A10 handlebars

[Sunbeam]

Hi, I'm in the process of putting my RGS back to touring trim using upside down standard bars instead of clip ons. Can anyone advise the best supplier and whether to use chrome or stainless bars.

Many thanks.

Howard.

[chaterlea25]

Hi Howard,
I got very nice SS bars from Barleycorn Eng

John

[Sunbeam]

Thanks John, I'll try Barleycorn. Been bombed out looking at the different A10 handlebars on ebay. Just want the pull back and rise to look correct using dropped bars.

Thanks again.

Howard.

[Brian]

My son fitted a set of "Ace" bars to his A10. They give quite a comfortable riding position and are sort of "period".

[Black Sheep]

Stainless bars are generally thinner walled than normal mild steel ones. Should you slide off on a fuel spill on a roundabout, stainless bars can bend. This will stretch the throttle cable to wide open whilst the back wheel is off the ground. The resulting over-rev can cause a con rod to let go which can cut the crankcases in half.
I have the evidence on a shelf. 

[limeyrob]

I too like mild steel.  Its strong and forgiving, stainless has some nasty habits.

[bl**dydrivers]

Stainless bars are generally thinner walled than normal mild steel ones. Should you slide off on a fuel spill on a roundabout, stainless bars can bend. This will stretch the throttle cable to wide open whilst the back wheel is off the ground. The resulting over-rev can cause a con rod to let go which can cut the crankcases in half.
I have the evidence on a shelf.

Wow, I thought stainless steel was the way to go! Was going through my boxes of parts organizing the garage, found the handlebars I got years ago and thought they were light!
Did not think of this!

[Triton Thrasher]

Mild steel bars also bend in a crash.

[JulianS]

I fitted stainless bars way back in 1977 and have been using the same ones eversince. No regrets. No problems.

[Topdad]

TT "mild steel bends in the event of a crash ",I agree as my right knee as a dint in it where it bent the bars on my Shooter in 1967 when I had a fight with a bus Bus . When I saw it in the shop whereI worked I couldn't beleive it the angle was fantastic had it been SS I'd have lost the knee !

[limeyrob]

I think another problem is that while we have a pretty good idea what we get with mild steel even though there is some poor quality around, with stainless it can be a gamble. Quality sourced with correct grade and treatment is excellent but there's a lot of Chines rubbish around that work hardens with vibration and fractures.
Screws are an example - marine grade stainless are excellent, but I recently bought some "generic" ie Chinesium stainless screws and the heads were shearing off before they were tight, it took hours to drill them out and replace with zinc plated steel.  I tested the rest in a vice, they were all over the place.  So while  stainless can be very good, you need to be sure that's what you are getting.

[Jules]

304 Stainless is often used because its easier to manufacture being "softer" than 316 but its also less expensive and more prone to corrosion than 316. However, when compared to mild steel like for like, 304 SS is softer than MS so you need to be cautious with bolts in particular to check their grade, but its much more corrosion resistant! As long as you are aware of these limitations then SS is a fine alternative, I think........

[Topdad]

Does anyone remember the S/S car exhausts back in the 70's?  My Brothers a metalurgist and in those days was working for midland roll makers in Crewe .He drove a Leyland car (heap ) which devoured exhausts he spotted a garage offering guaranteed for life.He checked it out and that was the guarantee was for life  know ing full well they wouldn't last he bought a system and returned and returned until he sold the car 5 vrs later, they hadn't rotted joints just gave up the ghost

[Jules]

wow, SS exhausts back in the 70's was unheard of Topdad, but would have been a good upgrade vs the MS that everybody used back then...if the joints were the issue then they were probably just using MS rods for the welding ilo SS (I guess??)
SS exhausts became standard once we went to ULP and catalysts of course, during catalyst development it became very apparent, very quickly that the MS exhausts just were not durable enough to meet the exhaust emissions standards requirements for longevity...

[Rex]

Stainless cylinder studs and head bolts intrigue me. Given the extremely variable quality and S/S propensity for galling, why would you?