Thread: bent handlebar

The handlebars on my ct70 are in pretty good shape, other than the left one being bent.
Has anybody figured out any tricks to straighten them?

Straightening handlebars is possible...sometimes. It depends on how & where it's bent, your skill and a bit of luck. Some people claim that a conduit bender is the way to go, others recommend using a long rod or pipe placed inside the end of the bar. Again, one or the other may be better suited to the specific bend yours has. Heating the bar cherry red with a torch might be appropriate but I wouldn't recommend that unless you know what you're doing and willing to waste the chrome. If the bar is kinked anywhere (usually at the base) it'll never be quite right.

I see three possibilites: you get a lucky break and are able to bend it back; decide to replace the pair so that they match; or, you do the best you can and learn to live with asymmetric handlebars.

Every one Ive ever seen that was ridden by a kid at some time in hits life has tweaked handlebars, mine are too. Asymmetric handlebars, I like that term, gives it some class!

And it's always the left handlebar that bends first.

If you can guess why, you'll win a prize..

And it's not because the bike falls over on the left side either..

Originally Posted by Pony Express

And it's always the left handlebar that bends first.

If you can guess why, you'll win a prize..

And it's not because the bike falls over on the left side either..

Are you suggesting that it's the work of the evil handlebar gnomes?

Hi.I bent mine when i was 12 years old.left side.i had someone heat it up cause the bend was down low.My guess to the trivia question is flywheel effect?its on the left side!LOL.Thanks racerx for your responce to my carb question.Your a big help on this site. Im curious how fast your CT is.Finding pilot jets for the new knock off carbs is very hard.I found a place on the net.Factory pro Y78 series.In their page it states i cant find this damn jet anywhere.My toy is a 71 CT70H.Ive owned it 29 years.WOW!

It's because people have a death grip on the left bar when they are kicking the bike over and tug on it when they kickstart the bike. No kidding. After you go that 1000 times over a 20 year period, it slowly tweaks the bar. The next time you start your bike, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Now don't get me wrong, the bike falling over and crashing help bend the bars as well, but the left bar was obsolete by Honda long before the right side....

I would have guessed that they tucked the wheel over to the left side too far and it tossed them over or up against the left bars. That or forgot to put the kickstand down when it stopped. and it fell over that way

Originally Posted by P.C.

Im curious how fast your CT is.

Which one?

That never would have occurred to me. I would have guessed that since most of the population is righthanded that the bikes would get dumped more frequently going into lefthand turns with a bit too much "enthusiasm" It takes next to nothing to kick over a stock motor; I've started them by hand(!).

Looks like you get to claim the prize. Hope you bought yourself something good