The stock bar ends may be "Kawasaki genuine parts" but I have some Kawasaki genuine hate for them.

Look at what they did to my Philips head bit... utterly destroyed. I managed to get them off after some fiddling and getting creative.

Sounds about right... welcome to the club! F*ck everything about those bar ends.

I had to saw the stock bar ends off because i stripped the nuts. that's not gonna be the end of it your going to want shortie levers , new windscreen and new brake lines for a cleaner look. ENJOY its Worth it for me :P

I had to saw the stock bar ends off because i stripped the nuts. that's not gonna be the end of it your going to want shortie levers , new windscreen and new brake lines for a cleaner look. ENJOY its Worth it for me :P

Yeah, I was already thinking about shortie levers and some detailing work :rolleyes:
I need to stop though... I'm already up for an R6 upgrade, now that I crashed my 300 :D

Did you use an impact driver? I didn't have a single problem with stripping or breaking bits when I used an impact driver.

What brand of Phillips bit is that? I am willing to bet it is a cheap brand. I destroyed a cheapo bit getting mine off. But then slapped in a good brand name bit and was able to twist them out with no heat just a little man power no problem.

A set of quality Japanese Industry Standard (JIS) screwdrivers makes a huge difference when it comes to installing and removing screws on Japanese cycles and cars.

JIS screws look like standard Phillips-head screws - but aren't. All of the screws that look like Phillips are really JIS. A standard Phillips screwdriver doesn't have the proper contact needed to hold much torque when used in a JIS screw.

I bought the JIS 3-piece standard set (#53325A61 - made in Japan) from McMaster-Carr a while ago, and they make a huge difference.

In a pinch, the screwdrivers in the tool kit are also JIS.

At least the bit didn't snap in half like mine.

S1att3r
Nope, didn't use an impact driver. I'm sure this is the preferred way to remove red loctite bolts but I wanted a cheaper option.

subxero
It was a cheapo brand, so not too bothered about losing the bit. Just incredibly frustrated at how hard a job it was for something so small.

jkv45
I ended up duct taping the tool kit's screwdriver bit to my socket wrench and removing the bar ends that way. Of course, by that time the screw heads were stripped to the point where it didn't really matter which bit I used.

I agree that the Japanese standard driver head is a must, but with my bar-ends, even that wasn't enough, so I drilled out the screw heads, then removed the bolts with vice-grips once the weights were off. Still a pain, but didn't take too long.

I re-attached the bar-end weights with hardware store stainless hex-head flathead bolts.

Um… you DID use heat, right?

You take a propane torch and use it to heat the screw head. That breaks the bond.

Those suckers don't want to go anywhere if you don't.

But you found that out….

And yeah, impact driver. The "cheaper option" isn't so cheap when you start destroying things and flames start shooting out of your eye sockets. How much is your time and aggravation worth to you?

A rule I learned early is that buying the right tool for the job is ALWAYS cheaper in the long run.

Yes, I used heat, but only after I had the screws drilled out and the weights off, and then it didn't take much, because I could apply it near the threads. I didn't want to torch the screws from the ends.

I used a socket with a phillips head and applied pressure towards the bar end. I never had an issue at all and didn't have to use heat.

Thanks for the tip about JIS screwdrivers. Now I have something to shop for. I agree that its always good to have the right tool for the job (insert dirty comment here :o)

Second hardest job was getting the grip off of the left handlebar. Saw posts about compressed air being the best option but I really didn't want to buy something for a one time use.

Ended up using a screwdriver to create some space between grip and handlebar, then squirted some windex into the gap. Start twisting the grip back and forth and before you know it the thing just slides right off!

In hindsight, removing the grip should've been a 2 min job but it took me some time (and brute force attempts) to arrive at the idea to use liquid as a lubricant... worked like a charm and I had a chance to clean the bugs off my windshield!

Compressed air does work very well. I've done many grips with it. Go out and start buying tools. You will definitely use them again.

I sure will... once I'm out of grad school and housing situation is no longer temporary and garage situation not so ridiculous.

Using heat makes the whole process pain free... Use a flame torch to heat up the screws and they come off pretty easy...

All done!

Unfortunately, I had a lapse in concentration when checking the lock-to-lock clearance and accidentally caused a stress fracture on the Tacho. You can see the off-white line around the contour of Speedo display.

Hate myself for losing that bit of focus but C'est la vie. Otherwise, clip-ons feel great!

Anyone know if that bit of clear plastic is modular and individually replaceable?

Edit: Not sure why the pics are rotated post-upload... i'll upload better angles tomorrow.

You have to replace the whole cluster.