Hi all been having a bit of a non starter that I thought one of you knowledgeable chaps or chapesses could help me with please...

I bought an old XV American import a few years back and have been throwing it together repairing and breaking and fixing again trying to get it the way i want it.... it is pretty good a little ruff around the edges and I want to get a good set of custom handle bars put on it......this is my idea...

I want a custom made 2 inch handle bar with 1 inch end bars...Ideally I want to house micro switches in the 2 Inch part for the electronics which shouldn't be a problem I have been told...problem is for the life of me I cant find anyone to build them for me locally... I spoke to a a company in Dundee and they wanted to make it from steel pipe it was a bit on the heavy side and they hummed and hawed about how difficult it would be...paaaa i said..

I used to work in a blacksmiths at 16 and they would have made it no problem from any material easily..sadly they are now gone... anyone know of any good tradesmen or women who can do this for me to my specs.... and if there is anyone in the Tayside/ Angus area who is a dab hand at bikes who wouldn't mind taking a look and giving advice or a little help with my project...

Any help with locating someone with the skills to build the bars would be appreciated..                                                                                                                                                                               

Johny how about getting the material you would like and just going to the hire shop and getting a pipe bender yes I know its very fiddley but Im sure with lots of checking and rechecking. but how cool would that be to say ( oh the bars I knocked um up in the shed )

 Do you have any bike/car exhaust pipe manufacturers up your way? They may able to help before you buy/cut tube. Stainless tubing very expensive, but Hygenic Stainless Steels Ltd in Bamber Bridge Preston, for example, have bends, cone/reducer sections concentric and eccentric) and possibly straight offcuts. They have website that may give you ideas. Hygenic stainless tubing is generally thinwalled 316 seamless and shines up brilliantly. Getting a well practiced/skilled tig welder and a polisher could rid you of unsightly joints. Won't be cheap.

JPHarleys idea sounds favourite to get your ideas into something tangible though.                                                                                                                                                                             

Cheers guys some good ideas, not bothered about shiny they are gonna be black anyway but I wish I had a local place where I could over see it.... It's hard to find a blacksmith these says who will do custom jobs like that... They are all twist steel fire places lol... I have the tech drawings so I will see, got a guy up in Wick who will see his boss about fabricating, if they can do it... I will update as I go

  Moved from the General forum to the Technical forum                                                                                                                                                                             

Found a blacksmith who says no problem so a bit of measuring and off we go..                                                                                                                                                                             

Bugger, now got to source a radial brake master cylinder that will fit 1" bars.... Anyone any ideas, the custom ones are way to expensive... Does anyone know a bike that has them that I can source second hand parts from...

Help lol                                                                                                                                                                             

just readin this - you can get a radial master cylinder for 7/8ths bars and get it bored out nothing too difficult in that                                                                                                                                                                              

Yeah but the cost to get it lathed out is astronomical you need specialist lithe and not cheap ... I shall redisgn.. Part of the fun of customisation lol
                                                                                                                                                                             

Yeah but the cost to get it lathed out is astronomical you need specialist lithe and not cheap ... I shall redisgn.. Part of the fun of customisation lol
                                                                                                                                                                             

Yeah but the cost to get it lathed out is astronomical you need specialist lithe and not cheap ... I shall redisgn.. Part of the fun of customisation lol
                                                                                                                                                                             

Just a thought, if you wanted something a little different how about welding on a cable lever (cut the clamp off) directly to the handlebar, then putting the cable through the bar and connect it to a cable operated master cylinder.

What comes to mind is a Moto Guzzi rear master cylinder which you could pick up for cheap money.  Just make sure you get quality cable which should help reduce stretch, and also get quality ends as the last thing you want is for the end to come off when your miles away from home! 

Like I say, just a thought?
                                                                                                                                                                             

Earlier Triumph Rocket III has a radial M/C and 1 inch bars apparently.. ?

not many around but worth a look on ebay...

does it have to be a radial m/c ?

                                                                                                                                                                             

It would fit on better, but I dunno, haven't had a chance to go to the guy who was gonna make it for me..... I may have to get an off the shelf set but they need to be wide with a good angle on them to be comfortable....                                                                                                                                                                             

Lathed out, fine if you want! Why not just use a drill 1/8" is not a lot. Your earlier comment about is be costly welcome to the world of customising                                                                                                                                                                             

hi they can be made from the 2 inch steam pipe, bends and straights, but the problem occurs, is that at each joint it can,t be but welded, i would have to on my lathe machine down and solid insert, on each joint, that then needs welding in place, this will strengthen the whole section
   also some people would say oooh seemed pipe, but the wall thickness on 2 inch pipe is around, 3.5 to 4mm thick, well strong enough, to hold the force required.
   any enquiries i can be contacted throo www.henry-volt.co.uk

You can try these people at Manchester.
Google: www.barnshaws.com/tube-bending.php?
You provide drawings for the shape of the tubes required and they will bend and shape on there CNC benders also they will provide the tube and give you the option of sizes. The types of reducers for your ends that Non-Hotmale suggested, you will get from most engineering suppliers or machined stub ends. I have used these people various times for fancy bends and they were accurate. 
Hope this helps.