2nd Gen Norge Risers are done. UPDATED 2nd for instructions with Pics!

[canuguzzi]

I finally got the underside bolt off and the handlebars are off. Thanks for all the suggestions, in the end I used a 1/4" extension, a cut off from a 6mm hex stuffed into a 6mm socket. I used a right angle impact gun set to low to vibe the bolt a little and then used a 1/4 drive by hand to get it out. I heard a pop and after that it was loose. No loctite on the threads.

The bolts are standard stainless 18-8 so less strength that 316 but still plenty strong for what it needs to hold.

I will have the risers made by afternoon tomorrow and it look like the bars can go up about an inch with about 1/2 rearward movement and still use the standard cabling setup without rerouting or anything like that. My plan is to use 1/8" plates out of Delrin as sort of shims to get the height I need. The finals I'll make from 6061 plate I have on hand.

Just for kicks and because I want to, I'm going to take two plates and sandwich some 3m 560 in between at 1/8" and 1/4" thicknesses just to see what happens. Normally, any vibes would transmit through the bolts but it does reduce the any vibes to just those small areas. No, my Norge doesn't vibe to the point I even really notice but this is just an experiment, something as a reward after fighting those underside bolts.

When I have the best height and reward position for me, I'll make up a single piece, them on and be done with it. I'l post some pics when I get them all done up right.

In the final design I am going to make the riser plates stick out past the handlebars just going towards the dash area and drill and tap some 1/4-20 holes to mount whatevers there in the future. That will make it easy to put a sort of second dash between the handlebars and underneath that, run up switched power or who knows what.

I had to delay my long trip for just a short time to do the to do list so this was a good change to get the risers designed and installed.

[tomz]

I love when a plan comes together! We are going to need some detailed pics for the non English speaking peeps  ;D ;D ;D ; :BEER:! Thanks!


Tommaso

[Jeremie]

Please let me know when you start selling them. I want to be first in line!!!

[canuguzzi]

Here is the deal on the risers. The plan changed a bit. I looked at the risers made for the 1st gen Norge and many others including the ones for the Triumph Trophy 1200 (model year 2000) and realized that there was way too much made of these things. While the machining that went into them was first rate, there were just hunks of aluminum and cost plenty. To me at least, $200-$300 to raise handlebars just isn't worth it.

My goal was to make risers that had the following benefits:

1. The rider could change the risers according to their riding style and even swap out different heights when they wanted.

2. Adjustments had to be field serviceable and anyone should be able to get the parts and put them on.

3. They had to be as strong as the OEM bars as shipped from the factory.

4. They had to cost less than $25 for everything.

5. They needed to look acceptable given that everyone has different tastes.

I've previously explained, the toughest part was getting the handle bars off. There are probably ten different ways to do it but mine method worked so I go by that.

This isn't rocket science and you do not need any special tools; the parts are readily available via stores or online.

The handlebars for the 2nd Gen Norge are rubber isolated. After you get the bars off you will see the rubber mounts plain as day. The metal part of the bushing extend above and below the triple clamp. That accounts for the slight gap between the flat bar of the bars and the triple clamp. That also means that the only mounting surfaces are the portion of the handebars that contact the metal sleeves of the rubber mounts, not the entire flat bottom of the bars. Therefore, a huge chunk of aluminum riser does absolutely nothing except look  huge and fancy and for that you'd pay dearly.

So why not extend the length those rubber mount sleeves extend upward from the triple clamp and simply remount the handlebars? All you'd need are longer bolts. Simple. That is exactly what I did. You can view the results yourself and decide if some custom billet risers are worth the money or if this solution would work for you.

If you are concerned about the look, just remember that you can easily cut some rubber foam to fill in the gap. Use the handlebar as a template and voila, it will look like a solid piece, especially if your spray paint the sides of the foam silver or aluminum color. Just use a paint suitable for the material.

I happen to like the extended look as it. It looks like something is going on there and you can still adjust the forks easily.

[canuguzzi]

The parts list (for 3/4" risers) UPDATED, please see the spacer spec for the change. Apologies to anyone that bought the wrong spacers.

From Fastenal, Graingers:

6 M8 1.25 x 60mm A2 Stainless Steel Hex Socket Head bolts (or screws, depending on who you talk to.) Fastenal will sell the bolts in packs of 10, Graingers makes you buy them in the box of 50 I believe. From Fastenal they come to about $1.20 each.

DO NOT USE LOCTITE! Another warning. If you use Loctite or anything like that, you will be sorry.

Make sure to get 4 nylock flange nuts. They are used to secure the bolts going back in from the top.


From Orchard Supply:

6 3/8" 5/16" x 3/4" Chrome Spacers. They have an assortment of different heights. You do not have to use the type I described, you can get them in stainless steel too but these are available most places.

I got caught up in the metric thing but realized that a 5/16" holed spacer works perfectly and you don't need to create a sleeve using aluminum tape. My apologies.


This will give you a 3/4" rise and between a 1/4" and 1/2" backward adjustment. By varying the length of the bolts and the height of the spacers, you can go anywhere from 1/4" - 1" rise without changing any cable routing. If you deviate from the 3/4" rise I've described, make sure the bolt going up from the underside is sized accordingly. The reason is that the bolt going in from underneath doesn't have a through hole that is threaded, it is blind. You don't want a bolt longer than the threaded hole it is going into.

NOTE: Because this solution uses the same mounting system as the handlebars have from the factory, there really isn't a strength issue to worry about.

One comment on vibration. Since the handlebars are rubber mounted, you must insure that each bolt is torqued exactly the same. This applies with risers or without. If you torque one bolt more or less than the others, you will affect how the rubber mounts work.

DO NOT substitute other bolt types. You need A2-70 stainless steel. The black bolts in the pictures were used only for fitting purposes. I know people tend to use what they think are stronger this or better that. Don't do it. Use what is specified because that is how the darn thing was designed to work. Different bolts will torque differently so you have been warned. This is stainless steel going into aluminum for the underside bolt so if you mess it up, it will cost you plenty of aggravation and don't PM me with sob stories about how you torqued the bolts and stripped the threads of the triple clamp.

Okay, there it is. It works, it is inexpensive and now everyone who wants risers for the 2nd Gen Norge can have them today.

I hope this helps someone and also saves you some money.

[canuguzzi]

More stuff:

Before you put the bolts in, brush them with a steel (not stainless, copper, bronze) wire brush, lightly. This cleans the threads. Blow out the threaded holes they go into, making sure to blow out the one on the underside of the handlebar too. Stainless on stainless galls easily unless they are two different steels. For example, 304 and 316 will gall less than 304 and 304 or 316 and 316. In the metrics it is A2-70 and A4-80. The A4-80 is what we call marine grade and is very corrosion resistant. For this application, the A4-80 has no benefit so stick with the A2-70 bolts, they are also less expensive.

Galling is like cold welding and can happen to bolts going into threaded holes. Always snug the bolts up by hand first and do not use an impact when or drill/driver. Galling can happen more easily when the speed of the bolt going into the threads is fast. So go slow and galling can often be prevented. Often, we want to be quick and start the bolts with a driver on an impact drill or electric screw driver. You can easily cross thread because this is a harder metal )the bolt) going into the softer (the aluminum). Just take it slow and in the end you'll save time and effort.


Don't reuse the original nylock flange nuts except for fitting to see which height risers you want. Final assembly should be with new nylocks.

There might be a temptation to put on some lube on the threads of the bolts. Not a good idea. The lube can create its own problems and stainless steel is really inert and can be used with aluminum with very good results.

If you are concerned about the spacers lining up, you can take some aluminum tape and with the adhesive slide out, make a few turns around the non-threaded part of the bolt and finish off with an adhesive side down single roll. This lets the threaded part of the bolt go through easily but the sleeve you just made with keep the bolt centered and thus the space will be also.


You don't have to do the above if you get the 5/16" holes spacers instead of the 3/8".

[toolittletime]

I did this mod last week to my  new 2012....works great...looks good too.
Since I live in the middle of nowhere, I found the bolts on ebay and the chrome spacers at Home Depot. Have driven about 250 miles
since mod was done....I rechecked the torque on the bolts and all was good.
Thanks........Tim

[canuguzzi]

I did this mod last week to my  new 2012....works great...looks good too.
Since I live in the middle of nowhere, I found the bolts on ebay and the chrome spacers at Home Depot. Have driven about 250 miles
since mod was done....I rechecked the torque on the bolts and all was good.
Thanks........Tim

Glad it works for you.  A tip: if you want to get rid of seeing the spacers,  try using velcro to wrap around the spacers.  The velcro can come in handy.  I do like the look of the spacers though,  more sophisticated.

[Jeremie]

I finally followed your instructions and have installed the 1 inch spacers. Thank you very much for sharing! Working out great.

[bobbyfromnc]

This is really cool... and super cost savings! I will soon do this on my Norge. Thanks for sharing this. BK  ;-T

[Trialsman]

I was reading old threads and came upon this.  Every other bike I own has risers but my Norge never did.  I took your idea and turned  the spacers for the three bolts. (Yes the one underneath is a bugger)  I preferred not to see the spacers so I traced the outline of the casting and milled it out of 1" Delrin to make a mask for the riser.  I made it .025" shorter to let the bars float then sandblasted the outside to give a mat texture.  It worked great, very comfortable - thanks for the idea.

[Huzo]

That's very nice work and good info N P. What is the thinking behind raising the 'bars ?

[PJPR01]

That's very nice work and good info N P. What is the thinking behind raising the 'bars ?

Like Helibars...upwards and back a bit, it takes some strain off the wrists and back if the stock position is to far a forward lean and causes fatigue for long rides.

[canuguzzi]

Yup^^^^^^

I did notice that the slight buffeting went away but that is likely different for each individual.

Watch this thread, nuff said.

[Huzo]

Oh ok, I changed mine a bit but didn't raise them, only rotated back slightly to take the bend out of the wrist. Nice job on yours.

[polkpr]

The parts list (for 3/4" risers) UPDATED, please see the spacer spec for the change. Apologies to anyone that bought the wrong spacers.

From Fastenal, Graingers:
6 M8 1.25 x 60mm A2 Stainless Steel Hex Socket Head bolts (or screws, depending on who you talk to.) Fastenal will sell the bolts in packs of 10, Graingers makes you buy them in the box of 50 I believe. From Fastenal they come to about $1.20 each.
DO NOT USE LOCTITE! Another warning. If you use Loctite or anything like that, you will be sorry.
Make sure to get 4 nylock flange nuts. They are used to secure the bolts going back in from the top.

From Orchard Supply:
6 3/8" 5/16" x 3/4" Chrome Spacers. They have an assortment of different heights. You do not have to use the type I described, you can get them in stainless steel too but these are available most places.

New to the Guzzi world after just purchasing a new 2014 Norge.  After only about 600 miles under my belt, I noticed the bars are a little bit of a reach and am going to make these mods. 
Having gone to the sources mentioned above, I'm still having a tough time finding the exact parts listed.
Can someone provide links to the needed parts (M8 bolts, Chrome spacers, nylock nuts) for a 3/4" and 1" rise?  I just want to make sure I get the appropriate parts.  I'm sure others would find this helpful too.  Great forum BTW.

[snuffcityrider]

I realize this is an old thread,  just wondering if there is any way to get the pictures of the spacers reposted?  Thanks.

[oldbike54]

I realize this is an old thread,  just wondering if there is any way to get the pictures of the spacers reposted?  Thanks.

 Not unless someone took a screenshot of the pictures . That member left , we can't access his pictures .

 Dusty