How to modify triple clamp to accept Harley bars or risers. I installed 1.5" T-bars.

Very nicely done...kudos!! Love the look. One question since you seem to have though this through pretty thoroughly; isn't there a top triple tree clamp out there that could be substituted for the triumph one? I'm definitely guessing here, but seems that there should already be one out there that would fit our fork tubes and already have the 3 1/2" spacing. No?
 
Very nicely done...kudos!! Love the look. One question since you seem to have though this through pretty thoroughly; isn't there a top triple tree clamp out there that could be substituted for the triumph one? I'm definitely guessing here, but seems that there should already be one out there that would fit our fork tubes and already have the 3 1/2" spacing. No?

I don't think so. The triple trees are highly engineered to mate your front end to the frame. I wouldn't swap one.. Now, I HAVE done, and this is where I met my friend Leon, completely swapped front ends... Here's how that works in my own example just for description and "Bobber" riders do this all the time.

  1. Take old bike, in my case a 1987 Honda Super Magna (which has a CRAP front end)
  2. Take front end from some other way-cool bike, in my case a 1999 ZX9R and this includes forks, wheel, rotors, brakes and triple tree.
  3. Have your handy machinist (Leon) yank the steering stem out of the old triple tree and the stem out of the new-cool front end and put the old stem in the new-cool triple tree and... VOILA!

You just put a ZX9R front end on a 1987 Honda Super Magna... what to worry about: The rake angle and fork length.. ZX9r has shorter forks, the Magna has more rake meaning the front end gets lower, changing geometry.. put extension on the forks, live with it, or do like I did and completely re-engineer and weld up the rear end from the same ZX9R (chain drive ) and put it (changing from twin shocks to a mono-shock) into the Super Magna.. I also installed a VF1000R motor in there (87 hp to 120+ hp and lose the shaft drive losses)... not done yet, but it is all assembled.. lots of engineering here and welding, not for the faint of heart. If I can find a pic of this baby, I'll post it.



John
 
I don't think so. The triple trees are highly engineered to mate your front end to the frame. ..

It's not that bad. :D
I have Suzuki GSXR forks on my Daytona. I designed a new Top clamp to mate to the OEM Suzuki Triples, with the combo of dimensions from the two different requirements.
i.e. the fork specific requirements - fork spacing and stem hole dimensionally suited to the GSXR bottom triple ( I wanted the GSXR geometry) and the key-switch and instrument mounts from the Triumph.
Drew it up in CAD and had a friend knock it out on his CNC.

top_triple_final.jpg


top_triple_final_2.jpg


I subsequently added a 'pocket' to take the OEM Triumph Emblem in the final part.

DSC02212.JPG


DSC02213.JPG


Picture 005.jpg


IMG_1093_screen.jpg
 
I'll get to the "how I did it" in a minute, but you have to understand the "how I got there"... the journey is always better than the destination, which is why we love bikes anyway.

First 1,500 miles on the bike and I knew they had to go. Also, they just look incredibly wimpy on such a stout bike and since I wen tthe mileage to put the 2" Germany crash bars on it.. the 1" bars just couldn't stay.

My last ride, a 2003 Valkyrie, was designed to accept Harley stuff.. 3.5" riser mount separation. Any harley bar or riser fit, so life was easy and the instruments mounted to the front of the triple tree, so the bars had nothing to do with it, unlike the complicated Triumph. This is why the "Thunder Bars" 1.5" T-bar is the way it is, it does NOT remove the stock clamp and thus the instrument mount remains unchanged making life easy.

Now, if Thunderbars (not knocking them, lots of engineering went into it), put the same energy into designing a revised instrument mount as they did the hidden sideways mounts into the stock 1" riser, you could have the real thing.... and I wanted the real thing.

First step was to modify my top triple clamp. This was not the first time I have done this, so I knew where to turn: Leon Holmes (billybiltit and leonholmes@sbcglobal.net ). To do this, you have to weld the holes closed, then machine the new holes in the proper location and finish the surface.



The next problem is to figure out how to mount the gauges. I guess there are a lot of ways, but in my case I wanted them behind m T-bars under the top bar and over the tank. There isn't a lot of room and my T-bars are an 8" rise, still not enough room to be safe. So, I thought that if I created a 3/4" rise not only would that give me the gauge room I needed, but would give me a place to mount the gauge mount bracket I designed AND allow me to use the stock mount bolted to the cluster. Here is my drawing of the rise and mount. Note again, figuring out how to mount the cluster is the KEY to making this conversion work:






The straight section of the mount needs to be bent over to match the stock cluster depending on your bars as that is the way to adjust the cluster up and down and in and out. The risers could be made a million ways.

Here's my cluster mounted to the bent mount after several fittings. Eventually I finished the mount and painted it black so it would "disappear".




So, in the end here are some finish photos with my bars...

Oh, I had to grind the 1.5" bar right side down so the front brake master cylinder would fit over it and THAT meant re-chroming the bar.. a step I hadn't planned on.

Yes, this whole mess was not cheap, but can be done in stages.

T-bars $75 (a steal deal)
Bar re-chroming - $125 (crap....)
Triple clamp weld/machining $150
Bracket (machined by Leon, you could make it yourself, but I wanted it perfect) $75
Risers (have to be machined and have to be perfect) $120

I don't even want to add it up.... blech... anyway, Thunder bars are $370 plus shipping from NZ so let's say $450 and you get fake TT bars...good ones, but fake. Now if I ever get tired of these TT bars, I can put ANY harley setup on the bike.

Pics..
OK SORRY I dont see why I would want to do this to my ROCKET as I like the stock setup better
 
Guessing it has something to do with availability of styles in certain sizes and price.

You accomplished this differently, but the end product is pretty similar to how I ended up doing my Thunders, I like, the 2" bars look great!
I dont like either cant stand the big 2 inch crash bars I dont like that look at all but to each his own
 
I'll get to the "how I did it" in a minute, but you have to understand the "how I got there"... the journey is always better than the destination, which is why we love bikes anyway.

First 1,500 miles on the bike and I knew they had to go. Also, they just look incredibly wimpy on such a stout bike and since I wen tthe mileage to put the 2" Germany crash bars on it.. the 1" bars just couldn't stay.

My last ride, a 2003 Valkyrie, was designed to accept Harley stuff.. 3.5" riser mount separation. Any harley bar or riser fit, so life was easy and the instruments mounted to the front of the triple tree, so the bars had nothing to do with it, unlike the complicated Triumph. This is why the "Thunder Bars" 1.5" T-bar is the way it is, it does NOT remove the stock clamp and thus the instrument mount remains unchanged making life easy.

Now, if Thunderbars (not knocking them, lots of engineering went into it), put the same energy into designing a revised instrument mount as they did the hidden sideways mounts into the stock 1" riser, you could have the real thing.... and I wanted the real thing.

First step was to modify my top triple clamp. This was not the first time I have done this, so I knew where to turn: Leon Holmes (billybiltit and leonholmes@sbcglobal.net ). To do this, you have to weld the holes closed, then machine the new holes in the proper location and finish the surface.



The next problem is to figure out how to mount the gauges. I guess there are a lot of ways, but in my case I wanted them behind m T-bars under the top bar and over the tank. There isn't a lot of room and my T-bars are an 8" rise, still not enough room to be safe. So, I thought that if I created a 3/4" rise not only would that give me the gauge room I needed, but would give me a place to mount the gauge mount bracket I designed AND allow me to use the stock mount bolted to the cluster. Here is my drawing of the rise and mount. Note again, figuring out how to mount the cluster is the KEY to making this conversion work:






The straight section of the mount needs to be bent over to match the stock cluster depending on your bars as that is the way to adjust the cluster up and down and in and out. The risers could be made a million ways.

Here's my cluster mounted to the bent mount after several fittings. Eventually I finished the mount and painted it black so it would "disappear".




So, in the end here are some finish photos with my bars...

Oh, I had to grind the 1.5" bar right side down so the front brake master cylinder would fit over it and THAT meant re-chroming the bar.. a step I hadn't planned on.

Yes, this whole mess was not cheap, but can be done in stages.

T-bars $75 (a steal deal)
Bar re-chroming - $125 (crap....)
Triple clamp weld/machining $150
Bracket (machined by Leon, you could make it yourself, but I wanted it perfect) $75
Risers (have to be machined and have to be perfect) $120

I don't even want to add it up.... blech... anyway, Thunder bars are $370 plus shipping from NZ so let's say $450 and you get fake TT bars...good ones, but fake. Now if I ever get tired of these TT bars, I can put ANY harley setup on the bike.

Pics..
AND SORRY again I dont like 1.5 inch handlebars either OH WELL not for me
 
Wow... three negative posts in a row...... You should ride a Harley.. you'd fit in.
NO you should you trying to turn your bike into a HARLEY IM not being negative I truly dont know why I would want to do those mods its not my taste thats all IF its good for you then have a ball it doesnt bother me I just dont understand why other than you like the look and thats OK as long as your happy
 
AND SORRY again I dont like 1.5 inch handlebars either OH WELL not for me

I hate the thunder bars too, the twin vertical tubes from top yoke do not flow right. :mad:
Saying that I do have 2" crash bars, & had 1 1/2" bars with 1" mounting tube made with harley style switchgear/levers.
All part of making our bikes our own :thumbsup:
 
I too find the the Rocket bars are a little too far forward and low on my 09 so I have been looking for options. This is a very interesting approach
 
Back
Top