Much as I like the CBR, the sports riding position is causing me a problem with my hands. My last bike was a CB900F which is quite upright, so I wanted to change the clipons to something I could adjust to suit me better.


CAUTION: Changing clipons means you are going to be fooling around with your steering and important controls (Brakes, clutch, throttle and steering). This is a RISKY thing to do, as failure of anyone of these could lead to an unpleasant death. Make sure you are competent to perform this work.


I purchased a set of the 41mm Dan-Moto adjustable billet clipons from http://www.dan-moto.com

They were $70 USD plus shipping. They feature adjustments in all axis.




Package arrived, the product looked pretty good. As I was not going to have the stock bar ends and internal fittings any more, I also bought a set of HVMP extra heavy bar ends to control vibration http://www.hvmp.com



Here's what everything looks like:

 

First job was to get the bars shortened and setup for the weights. My friend Mark has a lathe & took them home to modify them for me. Here’s Mark – thanks mate.


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I decided 25mm was the right length to remove, and Mark machined that off and then countersunk and tapped the bar to accept the bolt from the bar end. His comment was that the alloy was “nice”, it machined easily whereas typically alloy can chip when being worked. He thought it was good quality. Here's the end result with the HVMP bar end:






Next thing is to get the old hardware off the bike. Everything comes off pretty easy, I was careful to keep the fluid reservoirs upright ( I used bungee cords attached to the mirrors to keep them orientated). Also, removing the throttle requires lifting the tank and loosening off the cable adjustments at the carbs before enough play is available at the grip. Controls are each held by two screws from underneath.

 

You’ll see on the old clipons that they have a hole on the underside – the controls have a nipple that locates into them. When you set up the new bars you’ll need to create that hole so that they locate. I just reassembled and orientated everything then marked it and pulled them off again to drill. It was a 5mm hole on mine.





My controls were all a touch sloppy on the DanMotos, so I had to shim everything with a thin piece of rubber to tighten things up.


When it comes to reassembling, you’ll need an Allen key set. I think an Allen key which can be driven from a ratchet, like this, is pretty much essential for this job.





Only thing to be careful of, is make sure the head of the Allen screws are orientated so that they are accessible when you need to tighten them (the parts are mostly symmetrical). It takes quite a while to get the clipons setup the way you want them. The limiting factor for me was the length of the hose for the front brakes. Make sure you leave enough play in all the cables/hoses for the complete range of movement on the steering.

The bolts in the Dan Motos are stainless steel, and as I was playing around trying to set the correct position, I did end up damaging the hex drive of those bolts. I would strongly suggest that you buy a replacement set of SS cap screws before you start. Mark recommended 316 grade S/S as it is a bit harder than “normal” S/S. Once you have found the correct position, swap out the old bolts one by one so you don’t lose your setup.


CAUTION!! MAKE SURE YOU TIGHTEN ALL OF THE RETAINING BOLTS ON THE CLIPONS. KEEP A CHECK ON THEM. The number of potential failure points has increased compared to the stock units!

 

I will get the vertical risers machined off once I’m satisfied with the adjustment of the clipons – you might do it earlier if you have more confidence than me. I'll probably also get the HVMPs shortened a little.

I also installed a set of Grip Puppies to further reduce vibration through to my hands:



Last job: Beer.

 

Looking good bodhan - I 'll fess up I was too lazy to do a good how to when I did my
DanMoto 3D Clipons - but if I had of done one - not sure it would be as good as this
one you just posted. Nice contribution you made here

The only thing different I did with mine was to change out all the hardware (hex bolts)
and replace with longer ones with lock nuts at the ends. I was not too confident in the
threads machined into the soft Chinese Alum stock, had one strip out relatively easy.

Oh and on my 1993 the risers are to the rear of the forks on mine as I was looking to
bring the controls closer - meaning less reaching forward


hmmmm time for a Steinlager ?

 

Thanks Sprock. I haven't settled on this position yet and I might actually do exactly the same thing - i.e. bring the risers to the near side for less reaching. That's pretty much what I was trying to achieve, but I thought I'd play with them sort of "stock" before swapping to the near side.

I think I'll look at the lock-nut scenario also. I'd like to see a photo of how yours turned out - especially with the bolts etc.

 

Nice write-up and pictoral! Nice friends too!
We all need a buddy with a lathe.

Ern

 

No problem man - bit tied up today though - I'll shoot a pic or two tomorrow
I have that bike in bits at the moment - the whole nose off it for some new
Gauges and an HID kit - so I can get some good pics of them as a result

 

Great write-up.

With a Corbin saddle and stock pegs, I've actually been looking for more tuck and an aftermarket clip-on.

I've been having the "hand" problem on and off for awhile now.

My problem, is the heel of my hands and my shoulders. One day, I realized I'm too tense in my riding position.

My solution, and it's mostly mental, is to remind myself to relax. A hard thing to do when it's freezing out there. I tell myself to lighten my grip. Relax my elbows and hips until I can feel the bike float under me. I'm not supporting all of my upper body weight on my hands and the road bumps are not being transmitted through my hands up into my shoulders and neck.

Seems to work

 

Actually the last adjustment I made put the risers at 8oclock

anyhow here's what I did to secure the clamp hardware with locknuts