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By Knaapie 11/2004
(updated May2005)
Some Tips
Update and warning 02/2005
I bought a ABM handlebar conversion kit last October for my 2003
SV650S which I have recently mounted. I intend to share my
experiences with you, with the help of some photo’s (of which some
are a bit blurry...sorry). As I have a SV650S, some things will not
be similar with the SV1000S, but I try to mention the differences in
the steps below. People with the old model can also use this guide,
but for example the rerouting of cables is different of course. On
the old model the fairing also has to be modified.
Note: I’m not responsible for any damage to your bike because
of the use of the steps below. Use of this fitting guide is at your
own risk!
First part of the conversion is stripping the bike. First loosen the
nuts on both ends of the upper triple tree (photo 1). As you can see
in some of the other photo’s, I used a different working order which
was not so smart.
Then loosen and remove the steering stem head nut (photo 1), beware
of the washer underneath it. Keep the washer in a safe spot, because
you will need it later. Carefully remove the triple tree. Now you
arrive at a tricky part, because the ignition lock has to be removed
from the triple tree. It’s mounted with two Torx screws, with a
little pin in the middle. Anti-theft stuff. You can a) buy a the
right Torx bit at a shop or b) remove the little pins out of the
screws. You don’t need them again, except when you want to remount
your stock triple tree, because new Allen screws are part of the
kit. At least, in my case with the ABM kit. When the screws are
removed, the ignition lock can easily be removed.
Ok, next step. First, put a cloth on your fairing to make sure you
don’t damage or scratch it. The most wise thing to do, is to drain
the brake and clutch system before you start removing the clip-ons.
First remove the bar end weights and then loosen al the parts that
are mounted on the clip-ons (so you can slide them of easily). The
lefthand grip can be reused, just carefully loosen it with a screw
driver or something like that (photo 2). Remember to disconnect the
wires on the clutch and throttle switch box! Then loosen the clip-ons,
take them of the fork legs and slide of the switch boxes, clutch and
brake cylinder.
Now there are two things you can do. You can mount the new triple
tree or you can reroute the wiring and cables. Most wise would be to
do the rerouting first. The clutch cable will have to be replaced
with a new and longer one, but unfortunately I can’t help you on
that one, because I don’t have a hydraulic clutch. The throttle
cables can be reused but will have to rerouted from the left part of
the frame to the right part of the frame. See the tips at the end of
my post for another solution.
So, it’s time to remove the side covers, riders seat, fuel tank and
air box. For a detailed “How to topic” on removing the air box, I
would like to refer to
this topic of
AndyW. Before you remove the last air box part, put
some clean cloth’s in the intake trumpets so no dirt can fall into
it when removing the box.
You need to open the throttle unit and loosen the throttle cables,
in order to redirect them. As you (hopefully) can see in photo 3,
the cables or now running from the left side of the bike to the
right side and come out of the right hole in the frame. The red
arrow indicates the mounting point and the red line indicates the
stock route of the throttle cables. The green arrow indicates the
new route of the throttle cables. Look carefully at the small manual
that comes with the kit, how the other cables should run.
When all the cables are rerouted, it’s time to begin the mounting
stage of the new triple tree. First mount the ignition lock, with
the spacers and Allen screws from the kit, on the triple tree. Now
use the washer from the kit and place it on the steering stem. If
you forget this, you won’t be able to turn the front end!!! I
experienced that myself. Now carefully mount the triple tree, it has
a very tight fitting. When the triple tree is in place, take the
original washer and steering stem head nut an remount them. Tighten
the nut at 90-95 Nm. (photo 4)
Next step is the mounting of the handlebar, using the two risers and
four Allen screws that come with the kit. Before you place the
handlebar, slide the clutch assembly on the handlebar in case of a
SV650S!! The rest of the controls can be mounted later. Make sure
the handlebar can’t fall out and is in a position you think is
right, tightening of the risers should be done later (photo 5).
After the handlebar is in place, you can start remounting the brake
cylinder, clutch cylinder, clutch switch box and throttle switch box
again. . It’s wise to already have mounted the new and longer clutch
(on the SV1000S) and brake lines before you mount the brake and
clutch assemblies. You
can mount the brake fluid reservoir on the brake cylinder, by using
the upper screw. I’ve made my own mounting bracket, which is going
to be improved very soon, but you can also bent the original bracket
and use that.
To mount both switch boxes, little holes have to be drilled in the
handlebar to keep them in place. Make sure you drill these holes in
such a way, that the controls at the end are where you want them to
be. Use a cloth a shown in the photo’s to avoid scratches to the
fairing from aluminium flakes. After the controls are in place, you
can remount the throttle cables to the throttle unit and reassemble
the unit again. The throttle unit has to be turned 90 degrees
forward compared to the stock position when you are using the stock
throttle cables. Important: tighten all the controls and make
sure the throttle runs smooth again!! Remount the lefthand grip
(photo 6).
Now it’s time to adjust the riding position. Turn the front end to
the left and right as far as you can and make sure none of the
controls touches the fuel tank. If everything has enough clearance
(also check the throttle and clutch cables) and the handlebar is in
a comfortable riding position for you, tighten the risers.
Otherwise, readjust the handlebar.
Reconnect the lead wires of the switch boxes and start the bike. Now
again turn the front the left and right as far as possible and check
if the idle of the engine rises or drops when doing this. If not,
everything should be ok. If it does, check where you could have made
a mistake. Also check if the throttle responses smooth and returns
to it’s starting position.
Almost done now, hang on! I hope you’ve already put some in the
fridge to celebrate.
Last thing that needs to be done is bleeding of the brakes and
clutch. Again, I refer to a
”how to topic” of BJAM
, as I can’t make it anymore clear then that. Another good link
I ran into on the forum
was this one. I’m sorry to say that I can’t say anything useful
on bleeding the clutch, but from what I’ve understood it’s the same
as bleeding the brakes. So the links above should give you some
help.
Ok, everything is in place. Check if you tightened all parts
correctly. You can use some tie-wraps to mount the electrical wires
to the handlebar. If you do this, make sure the wires aren’t being
damaged when the front end is turned. It didn’t work for me, because
the wires or too short for that
Done! You can now take your bike for a test spin. Prepare yourself
for an even worse view in the mirrors then before. Also a Racing (or
touring if you like) windscreen can be mounted in order to redirect
the airflow. Personally I didn’t experience turbulence, but the wind
now directly flows on your throat, which sucks. Especially when the
temperatures are dropping.
The riding position is so much more relaxed!!! I intend to go on
holiday with my bike in 2005, and with the clip-ons it wouldn’t have
been possible for me. So I’m really happy with this kit. Total cost
of the kit (including shipping): 198,97 euro/ 258,25 US dollars/
139,27 pounds. I bought on eBay from Bikeshop Gerolfing in Germany.
Some tips:
- The small German manual says you can use the original throttle
cables (and clutch cable in case of a SV650S), but it’s also
possible to use the ones of a Naked model. Because they are longer,
you will encounter less stress on the cables when the front end is
turned and you don’t have to reroute the throttle cables. DO NOT BUY
the Naked throttle cables because they will not fit.
The SV650S/SV1000S uses a different switch box and different
throttle cables then the Naked SV’s. I think ABM just took the
manual for the old model SV, on which the N and S DO have the same
switch box, and just replaced the photo’s. The throttle cables of a
DL1000/DL650 are a alternative if you want longer throttle cables. I
haven’t seen that in person, but they are pretty long. Perhaps even
too long.
- In case of a SV650S, consider replacing your clutch cable with the
one of a Naked SV. I’m having trouble with the stock cable when the
front end is fully turned left; it hits the fairing and the clutch
play completely dissapears. I bought the Naked cable and it has a
shorter steel bend so it will not touch the triple tree and it’s
longer so you can reroute it as the stock clutch cable. Do this
switch when you’re rerouting the throttle cables, it saves you alot
of trouble.
- Take your time when doing this conversion! If you wan’t to do to
fast you will make small mistakes, as I unfortunately also
experienced in the beginning.
- The workshop manual also contains a step-by-step manual for
stripping the bike, so that can also be used when doing a handlebar
conversion. When remounting other parts of the bike (brake hoses for
example) use the torque settings mentioned in the manual.
- For those of you who are thinking of buying such a kit, check eBay
Germany for that. Search with the word “Gabelbrücke” or
“Superbikegabelbrücke” and use ‘SV’ to narrow your search. I’ll bet
you will find a couple of sellers. The prices of a triple tree on
eBay can vary from 140 to 175 euro’s, which are much lower then the
UK/US prices that I have seen. Of course you’ll also need a
handlebar (Lenker), bar end weights (Lenkerendstücke) and longer SS
brake lines (Stahlflex bremsleitungssatz), but most sellers also
have that stuff.
Hopefully you find this fitting guide useful as most of the kits
come with German mounting instructions. If you have questions about
this fitting guide, let me know. I’ll try to answer as good as
possible.
Knaapie (the Netherlands)
Update 02/2005 - email from Foggylad69:
"Re the ABM bar conversion....been there done that. Took it off and
might put it back on later ! Jjust thought I would point out
they do 2 kits (a la ebey) one has all the hoses you need one
doesn't. Might be worth pointing out that the German hoses have ALLY
ends and aren't any good over here as they will fail an mot. **
Yeh and I thought naked throttle cables would go straight on too...doohhh
and last point, ABM says to run the cables to the other side of the
frame....through the r/h opening instead of the left one...bad bad
move as it just wrecks the outers 'cos it's too tight a radius at
the mounting..then the cables stick. This learning curve is slow and
expensive (for me) hope this eases someone else's pain ! Oh and
should have mine on the road soon.....its been so long ! cheers"
** Never Use Aluminium Fittings On Braking Systems (extract
from HEL's website)
Some people sell aluminium brake line fittings for brake hoses.
Not only is this a dangerous practice but you will also notice that
they are normally sold with a 'for race use only' label as a
possible legal get out clause for the company involved.
HEL Performance have never and will never use aluminium fittings on
brake lines - Why ? When two metals with different electromotive
force are placed together and are subjected to an electrically
conductive fluid, 'electrolytic' corrosion takes place. If you are
looking for a light weight, corrosion resistant high strength
alternative to stainless steel then we suggest you check out the HEL
Performance Titanium fitting AndyW: Anodised
aluminium / aluminium fittings are for competition use only and are
not legal for road use in the UK.
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