Middle item is the handle bar damping plate |
As with other parts of the bike there was a fair bit of corrosion keeping the nuts and bolts which is probably what you want with handlebars. Fortunately I had sourced the riser before I started the job and the plan was always to tackle the risers whilst the forks were out of the bike. Even with the fairing removed it was still a ticky job. I was unfamiliar with the handlebar fitting. It turned out the handlebars are connect directly to the upper fork yoke. Some BMWs I have this feature. The feature lessens the road vibration to the grips. The handlesbars and decorative cover came off quite quickly, first having been careful to use lots of penetrating oil so as not to strip the heads of the nuts. Drilling out the bolts was to much to contemplate. The handlebars off the damper was visible however the bolts to secure it were under the top yoke. Even with the fairing and forks out of the way it was fiddly to remove the nuts. Once all the original parts were removed I cleaned and polished the top yoke.
The new riser was put in place. You can see in the picture (left) the riser partly obcures the top the fork leg. This meant I would not fit the risers and handlebars until I had replaced the refurbished fork legs back in place. Fast forward to the fork legs having been fitted. The large bolts that secured the original damping plate fitted straight back through the new riser and were secured with the same set of rubber washers, metal washers, spring washers and nuts, all done upside down were you cannot properly see what you are doing.
The last job was to secure the three bolts in each handle bar arm and fit the centre cover. Part of the reason for getting the risers was to have a place to put the sat nav (when I get one). Another job closer to the MOT.