F800... Weak handle bars??

[DoWorkSon]

So, less than 600 miles on my F8 and I already break it.

Doing some dirt riding to break it in, and I have a low speed drop. And in low, I mean low... Basically almost at a standstill and bike tips over. Crash bars did their job, and bike looks to be in perfect order. Pick it up and start to ride... Shortly after I notice that the handle bars seem "off". Not lined up and in order to make them look straight I have to turn the wheel a bit. At first I think it's my eyes playing tricks on me, but later come to the conclusion that they are not.

So. bring it in for it's first tune-up/install of K60s and have them check it out. Tech calls me and says they tweaked the bars the best they can, but either some bushing need to be replaced or the bar is bent and for a whopping $300+labor(so say $400) they can replace it.

Now, It seems pretty ridiculous that such a drop would bend the bar(dirt road, and most of impact was on front of handguards/crashbars). Is this common, or is my incident a fluke?? You would think for an off-road oriented bike the handlebars would be a little tougher.

Secondly, I know $300 is steep for handlebars, and the usual BMW overpricing, what are some alternatives in case the condition worsens or I can't stand them being off-set.

[Casejeep]

I've dropped my bike while it wasn't moving to going 25mph+ and even over a cliff and I've never had a problem with my bars. Did the bar itself bend or did the mounts? Bars you can get for $100 anywhere. Do you have Barkbusters or anything? They can save your ass too!

Originally Posted by DoWorkSon

So, less than 600 miles on my F8 and I already break it.

Doing some dirt riding to break it in, and I have a low speed drop. And in low, I mean low... Basically almost at a standstill and bike tips over. Crash bars did their job, and bike looks to be in perfect order. Pick it up and start to ride... Shortly after I notice that the handle bars seem "off". Not lined up and in order to make them look straight I have to turn the wheel a bit. At first I think it's my eyes playing tricks on me, but later come to the conclusion that they are not.

So. bring it in for it's first tune-up/install of K60s and have them check it out. Tech calls me and says they tweaked the bars the best they can, but either some bushing need to be replaced or the bar is bent and for a whopping $300+labor(so say $400) they can replace it.

Now, It seems pretty ridiculous that such a drop would bend the bar(dirt road, and most of impact was on front of handguards/crashbars). Is this common, or is my incident a fluke?? You would think for an off-road oriented bike the handlebars would be a little tougher.

Secondly, I know $300 is steep for handlebars, and the usual BMW overpricing, what are some alternatives in case the condition worsens or I can't stand them being off-set.

[Calgary06]

Mine twist all the time in the mounts. After picking the big bastard back up I persuade them back to straightish.
It's probably hard on the steering stops and I'll regret it one day but so far no issues...

[MitchG]

I found them to be very soft. After very low speed drops I have had them bend slightly and was mildly surprised. The real shocker came when I found I could bend them back by having someone brace the front wheel and me give them a pull! I was truly shocked. I my opinion, this is a good reason for stronger aftermarket bars.

[machinebuilder]

It's probably not bent bars.

Somewhere here there are threads about the mounts getting knocked out of alignment. There is a rubbeer buching between the mount and the triple clamp that doesn't spring back all the time.

As I recall the solution is to loosen the bolts and let it realign itself.

With the ROX risers i have things twist regularly, I just pick the bike up and pull the bars straight.

[NoMoIke]

My F658 did the same thing at a dead stop. It is definitely the mounts in my case.

[DoWorkSon]

Originally Posted by machinebuilder

It's probably not bent bars.

Somewhere here there are threads about the mounts getting knocked out of alignment. There is a rubbeer buching between the mount and the triple clamp that doesn't spring back all the time.

As I recall the solution is to loosen the bolts and let it realign itself.

With the ROX risers i have things twist regularly, I just pick the bike up and pull the bars straight.

They dealership said that the rubber bushings might have to be replaced to fix the problem... But if not this, then it would be replacing the bars. They supposedly aligned them the best they could, but seems like they might be just trying to get me to shell out some money for this new bushing and the time it took to do the repairs....

This first service/tire replacement reminded me how much I hate the dealership and how much I enjoy doing my own. $80 for a tire change! Come on..... Took them probably about 10 min, if that.

[machinebuilder]

Originally Posted by DoWorkSon

They dealership said that the rubber bushings might have to be replaced to fix the problem... But if not this, then it would be replacing the bars. They supposedly aligned them the best they could, but seems like they might be just trying to get me to shell out some money for this new bushing and the time it took to do the repairs....

This first service/tire replacement reminded me how much I hate the dealership and how much I enjoy doing my own. $80 for a tire change! Come on..... Took them probably about 10 min, if that.

In the US you don't have to go back to the dealer, just have paper work to show the scheduled maintenance was done, and they will legally have to do any waranty repairs.

I got pissed at one of the closer dealers when the mechanic tried telling me my bar risers are making my throttle cable loose. (he set it up with alot more freeplay than I liked)

BUT I would tell them why you are not using them, I can take my time and put a tire on in 20 min. It takes me MUCH longer to get somewhere for an oil change than the 10 min it takes to do one (Plus the time discussing world problems at my friends store when I buy oil and filter.)

I have not heard of anyone needing new bushings for a twisted handle bar

[Reaver]

Nice avatar Calgary06! Thought I'd replied already without my vintage brain realizing.

In a word, yes they bend easy, they also unbend easy. Just like the rims . A lot of the time it's just the setup's been tweaked. I bought a glass plate 8" x 12" 3/8" thick from a window company's scrap bin. Put it on the forks to check the alignment, all 4 edges should touch, no rocking. Then you can loosen the nuts on the bars rubber mounts and straighten that. If it's still wonky then the bars are bent. Tweak them by force then recheck the fork alignment again. I've been turning left for 35k kms. The other bike feels off to me now!

Learn to fix it yourself or stop dropping it . I seen a guy pick up his brand new GS, throw it in the back of the truck and crank the straps so tight the bars bent. ZER0 MILES!

Oh, and please give more info on that $80 tire change. 10 min???? One tire or two? loose wheels or did they have the whole bike? Balance too? Adjust your chain as well? 800's have tubes, ever done that in 10 mins? Not defending dealers in any way so don't take offence plz.

[biodieselandon]

Even after my 70 mph off on asphalt mine were still straight. Maybe a little tweaked but at that speed they really should have snapped.

[toowheels]

Like others have said the mounts probably have twisted. Especially with risers installed. It's just a stack of cylinders with some rubber in between. Nothing much to stop it from twisting. Loosen things up top a bit and with the front wheel between your legs twist it all back straight again. I have done it more that a few times. They twist really easily. About the only good thing with that is it's saves your bars a bit...maybe.
You should also loosen the upper and lower fork crowns a bit too and straighten them out the same way since they can also twist.

Dave