ORIGINAL POST EDITED: Sorry - they sold out very quick, and they were a too much work to produce by hand to make more... but I still have my jigs and notes if anyone is interested in making some, get in touch with me.
--------------------
Awhile back I obtained a set of heli-bars for my RC51, but they came with a big warning sheet not to use them as a tie-down point. Upon further investigation I found that while the bar tube was TIG welded to the fork sleeve, they brazed the mounting collars on the tubes.
I didn't like that they weren't completely TIG welded, and decided I could do better. Since I had a good bit of 4130 tubing laying around from my airplane fuselage I decided to make my own bars up and while doing so I made extra of everythiing, making ten sets.
I call them RC-Bars with the "RC" standing for Road Comfort. The higher and slightly wider positioning will enable longer rides. I messed around with different placement, but in the end the rider positioning is very similar to heli-bars since the physical location of the fairing and fuel tank bulge really limit bar placement as they are raised up from stock position. They also have the following advantages over Heli-Bars for the RC51 that were discontinued years ago:
I realize that the price is significantly more than other bars on ebay, but the quality is there. All the stock dampers and switchgear fits with holes in the bars for them to engage. The brake and clutch hoses have to be repositioned a little but it is easily done and requires no bleeding if you follow the instructions.
I've only made a small batch of them, and am not planning to make more. They are the result of a huge amount of machine work and time. They offer a small number of RC51 owners the option to essentially transform their RC51's into viable sport-touring machines. So far I've ridden my RC51 with RC-Bars on two 3-day trips, with 6-8 hours of riding each day without problem, and they really make a difference. If anyone buys a set, rides with them and ends up not liking them within 30 days I'll refund their $220.
Here's a comparison of the positioning:
Below is the process I went through to make them:
1
They didn't last long! It was a fun project and I learned a lot....you can't make money making things by hand anymore unless they are one off custom items.
--------------------
Awhile back I obtained a set of heli-bars for my RC51, but they came with a big warning sheet not to use them as a tie-down point. Upon further investigation I found that while the bar tube was TIG welded to the fork sleeve, they brazed the mounting collars on the tubes.
I didn't like that they weren't completely TIG welded, and decided I could do better. Since I had a good bit of 4130 tubing laying around from my airplane fuselage I decided to make my own bars up and while doing so I made extra of everythiing, making ten sets.
I call them RC-Bars with the "RC" standing for Road Comfort. The higher and slightly wider positioning will enable longer rides. I messed around with different placement, but in the end the rider positioning is very similar to heli-bars since the physical location of the fairing and fuel tank bulge really limit bar placement as they are raised up from stock position. They also have the following advantages over Heli-Bars for the RC51 that were discontinued years ago:
- Higher strength 4130 Cr-Mo steel construction instead of mild steel.
- Clamp collar bushings are TIG welded to sleeves instead of brazed.
- All TIG Welding done with ER80S-D2 rod used on race car frames and airplane fuselages.
- Pinch bolts are stainless steel M6 x 1.0 x 25mm instead of zinc plated steel.
- Satin black powdercoating instead of gloss black.
- Step-by-step detailed installation instructions with high resolution pictures. RC-Bars Installation Guide
I realize that the price is significantly more than other bars on ebay, but the quality is there. All the stock dampers and switchgear fits with holes in the bars for them to engage. The brake and clutch hoses have to be repositioned a little but it is easily done and requires no bleeding if you follow the instructions.
I've only made a small batch of them, and am not planning to make more. They are the result of a huge amount of machine work and time. They offer a small number of RC51 owners the option to essentially transform their RC51's into viable sport-touring machines. So far I've ridden my RC51 with RC-Bars on two 3-day trips, with 6-8 hours of riding each day without problem, and they really make a difference. If anyone buys a set, rides with them and ends up not liking them within 30 days I'll refund their $220.
Here's a comparison of the positioning:
Below is the process I went through to make them:
They didn't last long! It was a fun project and I learned a lot....you can't make money making things by hand anymore unless they are one off custom items.