Help on making handlebars

[danase]

I'm wanting to attempt making a set of handlebars, like the first 2 on this site: http://www.dtpmuscle.com/bars.html . However I do not ave a TIG, I have a EZ 125. Any tips?

Thanks guys!

[Broccoli1]

Lots of destructive testing.

[Hotfoot]

My advice is DO NOT DO IT!!! I had a set of handlebars break once ( I had straightened them, and put them back on my bike), and it could very easily be a KILLER! No one on this forum will recommend you do it with the 125EZ. I have had custom bars made for my various Harleys, but only by well experienced welder/fabricators, who knew what they were doing.

Learn on things that present no hazard if they break..

[SidecarFlip]

+ a million on that.

A home welder is no machine for making handlebars. You need some sophisticated and expensive tools plus a supply of DOM tubing.

[EricHSmith]

It has already been said but I repeat. DO NOT USE THE EZ125!!! Spend the 100 bucks and buy them. A small investment when you think about it.

[mikecwik]

a trained hand could do it with much less of a machine but maybe if youre asking you better dont.?

[KPS]

this was with welded risers on drag bars, I personally had 2 sets of factory made handle bars break, one cracked at a weld, the other one side broke off. glad to be here after that! I figured first one was a fluke, but after second I changed bar design, & went with apes.

the next week on the radio I heard about a guy wrecking his Harley on way home from buying it, "witnesses said his handle bars broke off & he lost control"

do not run any handle bars with welded risers, the twisting motion of riding break the welds, & you risk your life every time you ride.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE YOUR OWN BARS! unless your very familair with this. YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

If your interested I can look to see if I still have a set of "Z" bars. I know I bought a set around 10 years ago, but never used them. I didnt like how they felt on my bike when I clamped them in. they are 12" not even sure where they are, but ask & I will look. also they are for a 1 inch riser.

Later,
Randy

[Thomas Harris]

steering components...nope. consider they are in constant dynamic loading. when the paperclip is bent enough times back on forth, it breaks.

[parkerwelds]

I agree with others warnings!

The sharp angles on these bars are stress risers built in, I wouldn't want to put these on my bike if they were welded with short ciruit MIG.

[Steve from Ohio]

There is a reason why the majority of handle bars are smoothly bent and not welded at corners.

The guys are right. There is a lot of force being put on a handle bar and any bar with corners like those will eventually crack no matter how well they are welded due to all the force on them every time they are in use.

Not only that, but if it becomes an unfortunate event where you crash, those sharp corners can be a killer if you end up on the handle bar.

[Hotfoot]

Lots of "Z" bars. like these probably broke out on the road, but hard to tell once the wreck happens which broke first......and few police cared all that much about the cause of "Biker Trash" accidents. (This bike is a bar room mock-up, but those forks came off an old Harley chopper down in Mexico).



There is absolutely nothing you can do when a bar breaks, no matter how good a rider you are..its sudden mayhem!

[daniels]

How about just bending bars from straight stock? Anyone do this and if so can you just use a ordinary pipe/tube bender?

[Hotfoot]

I defer to Broccolli's post back in June...

"Lots of destructive testing."



...but simply bending straight stock, DOM with the correct wall thickness, should work just fine. no welds, no crazy sharp bends that way.

[Roger]

How about just bending bars from straight stock? Anyone do this and if so can you just use a ordinary pipe/tube bender?

Tube benders ok because they better support tube round shape as you are bending. Some pipe benders that don't support tube enough and let the tube flatten while bending. This reducing rigidity. For thin tube internal mandrel is required to maintain tubes round cross section through the bend.

[Marksweldingams]

Welded handlebars

Hi all, you may correct me if I'm wrong but to my knowledge welded handlebars breaking is why some states or the federal government makes them Illegal.
And if you really want to, I'd say you'd better be a really really good tig welder like 100% X-ray quality welder.
Don't forget when they break it could also be someone else's life when you go thru an on coming cars windshield.
God bless you Harley - All bike riders. CMA