Bike hit when parked - bent handlebar

[Vishwacorp]

Sometimes I hate owning a bike in this city. I found it lying sideways on its right this morning outside my apt. building. I go pick it up and do a quick inspection and everything seems alright. Riding to school though, the bike feels weird. That's when I realized that the handlebar had shifted about half an inch to the left and got bent slightly upwards and out on the side where it hit the ground. I hate it when idiots too greedy with a parking space.

This isn't the best picture but take a look at the relative position to the instrument cluster of the banjo bolts on the coffins. Time to get a new handlebar I guess!



 

[He Man]

my rizomas have taken 2 falls without bending. they are super sturdy. i also dont lock my handlebars.  sorry to hear man. mine got knocked over last week too

[Howie]

Sorry to hear.  Good news is you now have an excuse to go aftermarket.  A set of new OEM will set you back about $100.  These are real nice and stronger
http://www.suburban-machinery.com/duchypmoto.html or you can brouse our sponsors for clip-ons.

[FutureMan]

you sure it wasn't the weather? it was pretty nasty last night/this morning

[Vishwacorp]

Yeah it definitely was a car that got it. It didn't fall down at night but sometime in the morning when I was getting ready to go to school.

He Man, are these the aluminum Rizomas that are on Monsterparts? I'm kinda digging the black one. I'd love the Suburban Machinery bars but I don't know if I want to spend that much extra money right now. I'll go troll the parts for sale forum first to see if there're some cheap stock ones being parted with.

In other news, I did get myself a Xena XX-6 alarm lock that makes me feel a lot better about leaving it outside 

[He Man]

yup them is the ones. i forgot which ones i have exactly since i picked them up off a friend.

but they havent bent in the 2 times my bike ate pavement from being hit. and they are pretty well priced as well.

[CDawg]

There are a few motorcycle only garages in NYC, but they are about 200 clams a month.

[Monster26]

My 09 696 got pushed by the gusty winds of Sandy a couple of days ago and slammed the floor hard. The handlebar was in the lock position and just in that way, it hit the ground with the right bar end. Sure thing, I started riding it and instantly felt something wrong with it. I started inspecting it and found the following:

1. The front brake reservoir or pump (right hand side) was almost touching the instrument panel case
2. On the full travel to the left, the controls in the left side of the handlebar are contacting the left tank cover screen
3. On the full travel to the right, the controls in the left side of the handlebar are far from the tank cover and has hit mechanical stop by then

Since you have more experience with that, let me know if you experienced the same symptoms after you bike dropped.

One thing I checked was the 2 dimple marks in the handlebar and they are sitting in the correct position in the handlebar bracket (so called in the spare parts catalog as single u-bolt). So, am I supposed to have a bent handle bar?

Somebody replied about using Rizoma handlebars as reliable (dropped twice and still not problem). Considering that I have to replace my bar, here is a couple of questions:

1. Rizoma sells many handlebars for Ducati. How do I choose the closest to OEM?
in terms of diameter in the center of the bar and at the ends

[stopintime]

.............

1. Rizoma sells many handlebars for Ducati. How do I choose the closest to OEM?
in terms of diameter in the center of the bar and at the ends

The 696 bar is 22mm diameter the whole way, so there is only one from Rizoma.
http://www.monsterparts.com/pc/ma001/Bars-Mirrors/ma001.html
Usually, the Rizomas have more sweep than stock = the grips will point backwards a little. Can be nice for the wrists.

[Monster26]

My 09 696 got pushed by the gusty winds of Sandy a couple of days ago and slammed the floor hard. The handlebar was in the locked position and just in that way, it hit the ground with the right bar end. Sure thing, I started riding it and instantly felt something wrong with it. I started inspecting it and found the following:

1. The front brake reservoir or pump (right hand side) was almost touching the instrument panel case
2. On the full travel to the left, the controls in the left side of the handlebar are contacting the left tank cover screen
3. On the full travel to the right, the controls in the left side of the handlebar are far from the tank cover and has hit mechanical stop by then

Since you have more experience with that, let me know if you experienced the same symptoms after you bike dropped.

One thing I checked was the 2 dimple marks in the handlebar and they are sitting in the correct position in the handlebar bracket (so called in the spare parts catalog as single u-bolt). So, am I supposed to have a bent handle bar?

Somebody replied about using Rizoma handlebars as reliable (dropped twice and still not problem). Considering that I have to replace my bar, here is a couple of questions:

1. Rizoma sells many handlebars for Ducati. How do I choose the closest to OEM?
    1.1 in terms of diameter in the center of the bar and at the ends. Rizoma has a 22mm at the bar ends and 29 mm in the middle with 15 mm height (MA010) offered to 696. Does anyone know?
    1.2 does the rizoma handlebar come with the guide holes in the bar for you to correctly install the left and right controls and the dimples to properly sit it in the center of the bracket (single u-bolt)?
2. How do I know if the fork is out of adjustment? On full swings (left and right), I could not hit the mechanical stop on the left side so I am concerned that because the handlebar was locked, I may have more damage (bent the lock pin, broken the left mechanical stop, etc..)
3. Should I not lock the handlebar when parked the bike?
4. would you recommend having the dealer replace the handlebar? I watched an instructional video in youtube and it seems pretty straight forward. Do you know how much the dealer charges you for the work?

Thanks for your help

[Vishwacorp]

First thing I did was use a straight-edge and a measuring tape to ensure that the forks and the triples were not bent in any way. Then I used the measuring tape to figure out how much and in which direction the bar was bent. I was able to ask a particularly strong friend of mine to bend it back to almost the original position.

As for the Rizoma bars, I have no experience with those but I think it's easy enough to replace a bar on your own. I'm not sure where you are located but it might be a while before businesses are back up and running.

[Howie]

If your bike simply tipped over it is unlikely the forks are bent.  It is possible they twisted in the triple clamps.   Let's worry about that later.  If there is no tearing of the stop or cracked paint any bending can be corrected by adjustment of the stop screws. 

Changing bars is not difficult, particularly since in this case there should be no issues with brake line etc length or routing, but not knowing your skill level I cant say whether or not you should attempt this yourself.  Since you are local if you you attempt the task and have a problem I'm sure someone here will help you.  I volunteer He Man

About the only time I don't lock the steering is when the bike is in the garage.

[memper]

Sorry to hear about the drop.
I have a set of OEM bars you can have for $50-$75 if you still need.

[Pakhan]

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Cafe-Racer-Ace-Clubman/dp/B004PQOT8Y/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=14EC5W3O28658&coliid=IHCR2S9BA4M7F