Handlebar Balancer

[Tonckawa]

The Balancer on the throttle grip had come loose while driving. Tried to screw it back on, no luck. Balancer is there. Long screw is there, no nut or grommet or whatever is there. Had to remove and put balancer and screw in saddle bag. Anyone know anything about this? I use it to maintain my speed. The number 1 in pic below is pointing to it. Throttle grip is OK, no problems there.




http://www.postimage.org/gxqNcsi.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxqNcsi)

[jonathan180iq]

That's commonly called a bar-end.

If there was no nut on the back of the long bolt, that's your problem. You can either get aftermarket ones for cheap or get a lon skinny something and try and fish out the nut that goes on the end of the bolt.

When working properly, as you screw in the long bolt the rubber part behind the thing expands and keeps the bar end in place.
You can use any expander type bar end as long as they are 7/8"

[patrick_777]

get a long skinny something and try and fish out the nut that goes on the end of the bolt.

Good luck with that.

Maybe you could take off the other side and fire compressed air though the bars? Without aiming at anything that is.

[Easy Rider]

The Balancer on the throttle grip had come loose while driving.

Tricky little devils they are. They are weighted bar-ends and are used (mainly) for vibration dampening. The missing parts are probably still in there. I'm betting the replacement comes as a whole assembly; I can't imagine them being TOO expensive............if you can't fish out the parts inside the bar.

They need to be VERY snug but will never really tighten like a regular bolt and nut; you will see why when you see the part inside.

The one on the right side is particularly handy 'cause with the addition of a 75 cent O ring, it becomes a cruise control !! :)

[Tonckawa]

They are weighted bar-ends and are used (mainly) for vibration dampening.

When I did have it on there, it was broken. My hand would start to go numb sometimes if there were no stops or red lights after awhile, :lol:

I figure something out. Thinking about getting rid of bike for a bigger one now. Wife is always wanting to ride with me. DAMN!!

[jonathan180iq]

You're already thinking of a bigger bike?

Is that just because your wife wants to ride with you or are you feeling the need for more grunt?

If it's the latter I'd suggest sticking with this bike for a little while longer just to make sure that you aren't making an impulse decision.
I can understand if you feel like you'll be riding two-up more often than not.
But the overall ease of operation of this bike and almost nill daily expense makes it worth much more than any larger bike could ever be.

[5th_bike]

Well when you unscrew the long screw, the end weight; the screw; a piece of rubber; a metal tube; and maybe a ring come off and out. Another piece of rubber (the piece that expands between the ring and the nut) and the nut will stay in the handlebar.

Today I finally fixed the right bar end, with a piece of aluminum (?) wire about 1.5 mm thick, bent a little hook at the end and I managed to get the rubber out, although it lost a few large fragments... To get the nut out I had to lay the bike on its right side (on the grass) and hammer ('tick') the handlebar until the nut fell out.

Put it back together, but it should have a new piece of expansion rubber (edit: aha, it's the 'expander', part number 56272-44500) as this one is somewhat damaged now and I can't get it 'really' tight.

[Badbob]

I took my bars off and dumped the hardware out. That was after I used a long lag bolt to pull out the rubber part. I put some lock tight on the screw when reinstalling. It's been in there two years now with out coming off.

[Tonckawa]

Well...I kind of got embarassed. I was going to a place called Harbor Freight Hardware store (love that place) and just happened by the Suzuki dealer and decided to stop in and tell them about the Handlebar Balancer and can't get it back on no matter what I have tried. The mech took the bike and 10 minutes later he comes back and says, "I got it on".

WHAT!!!!!!!!

He said he just screwed it back on. I TRIED THAT SEVERAL TIMES!! Oh well, at least it is back on and I will keep track of it's tightness from now on. On a side note, I told them the signal indicator (green light by speedometer) stopped working after only having the bike a month. They said it is a bulb and NOT part of the warranty and they would have to charge for it. Bulb is $1.50 but a flat rate of $80 an hour for labor. $81.50 to change a bulb.

WHAT!!!!!!

I bought the bulb and replaced it myself. GEEZ!!

[jonathan180iq]

If it takes them a whole hour to change a little bulb I think you might have a different problem altogether.... :)

[patrick_777]

If it takes them a whole hour to change a little bulb I think you might have a different problem altogether.... :)

That depends...How many Suzuki mechanics does it take to change a lightbulb?

[2FIDY]

But the overall ease of operation of this bike and almost nill daily expense makes it worth much more than any larger bike could ever be.[/quote]

Could that be just a wee bit of a generalization there brother? I would imagine that the number of grown men over 5'5" riding 750 or larger is MUCH greater than that of those riding smaller cc bikes. These are great starter bikes, but MOST riders do grow out of these pretty quickly. Unless they are vertically challenged. If this guy feels that he will be better suited to a larger bike, then that is probably going to be a good decision. When you show me a gz 250 w/ 300,000 miles w/ no major overhauls then I'll buy your statement. JMO. If he is going to be riding two-up then it makes even more sense.

[2FIDY]

If it takes them a whole hour to change a little bulb I think you might have a different problem altogether.... :)

Now that is not a generalization!!! If it takes that long? Whew!!! Sounds like a great mechanic to me..... :roll:

[JIBTEXHNKA]

i think by "flat rate" he means they round up to the next full hour, therefore it wouldn't make a difference if it took five minutes or fifty-five minutes

[Easy Rider]

$81.50 to change a bulb.

WHAT!!!!!!

I bought the bulb and replaced it myself. GEEZ!!

Which was their desired result. They just didn't want to mess with it.
But.....then again, if you were willing to pay them $81.50............. ;)

[5th_bike]

If it takes them a whole hour to change a little bulb I think you might have a different problem altogether.... :)

That depends...How many Suzuki mechanics does it take to change a lightbulb?
About four, one sitting on a chair and holding the bulb, and about three to pick up the chair and turn it around to screw in the light bulb that the mechanic who is sitting, is holding.
15 min. work for 4 people = one hour of labor...

[jrbake]

I just bought a used GZ250. I love the bike. It has the handlebar balancer on the right side, but not on the left. What is it's purpose, and should I replace the left side?

[blaine]

Welcome.The balancer on the bar end is there to help cancel out vibrations.If the vibrations are bothersome you will want to replace it.I did away with them in favour of aftermarket grips. The vibrations never bothered me.

:2tup: :rawk:

[Viirin]

Yeah my GZ didn't have them on it when i got it 2 years ago and i only recently got after-market ones - i'll say they're mainly for aesthetic purposes because the difference in vibration level is negligible - still, they do look nice and after-market ones are really easy to install

Vii

[jrbake]

Thanks Vii - Where would I get aftermarket ones , vs going back to Suzuki?

[Viirin]

I got mine on ebay - postage was more expensive than the bar ends themselves but they do add a certain charm the bike i feel - just make sure you get 7/8 (22mm) fittings

they work by expanding rubber but that sounds far more complicated than it is - basically a screw, a washer and a bit of compressed rubber after you've tightened it

these are the ones i got: http://cgi.ebay.ie/BIKE-MOTORCYCLE-MOTO ... 2c55990b85 (http://cgi.ebay.ie/BIKE-MOTORCYCLE-MOTORBIKE-RACE-CARBON-BAR-ENDS-RED-/190414654341?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item2c55990b85)

hope this helps

[northsidegz]

Well when you unscrew the long screw, the end weight; the screw; a piece of rubber; a metal tube; and maybe a ring come off and out. Another piece of rubber (the piece that expands between the ring and the nut) and the nut will stay in the handlebar.

My throttle side bar end has come off. I have retrieved all the pieces except the nut (which is presumably lost in the handlebars somewhere).

Here's what I've unsuccessfully done so far:

1) The "a piece of rubber" (in bold above) doesn't seem to want to fit back into the handlebar. Is this normal? I don't know how I'm going to reinstall the bar end if I can't get that piece of rubber back into the handlebar. Do I have to rubber hammer it in? :??:

2) Not wanting to tip my bike over, I tried to retrieve the nut by removing the handlebars. I faced two obstacles:
a) I can't figure out what tool to use to unscrew the top of the risers. What in the word are those pieces? They're like chrome circles with seemingly no possibility to use a wrench or a socket or anything to loosen them. I did not face this problem on my GS450 (which I could use a socket wrench to loosen the tops of the risers). How do those GZ250 riser bolts work? What tool do I need?
b) Since I couldn't figure out what I needed to do to loosen the tops of the risers, I decided to take the risers off from underneath the triple tree. I got one nut off (with a socket wrench) just fine. But I'll be darned if I could get the other off. I just about pulled my shoulder out of it's socket trying to get it out. Oy. Not to mention the one time the socket wrench went flying and put a tiny ding in the tank!!! :cuss: Any recommendations on how to get that nut loosened?

3) Lastly, do I really even need to retrieve the bar end nut out of the handle bar anyway? If I have a nut that'll fit (laying around in a bin of nuts :2tup: ), is the barend nut anything special? Or will any old nut pretty much do?

I'm hoping the answer to #3 is any old nut will do. In which case, I just need to figure out how to reinstall the bar end. Which I seem a little confused about given #1 above.

Appreciate any help as this seems to be confusing me. :cry: :)

[Rookie Rider]

You dont really need the bar ends on this bike in my opinion.

[Water Warrior 2]

The little chrome covers are just for show. Pry them up with anything that will do the job. A very small screw driver should do the trick.
The nut on the end of the bar end bolt is a metric thread. If I remember correctly it should have a shoulder on it. Sort of a built in washer design.. Most big box hardware stores should have them. Take the bolt with you for proper fitting size. The bar end has to be completely assembled before installation and is then tightened up to compress the rubber so it expands and grips the inside of the bar. The rubber is a tight fit and might need a shot of WD40 to help it slide in.
Keep in mind the bar end should not bind the throttle action when it is properly fitted and tightened. It is not to be used as a cruise control.
If you really feel adventurous you can loosen off the other side 2 or 3 turns of the screw and remove the entire bar end to see the exact placement of all the assorted pieces.
I was forewarned about undoing the screw entirely before removing the bar ends and it was a problem free job. The rubbers were snug fitting even when the screw was loosened but a bit of force and wiggling helped a bunch.

[Water Warrior 2]

You dont really need the bar ends on this bike in my opinion.
Quite possibly if the vibration is not too much of an issue. But keep in mind the bar ends can and will help stop damage in a drop. They stick out far enough to possibly save the levers, mirrors and grip ends. Sacrificial items that are cheap to replace.

[Rookie Rider]

True, i didnt think off that :/

[Water Warrior 2]

True, i didnt think off that :/
I tend to have a pessimistic mind and think worst case scenarios. That is why I insisted on crash bars on Lynda's M-50. The bars allowed me to drop the bike 2 times one day while changing oil. No damage.

[northsidegz]

Thank you both! I'll see if I can pry the chrome covers off simply then. I didn't realize they were just decorative chrome pieces. LOL. That's kind of funny. :crazy:

I agree on not needing the bar end. I saw no difference with it on, or not on (although I hadn't taken into account the possible tip over/accident factor). It had unexplainably come loose over the course of time earlier this year. Of course, I tried retightening it a few times, but it never tightened back like it was. So like a smart motorcycle owner who didn't know what to he was getting into, I decided to unscrew it. It unscrewed. And unscrewed. And unscrewed. Which seemed to take forever and never did come out until I actually pulled it all out. Once I pulled it all out, I decided to put it back in. And that's when I went, "Oh crap. What the heck?!?!?" :retard:

Anyway, I'm only putting it back on to resell the bike and folks tend to want things functional on their beginner bikes. Even if it is "just" a bar end. :whistle:

[5th_bike]

My throttle side bar end has come off. I have retrieved all the pieces except the nut (which is presumably lost in the handlebars somewhere).

Here's what I've unsuccessfully done so far:

1) The "a piece of rubber" (in bold above) doesn't seem to want to fit back into the handlebar. Is this normal? I don't know how I'm going to reinstall the bar end if I can't get that piece of rubber back into the handlebar. Do I have to rubber hammer it in? :??:
sorry, no idea :??: If it's the expander, that one fits real snug. AFAIR it's smaller than the expander.

2) Not wanting to tip my bike over,

Have no fear. It will work.
I tried to retrieve the nut by removing the handlebars. I faced two obstacles:
a) I can't figure out what tool to use to unscrew the top of the risers.
I'd use a little swiss army knife to pry the plastic hole fillers up (a screwdriver could damage the tender plastic) then a hex key to unscrew them. But it's much faster to lay the bike on its side on the grass. Just make sure you see the nut come out, use a towel or something.

[northsidegz]

Well, I tried laying the bike down on it's side and all that did was get a little bit of gas (not much) to leak out of onto the side of the tank. LOL. Oops.

So, I pried the chrome covers off and turns out that little nut had made it's way over to the other side of the handlebars (not "up" the other side, but it was certainly far to the left -- which would explain why it didn't come out tipping the bike over). This is likely because I've been riding the bike like this for probably 1,000 miles or so with the bar end off.

Anyway, retrieved the nut and got the bar end on and now I'm good to go! I rode it around to make sure I didn't overtighten and cause any issues with the throttle. And it's all good. Thanks for all the comments and help. Have had some interest in the bike (and possibly somebody to come and see it this weekend), so it's good to have that on and over with. :)

[Water Warrior 2]

Glad to hear it all worked out in the end.

My handlebar balancer also came off a while ago. I tried to screw it back on with no luck. Brought it to my Suzuki dealer and they charged me $20. to fix it. I have to say I have no complaints about my dealer they are very resonable.