Handlebar clamp/riser trouble

After all my seat mods, lowering links, kickstand adjustments I went to add a 7/8 inch bar riser and found the top left handlebar clamp bolt was about frozen. Prolly cross threaded at the factory. I was afraid I would strip it if I forced it off and then I would be liable for the repair which is not cheap. It requires the top clamp to be repalced, the risers are molded into the top clamp, it is $189. I brought it to my dealer today for the mechanic to try and remove the stuck screw, he agreed it would render the clamp useless. He filed for warrenty repair.

I would recommend that all members check your handlebar clamp bolts and make sure they loosen and tighten normally before your warrenty is up.
Who knows if this could be one of those big "f" ups...just sayin.

Mine were fine when I removed the handlebars to replace them with Renthals. Probably a random occurrence.

A Monday assembly at the factory!

Those bolts are threaded 23 mm which is a long way into the top bridge. It would be difficult to cross thread it then tighten it all the way down. I don't think it could tightened by hand all the way if cross threaded. I imagine the factory uses power tools to torque the bolts down and without twisting off the bolt, seems there would be a torque limit on the tool so as to prevent it from doing this. Just thinking it through.

Perhaps corrosion or boogered threads after the fact?

Over torqued would be my guess. Everything's fine until you collapse the threads on an aluminum housing. Glad they were willing to warranty claim it for you.

Cagedodger said:

Over torqued would be my guess. Everything's fine until you collapse the threads on an aluminum housing. Glad they were willing to warranty claim it for you.

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the damage was not done by Honda, it was done by the person that assembled the bike out of the crate. dale

I can't imagine how anybody can over torque 28mm of thread to the point of being frozen tight, you would need a 2 foot breaker bar.

It would be dealers fault if the bars were installed by them. Do we know for sure the bars are installed at the dealer? Honda wouldn't warrenty that part if the dealer effed it up.

HONDABIKEPRO said:

the damage was not done by Honda, it was done by the person that assembled the bike out of the crate. dale

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Dale, I recall the only assembly required out of the crate was installing the mirrors and windshield. Mine came out of the crate with the handlebars mounted.

dduelin said:

Dale, I recall the only assembly required out of the crate was installing the mirrors and windshield. Mine came out of the crate with the handlebars mounted

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Mine was that way too. I was so stupid to not take a photo that day, I would love to have it

I guess Hondas buyin....

soggybottom said:

I guess Hondas buyin....

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I think they were buyin.........no matter to the cause.

As far over torque as the cause there is a standard for threaded bolts into aluminum. Assume good threads on both parts BIG assumption in this case..........if the bolt thread engagement length is twice the bolts diameter the bolt will break before the threads strip or pull out when over torqued. The bolt will ussually break right at the last thread and the shoulder on the bolt.

Number one suspect......boogered threads in the triple clamp are on the top of the list. As stated by several others.

dduelin said:

Dale, I recall the only assembly required out of the crate was installing the mirrors and windshield. Mine came out of the crate with the handlebars mounted.

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i stand corrected, i have a assembly company put my bikes together, allot of the bikes do not have the bars bolted on, sorry. dale

I got this settled this morning at the dealer, after the first visit I finally got a reply on fri the15th from the dealer saying Honda rejected my claim, I went semi ballistic over the phone and turned out there may have been a 3 way misunderstanding. I returned this morning and told them to get the bolt out or brake the dam thing. It threaded out 1/8 inch with alot of effort and then it snapped. They had the warrenty appoved in 20 minutes and the new top clamp should be here by wed.

Turns out I will buy another Honda after losing sleep all weekend and thinking I can't remember when I made a warrenty claim on anything and Honda is going to screw me on this, no wonder I never buy extended warrenties.

Rant over, everything is back to normal for now...

She's back in her own room now and resting for a 200 mile ride on monday, the boys at the dealer said Honda wants the triple clamp back to study it because this has never happened before, I feel special...