Handlebar clamp

[stipa]

Does anyone else have problems getting the clamp to take a good bite on the bars?
The OEM bars that came with my 04 Sixty-5 would slip occasionally if I gave a little push when kicking her over, and also sometimes just pushing it around the driveway.   (Okay, it's a little grade, but...). 
I have since put a set of the offroad style bars on;  not much of a knurl left on there after chroming, so those would slip sometimes also.  got those bottom clamp nuts down (overtorqued) pretty tight, but no, not stripped.
I have tried laying some lead sheet in there, roughing up the surfaces, but that chrome is fairly lubricious stuff.
Currently I am making a set of small dogbone type risers, (clamps donated from Kawi 750), we'll see how that works.

Any thoughts or feedback?  A hand knurler would be the cat's ass, but I am not gonna spring 200 bucks for one of those.

Thanks, SteveJay

[Thumper]

Does anyone else have problems getting the clamp to take a good bite on the bars?
The OEM bars that came with my 04 Sixty-5 would slip occasionally if I gave a little push when kicking her over, and also sometimes just pushing it around the driveway.   (Okay, it's a little grade, but...). 
I have since put a set of the offroad style bars on;  not much of a knurl left on there after chroming, so those would slip sometimes also.  got those bottom clamp nuts down (overtorqued) pretty tight, but no, not stripped.
I have tried laying some lead sheet in there, roughing up the surfaces, but that chrome is fairly lubricious stuff.
Currently I am making a set of small dogbone type risers, (clamps donated from Kawi 750), we'll see how that works.

Any thoughts or feedback?  A hand knurler would be the cat's ass, but I am not gonna spring 200 bucks for one of those.

Thanks, SteveJay

I've used a technique similar to what you mentioned with the lead sheet. I used sheet tin (garden-variety from the hardware store) to add additional diameter. Maybe try wetting with water and sprinkling sand prior to tightening? Bead-blasting sand and/or silicates might be hard enough to hold up under the pressure and give a good bite....

Matt

[t120rbullet]

A couple of other things  that work well is a thin layer of either valve lapping compound or rosin on the clamp before you tighten it up.
CJ

[Spitting Bull]

received wisdom here is to wrap some emery cloth around the bar (rough side against the bar) before tightening down the clamp.

Tom

[stipa]

Ahhh, Unagi... I tried that once, bot only with a small piece;  maybe try several wraps of a nice 60 grit or similar.

Made up a nice stainless 7/8 bar at work, put a big fat course knurl on that, and mounted my dogbone set-up.  I have a pair of widdle apes I got from CMW, they are looking pretty good now,  except I am obligated to buy some longer cables now, and probably re-vamp some of the wiring too.
Thanks for the tip, Bull

SteveJay