So Close to Finishing the Handlebars (I Think)

A situation at work prevented me from working on the Cafe Project last week, but I was back in the shop this week to try and make some progress on the handlebars.  The weather was very nice in the morning so I took the opportunity to ride my CB750 down to Flying Tiger.  Unfortunately, the weather didn't last and I found myself keeping one eye on the clouds.  My work was cut short, but at least I made it home dry, which is more than I can say for most of the St. Patrick's Day Parade attendees.

The first thing I did this week was work on putting the grip on the left handlebar.  The grip is made to cover the end of the handlebar, but I have bar-end mirrors, so I needed to remove a portion of the grip.  Flying Tiger explained that the easiest way to do this was to put the grip on the handlebar and then gently tap the end of the handlebar with a hammer.

The end of the handlebar is sharp enough that after a few gentle taps the portion of the grip covering the handlebar starts to be cut away.

When you get done you have a hole which exactly matches the diameter of the handlebar, allowing you to attach the bar-end mirror.

I then attached the left hand controls.

There was a little bit of trouble getting the mirror on at first because part of the attachment mechanism which is supposed to slide was sticking, but eventually a little oil loosened it and the mirror attached quickly at that point.  I was initially nervous that the mirrors would stick out too far and make the handlebars seem overextended, but I am happy with the streamlined look and I'm impressed with how much visibility the mirrors give in light of their small size.  The visibility is accomplished because the mirrors are slightly convex.

When I first looked at the right hand lever, it seemed like we would have to re-run the brake line in order to fit the lever to the new lower handlebar.  However there is a joint going from the brake line to the brake fluid reservoir (covered by a rubber boot in the photo below) which can be rotated when loosened such that the brake line angles down instead of up after coming up through the triple tree.  One of the mechanics at the shop helped me loosen the joint, reverse it, tighten the joint, then re-attach the right lever, keeping plenty of rags wrapped around the area to absorb any brake fluid that leaked.  We quickly checked it to make sure it wasn't leaking brake fluid after the adjustment and that it still operated the front brake.  Everything looks safe, so the lever is now in place.  

Next week I'll need to re-build the throttle housing and attach the right mirror, then the handlebars will be complete and it will be time to move on to a different part of the bike.

I have picked out the new tail section and will order it in the next few days.  The new tail section will necessitate a new tail light and a new bracket for holding the license plate.  While not necessary, I may also attach smaller LED blinkers to keep the bike as streamlined as possible.  Lastly, I contacted the company I would like to have paint the bike requesting a consultation.  I'll keep the updates coming as the progress continues.