but it doesn't bother me. Going to SS brake lines should clear it fine. I moved the levers inwards for clearance just in case I go down again so they don't bend or break. Plus my long monkey fingers can still have full control of the levers still. Just be aware that with any bar ends, you're more proned to bending your clip-ons since they stick out further than your body work. Having gone down 3 times, I'm well familiar with what tends to contact the ground and bends, breaks, and scrapes.

[cuong-nutz]

Just to add, I commute on a daily basis and after this mod, I hear more wind noise as I'm closer down into the turbulent airstream from the windscreen. My new sport touring windscreen should fix this problem.