I recently inherited an 05 GS500F from my uncle that I'm slowly restoring/upgrading as he didn't look after it very well. Tonight I started on adding some Oxford heated grips to the bike and noticed that one of the bar end weights is very loose and will not tighten up. When I was taking off the weight to add the new grips, the nut was completely loose on the inside of the handle.
I've read on other posts that there is a rubber bushing inside of the handle that can often wear out, but I'm not entirely sure where to source a replacement; is the rubber included with these weights what is worn out https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-GS500F-Black-Aluminium-Weighted-Bar-Ends-13-17mm/123973827147?hash=item1cdd6a7a4b:g:02UAAOSww31dy3fP ?
To get the worn out rubber out, is it just a matter of attempting to scrape it out with a screwdriver or something similar?
Apologies if this is a silly question, I'm a complete newbie to motorcycles!
Thanks,
Zeki
IDK how that "bar end" is constructed, but if you remove the bolt completely from a typical one with a rubber "bushing" and a nut, then the nut will fall off and float around inside the bar. Then it's not going to be easy to get the part out. I can come up with a number of ways, none of them are a whole lot of fun. I'd remove the handlebar, drip some lubricant like Windex into the end, then drive a lag bolt into the remnant rubber part and pull it out that way. If it won't budge no matter what, you can always split it on both sides using a small chisel or some other kind of blade. Just be careful not to overly gouge the inside of the handlebar.
Just replace the entire bar end. It's not like they are expensive. For that matter, the entire handlebar is not that expensive either. I have like four different handlebars hanging on my garage wall, all of which for one reason or the other didn't work out on one bike or the other. Come by my place and you can have one.
Thanks for getting back to me mr72. I didn't realise you weren't supposed to completely remove the bolt :hithead: I just went out to the garage to have another look... thankfully the nut was still held inside of the rubber... so upon removing the rubber, the nut came out with it.... Beginner's luck! I'm going to pick up a new set of weights over the weekend and put them on the bike.
P.S Thank you for the offer of the handlebars! Unfortunately, I live in Northern Ireland, so it would be a bit of a trek to get to you to get them :icon_lol:
Alternatively, if you are cheap like me (lol) a good quality rubber stopper available at almost any hardware store, at least in the US, will suffice as well. With a razor blade you can tailor it to about any length or diameter that you need and then drill a hole in the center, like your original rubber bushing would have had. Although my preferred method is to heat up a nail with a torch and melt a hole through, that way you get a much cleaner hole... or clean up the drilled hole the same way. Either way. Also, if you have a bicycle shop anywhere near you, you will probably find that they have a junk bin somewhere that they will let you dig through, where you can steal a few of those rubber bushings off of a bar end mirror from a bicycle, which is typically the same diameter. Just my two cents.
Take my advice with the grain of salt though. Lol. I am the guy that built the seat mount for his cafe racer out of a $3 plastic cutting board. :)
Best of luck whatever you do!
B.
Where the term McGyver comes from :) we come up with sometimes unorthodox ways of solving dilemmas lol
Aaron
I got them out after dropping the bike a couple times. Works like a charm! :angeldevil:
FWIW I have been totally unable to find a rubber stopper at any hardware store around here, but I have really only looked at Home Depot and Lowes. Seems like a rubber stopper with a hole through it is something they don't typically carry.
https://www.widgetco.com/epdm-rubber-stoppers?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI57v03N295wIVk4nICh1zsgbpEAAYASAAEgLQC_D_BwE
Holy rubber stoppers, Batman!
Quote from: mr72 on January 30, 2020, 12:10:24 PM
FWIW I have been totally unable to find a rubber stopper at any hardware store around here, but I have really only looked at Home Depot and Lowes. Seems like a rubber stopper with a hole through it is something they don't typically carry.
FFIW, I bought new rubbers but in the end I put on new grips and didn't bother with the bar end weights, it made no discernible difference. Was getting some low speed wheel wobble that I attributed to not having the weights, but that disappeared with new tyres.