Motorcycle Repair: Handlebar slippage ( Harley), ape hangers, inch bars

Question
I recently put 12" ape hangers, and new handlebar clamps on my 95 Sportster. After a few days of riding I noticed that the bars had shifted about an inch. So I loosened the clamp bolts then re-positioned the bar and re-tightened the clamp bolts. Only to notice the next day that they had shifted again. Mind you the bars aren't loose, loose but I can move them if I lean in to them with a bit of weight.
It's a one inch double clamp and one inch bars.  Is there a way I can fix this problem. I've read about sanding the bars to rough them up and was wondering what else could be done about to remedy the situation. I'd appreciate any help you could pass along. -Spoth

Answer
Hi Spoth,

I would firrt measure the outside diameter of the handle bar and the insdie diameter of the clamps to know the fit tolerances. I suspect the fit is not a match.

You can roughen the bar/clamp surfaces to help create a better grip, or insert a material to narrow the clamp pinch, or have a machine shop knurl the surfaces.



Visit these H-D related websites for more tech related intel:

http://groups.msn.com/HarleyTechTalk/techtalk5.msnw

www.bikernet.com/garage

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/kodis/sportster/tips.html


Respectfully,
Mark Shively