Hi,

I'm in the middle of converting my K100RS to an RT by replacing the fairing and some other components. The RT steering components came with factory barend weights. I'm reusing my old RS controls and grips, which where heated. The RS did not have barend weights so the grips are intact on the ends. Will I damage the heating coils in the grips if I cut into the ends to make an opening for the barends? I don't know if the heating coils go out as far as the ends of the grips and I don't want to take a chance and damage them. Can anyone advise? Thanks.

-
Robert
1988 K100RS

Hi Robert,
My K100 RS has bar end weights, I would be surprised if they went out round the ends as there would be no point. Why do you want bar end weights?
Regards,
K-BIKE

Bar end weights are fitted as vibration dampers. I think all RT's came with them. Mine has them and has the heated grips, so I would think you hould be able to fit them without problems.

Are you experiencing vibration in the bars that is a problem?
Regards,
K-BIKE

K-BIKE wrote:My K100 RS has bar end weights, I would be surprised if
they went out round the ends as there would be no point. Why do you want
bar end weights?

K-BIKE wrote:Are you experiencing vibration in the bars that is a problem?

What I am in the process of doing is converting my K100RS to a K100RT. Funny enough, another chap on this board is converting his K100RT into a K100RS. Even more peculiar is that Bruce and I know each other and have traded all the parts, respectively, for such conversions.

His RT came with factory installed barends; my RS did not. Both of us have heated grips. What I am not sure is whether the grips are the same (I guess I could check the P/Ns on a fiche) and exactly how the barends fit on Bruce's bars prior to him removing them. Furthermore, the wiring disappears deep into the grip and I don't have an idea how the wiring terminates in the grip; it may actually terminate very near the end of the grip where I plan to cut. That introduces an element of risk which I was hoping to reduce by tapping the knowledge of people here who might be able to help.

My RS bars did vibrate when I used the bike and I believe this to be contributed alot with TB mis-synchronization and possibly valve adjustment. Both operations are scheduled after this conversion. Even so, I'd like to reduce vibrations to the minimum and barends contribute to that goal. So, I'd like to install them on the RT bars even though I have not yet test ridden the bike after fitting the fairing, bars and other accessories.

I hope that clarifes my position and the reason for my question.

Based on ReneZ's post, I guess I can safely cut into the grip ends without risking accidently cutting heater cables.

Cheers,
Robert.

Rob
Heres a pic of my bar end
Exposed cos I lost the weight ages ago and have just ordered a SH one from Motorworks
you can just see the white cables near the end where had to repair them
Its a damn fiddly job
so be careful cutting in and dont go deeper than the thickness of the grip.
If you want to add bar ends weights you'll have to thread the cables through the
end weights inner clamps.
IIRC the plug is too big so you may have to cut the cables and thread them through one at a time
and do some nifty soldering

reg_K100RS wrote:Rob
Heres a pic of my bar end

Awesome! Thanks Reg.

reg_K100RS wrote:IIRC the plug is too big so you may have to cut the cables and thread them through one at a time
and do some nifty soldering

There shouldn't be a problem there. The PO cut the plug off the cables leading to each grip so everything is prepped and ready to thread through (as soon as my parts order arrives and I can re-assemble the bike. It's in the garage in pieces).

Cheers,
Robert.

The easy way is if you both change the steering

Rene,

We did actually consider this. Off-hand that might seem like a plausable solution but there are some snags. It would be necessary to disconnect many hydraulics, cables and connectors from each bike. This is time consuming. It could also introduce electrical problems if a connector is misconnected, or complications if missing altogether (the RT and RS looms are different). My bike was heavily modified by the PO and there were many wrinkles as a result. For example, my front braking system is after market and the front end is from a K1100. Overall, the difficulty in opening some holes in a pair of hand grips pales by comparison. I'd take my chances with the latter than the former.

Cheers,
Robert.

Fair enough!