High rise western bars

[lawnmowerman]

Hi all

I am just about to order a set of export bars for my SR as I feel that they will give a more comfortable riding position.
I would appreciate any advice from anybody who has made the conversion regarding sourcing of good quality bars and longer cables, lengths and type, and any problems which I am likely to encounter.
I read on earlier forums that high performance cables are available, possibly with a nylon cored outer which do not have barrels directly soldered on the end but have pear shaped nipples which allow rotation of the inner cables as they stretch, avoiding premature failure. I usually buy my parts from Lyford Classics and was thinking of getting the bars from ther unless anyone can suggest a better source.
I have a bar end mirror at the moment but I would like to replace it with a mirror on a stalk so it does not stick out so far as the bar end - thoughts on that would also be appreciated.

Jim

[Pete Gray]

Here's a shot from the back of my A7 with the export bars on which I have the bar end mirror still fitted.
They were genuine BSA part purchased from a stand at Stafford.
I don't know if the cables are extra length but I would imaging Lyford can advise.
The bars give a very comfortable ride and have caused me no problems to date. I swivel the mirror up if encountering tight spaces/traffic jams etc.

[Goldy]

I bought export bars from one of the shows and they are provide a very comfortable riding position. I measured the individual cable lengths and ordered them from JJ cables.

[Beezageezauk]

Hi Jim, 

I put some high rise bars on one of my A10's.  They are genuine BSA "Western" bars with part number 42-4968 stamped on them (under the throttle).

They make the bike very comfortable for distance work but, somehow, it doesn't feel like I'm riding a BSA and I can't make up my mind if I like them or not.  I guess it just takes a bit of getting used to something different and some perseverance is required.

Beezageezauk

[lawnmowerman]

Thanks

I have ordered some four inch rise western bars from Lyford Classics but I still need to source front brake, clutch and possibly throttle cables. I will measure lengths when I have fitted the bars.
In previous posts I have read about teflon coated outer with marine grade stainless wire inners with drilled barrels and pear nipples to allow torsional rotation of the inners. Does anybody know where to source these in the UK? I did a Google serach and Venhill came up but they seem to focus on modern bikes - has anybody tried them for A10s?
I have spoken to JJ cables and they can supply the teflon coated outer but cannot use marine grade inner as it is not possible to solder and fittings need to be swaged on. The pear nipple and drilled barrels can be supplied as an option.
Is it worth worrying about marine grade stainless inners or should I stick with galvanised?

Jim

[beezalex]

You know...it's funny:  I've given away or tossed scores of the infernal things...and here you guys are looking for them.  Wish I'd known.

[andy2565]

i use the universal venhill cables all the time for my race bikes but i'm not sure if their fittings are correct for a bsa,but you could reuse the adjusters from your old cables,if theyre usable.cheers andy

[Big Nick]

i love them!

[lawnmowerman]

The western bars arrived from Lyfords but they do not look anything like the ones shown in the pics on the replies in this topic although I was assured that they were made to the original BSA spec. They look more like what we used to call "cowhorns" back in the day whereas the ones shown in the pics look like low rise ape hangers. Perhaps there were options from BSA.
I bolted them on the bike and they do feel quite comfortable but the front brake and cutch cables were a bit tight. Being as the front brake is a 2LS A65 I thought it would be safer to send both cables off to JJ Cables so that they can make longer ones with the correct fittings so I need to wait for the cables to come back before I can give it a road test.
The front brake needed to be +2" and the clutch needed to be +3".

Jim

[Beezageezauk]

Hi again Jim,

Did you order your high bars for an A10 Super Rocket??  If so, Lyfords have probably sent you part number 42-4995 which, by the parts book, is correct for your bike.  This could be the reason your new bars don't look like those in the pictures.

Checking the parts book it shows Handlebars (Western) for A Group (42-4968) and Handlebars (Western) for A10 Super Rocket (42-4995).

42-4995 is also listed for the 500 Flash, A7SS, Royal Tourist and Spitfire Scrambler models.

With not knowing much about the export models I'm only putting 2 and 2 together on this one and hopefully coming up with 4.

Beezageezauk.

[lawnmowerman]

Hi Beeza

I just asked Pat at Lyfords for a set of western 4" rise bars but I guess that she knows my bike from her records so has sent the correct SR version. They do look a little odd as the handgrips point upwards rather than level or downwards. To get them level would mean angling the bars backwards a fair amount which might be ok but difficult to tell until I get the cables back from JJ so I can give it a test ride. Hope the cables come back before the salt goes down!

Jim

[Beezageezauk]

Yes Jim,

That's what she's done.  The diagram in my parts book shows the handlebar ends for the S/R type going upwards at each end.

Beezageezauk.

[BrianS]

Hi Jim, 

I put some high rise bars on one of my A10's.  They are genuine BSA "Western" bars with part number 42-4968 stamped on them (under the throttle).

They make the bike very comfortable for distance work but, somehow, it doesn't feel like I'm riding a BSA and I can't make up my mind if I like them or not.  I guess it just takes a bit of getting used to something different and some perseverance is required.

Beezageezauk

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I am looking to make my A10 a tad "bigger". The current bars are quite low and there is quite an angle at the grips which make them a bit uncomfortable.

I am struggling to work out what replacement to buy and I guess the only way I will ever know if I made the right buying decision is when they are fitted!

Just a couple of questions:
What does "Western" mean in bar descriptions?
What is "handlebar pull back"?

My current bars have a 4" rise and are 27" wide.

I am looking to get bars with a 7" rise and probably about 32" wide.

The nearest I have found using Beezageezauk's part number is here http://www.britbikes.co.uk/bsa-western-type-handlebar---a7-a10-a50-a65-spitfire--scrambler---42-4968-2404-p.asp

Presumably I will be looking for longer brake cables. Does any UK supplier sell these off the shelf?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Brian

[Butch (cb)]

I went with earlier (but unit) export Bonneville bars on mine. Wide and with a good rise and with a fair amount of pull back, but not like those mini apes they wore by the late 70s.

[BrianS]

Here are a couple of photos of my current bars which I hope will show how swept and narrow back they are!

Is pull back the angle of the grip section as it bends toward the rider?