GARAGE
MOTORCYCLES SITE |
Ted's
House Motorcycle Tech |
How I
Switched From K75 "S" bars to "C" bars Preparation Total time: 3 hours Parts Needed: K75 "C" bars (of course!), a bunch of 6" zip ties, red BMW#10 Lube, New Foam Grips (get the kind with the "lube 'n glue packet inside), a thick towel & Blue Loctite. (this piece does NOT deal with heated grips!) Optional: "S" Crash Pad Mounting Strips. Note that I later bought the European K100 Standard Heated Grip Kit (insist your dealer look, it is there :) It came in a big box with the a new (and a little wider?) "C" bar, grips and all wiring, switches, etc, and even bar-end weights. Think the K75 is smooth? Try it with bar-end weights :) Things You May Need, But I Didn't: New "C" Clutch Cable, Speedo connection, Choke Cable, Brake Fluid Line, switch wiring & New "C" Crash Pad (the "S" one nestles in nicely and will fit well with a little extension to the mounting bolts.) Tools Needed: Standard BMW "K" Tool Kit The Procedure Prepare The Bike Put the bike up on the center stand with plenty of room on each side of the bike. Make sure the cover to your brake fluid reservoir is nice and tight. Cover the gas tank and sides of the bike with a thick towel. Prepare to Remove the Bar: Crash Pad Removal: Disconnect the clutch cable: Disconnect the choke cable: Remove both side switch plates: Cut off the clutch-side grip:
Remove Wiring Zip Ties: Remove the "S" Bar: Remove the 4 hex bolts and mounts that hold the bars to the bike. Remove the hex bolts on the bottom of the grip assemblies that hold the grip assemblies tight to the bars. Carefully move the bar to the right and slide off the
clutch grip assembly. If you did not clean well enough this could get tough. Move the bar back to the left and while holding the brake reservoir upright slide the speedo grip assembly off of the old "S" bars. Install the "C" Bar: Immediately slide the speedo grip assembly onto the new "C" bars and center the bars on the bike. If yours is like mine, you will need to barely loosen the bolts holding the brake hose to the
steering stem and to the speedo grip assemble to re-align the hose or the bar will not
fit. If you loosen this bolt too much you will have to bleed the brakes (which might
not be a bad idea...when was the last time you did this?) Center the bars on the steering cradle, replace the mounts
and replace the 4 hex bolts. Once you've got the bar where you want it, carefully center the bars and tighten those 4 bolts down! I used a little blue loctite just to make sure. Replace the Bar Components: Slide the clutch grip assembly onto the bars and position both assemblies on the bars so that when the clutch and brake handles are fully pulled in the ends just meet the end of the bars. (Other may differ on this placement but examination of several new K bikes at Bob's convinced me this was proper.) Again sit on the bike and fiddle with the elevation of the brake and clutch handles until they feel right, then replace and tighten the tension bolts. Replace the clutch and choke cables. Re-lube the clutch assembly with #10 grease (can't hurt). Reposition Wiring: If you haven't already, carefully reposition the gas tank by pulling it back so that you have access to the wiring zip-tied to the front of the frame. After making careful note of the location of the wiring and cables, *carefully* snip the zip ties holding the wires together and to the frame. Temporarily replace the switches and reposition the location of the wiring in order to get enough slack where the switch assemblies are not pulling on wiring throughout the entire arc of the Bar movement. Replace the switch assemblies and re-check that there is slack in the wiring and cables throughout the entire arc of the handlebar movement. Finish The Job: Re-ziptie the cable connections and replace the gas tank. Replace the cable-cover and then the crashpad. If you are using the original K75S crashpad without extensions, do NOT tighten the 2 bolts all the way, just enough so that it is snug. Make sure everything is tight and works correctly BEFORE going out for a ride, then congratulate yourself because you are done. |
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