clip-ons a tad loose

[kisner33]

so, the 2004 gs500f i picked up at an auction has a few problems, got it cheap tho.

one of the problems is that the clip-ons seem a little loose even though they seem to be tightened completely? i was debating just ordering some new 37mm vortexes, but i wanted to get some opinions // possible fixes for this

thanks guys

[tt_four]

They shouldn't be loose. What do they look like? There's a good chance they're aftermarket, and if that's the case, there's also a good chance that the previous owner was dumb and bought a pair from another bike with bigger forks. They might be off a bike that had 38mm forks, and when clamped on the GSs, he can over tighten them and get them to hold, but not well. Do they spin, or what are they doing? You definitely don't want to ride a bike with loose handlebars, especially if they're mounted over the top triple.

[kisner33]

i can't even make them budge any tighter when bearing down on it w/ full force (i'm fairly strong so they're definitely fully tightened)...the right one is MUCH looser (when i bought it the seller said it had been dropped once on the right side and since then the handlebar has been quite loose)...probably just gonna go buy some new clip-ons

[tt_four]

Can you post any pictures of what you've got? There's too many forms of clipons I've seen on the GS to know what exactly it is that's loose. Are they like the 89' style where the bars clamp right to the top triple, or are they the kind that clamp around the fork tube?

This isn't the correct answer, but try cutting up a beer/pop can as a shim between the bar the fork tube. See if it feels sturdy.

[kisner33]

I'm at work until 11, so I'll try to post a pic asa I get home...for the time being however, they do clamp around the fork tube...you can actually see a pic if you try to find the other topic I posted in this thread about my brother removing the fork cap/nut ;(

[tt_four]

Alright. Where's the actual clamp on those bars? Does it stick in the end of the actual handlebar?? If you look directly below the right handlebar to where the right side of the bottom triple is clamped on, you can see how there's still a little gap there. That's how things that clamp should be. Like I said, the wrong answer is to ship it with a pop/beer can. I've done that with plenty of bicycle stuff. It's up to your judgement if you'd want to do it on a motorcycle though. If you're going to order new bars, which is the right answer, it looks like you'll have time to wait for them to come while you're waiting for the fork tube to get fixed anyway. I've never seen the ones on your bike before, so I'm not sure if they're aftermarket, or if they're just from another bike from the 80's that had skinny fork tubes, but I'd be willing to bet they were 38mm fork tubes and the previous owner just thought he'd made them work by over tightening them.

[kisner33]

thanks for the replies guys -- gonna order a set of vortex 37's and call it a day...until they arrive, i'm gonna try the pop / beer shim for shits and giggles.  any suggestion as to the best way to go about this? it sounds straight forward and i'm gonna give it a go.