ninjette.org - View Single Post - !@#$!ing bar ends! Torch, impact screwdriver, breaker bar, etc ALL failed. :(

CZroe · June 7th, 2011, 06:30 PM

!@$#!ing barends, man.

I bought a pencil torch a while back (probably a year ago) with the intention of using it to install new bar ends. I bought new bar ends sometime last year and never got around to install them until recently. I bought new grips last month and finally decided it was time to take a crack at it.

First of all, the pencil torch WOULD NOT LIGHT with a match. It would blow the match right out! The wind was doing a good job of that at first so I finally decided to go inside and light it there before taking the lit torch outside to the bike, but the torch blew right out as soon as I stepped outside. Grrr... I eventually had to borrow someone's lighter and sit there lighting and relighting it on the bike. I couldn't get it to stay lit unless I ran the person's lighter empty. Eventually, there was one big "poof" of fire and the pencil torch quit working: No butane flowing at all even when attempting a refill and no way to tell if it was still holding any.

I swapped it out for another one at Harbor Freight and it did the exact same thing: TWO broken pencil torches in a day!

I tried to take it off using this T-handle thing with a socket and #3 Phillips bit. I knew that it may not have gotten hot enough but I figured that as long as I stopped before it slipped, I'd be fine. It gave me plenty of leverage to ensure that it was not slipping, but it cracked the metal between each fin of the bit. I stopped and bought the micro torch at Harbor Freight instead along with a impact screwdriver set. At least this torch had a built-in lighter and it was capable of staying on in a light breeze. Using it without the impact screwdriver, I got the opposite bar end off just fine with the original T-handle tool and I found a bit included with the impact screwdriver that fit a million times better. Unfortunately, it no longer fit the cracked bolt on the other side (impact screwdriver was useless) and I ended up having to pay someone $37 to remove it.

I came into this knowing what I would need and thinking I was completely prepared and yet I still ended up having to get this taken care of by a professional for way too much money.

Now, to make things worse, my new bar ends do NOT fit! The auction said that they fit "Ninja 250R" and yet they are the kind that expand inside a hollow bar instead of the kind that thread right in to a bolt hole. The hole machined through it is too small to fit the proper sized bolt, so I can't simply buy the right sized bolt. Weren't the pre-gen bar-ends the same way?

At least I finally got my new grips installed but now I have no bar-ends. Looks like I'm going to be getting clip-ons sooner rather than later. I only hope I don't fail nearly as hard as I did at this!

June 7th, 2011, 06:30 PM	#1
CZroe CPT Falcon Name: J.Emmett Turner Location: Newnan, GA Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.	!@#$!ing bar ends! Torch, impact screwdriver, breaker bar, etc ALL failed. :( !@$#!ing barends, man. I bought a pencil torch a while back (probably a year ago) with the intention of using it to install new bar ends. I bought new bar ends sometime last year and never got around to install them until recently. I bought new grips last month and finally decided it was time to take a crack at it. First of all, the pencil torch WOULD NOT LIGHT with a match. It would blow the match right out! The wind was doing a good job of that at first so I finally decided to go inside and light it there before taking the lit torch outside to the bike, but the torch blew right out as soon as I stepped outside. Grrr... I eventually had to borrow someone's lighter and sit there lighting and relighting it on the bike. I couldn't get it to stay lit unless I ran the person's lighter empty. Eventually, there was one big "poof" of fire and the pencil torch quit working: No butane flowing at all even when attempting a refill and no way to tell if it was still holding any. I swapped it out for another one at Harbor Freight and it did the exact same thing: TWO broken pencil torches in a day! I tried to take it off using this T-handle thing with a socket and #3 Phillips bit. I knew that it may not have gotten hot enough but I figured that as long as I stopped before it slipped, I'd be fine. It gave me plenty of leverage to ensure that it was not slipping, but it cracked the metal between each fin of the bit. I stopped and bought the micro torch at Harbor Freight instead along with a impact screwdriver set. At least this torch had a built-in lighter and it was capable of staying on in a light breeze. Using it without the impact screwdriver, I got the opposite bar end off just fine with the original T-handle tool and I found a bit included with the impact screwdriver that fit a million times better. Unfortunately, it no longer fit the cracked bolt on the other side (impact screwdriver was useless) and I ended up having to pay someone $37 to remove it. I came into this knowing what I would need and thinking I was completely prepared and yet I still ended up having to get this taken care of by a professional for way too much money. Now, to make things worse, my new bar ends do NOT fit! The auction said that they fit "Ninja 250R" and yet they are the kind that expand inside a hollow bar instead of the kind that thread right in to a bolt hole. The hole machined through it is too small to fit the proper sized bolt, so I can't simply buy the right sized bolt. Weren't the pre-gen bar-ends the same way? At least I finally got my new grips installed but now I have no bar-ends. Looks like I'm going to be getting clip-ons sooner rather than later. I only hope I don't fail nearly as hard as I did at this! Last futzed with by CZroe; June 9th, 2011 at 02:27 AM.