Installing Yamaha crash bars ?

[Cycledude]

I removed the Yamaha crash bars from my 2013 Tenere last fall when I traded for a new 2018.
Well today I’m installing the crash bars, everything is going fine except for the single bolt for the brace at the very top, I don’t have any instructions and I’m wondering exactly how I’m supposed to go about attaching the single bolt to the brace ? Are you supposed to just bend that nut locking piece of metal so it’s out of the way and switch to a self locking nut ?

 

[SkunkWorks]

I just bent it down enough to get the washer (spacer) out.
I believe the instructions point to removing that piece.
You then slide the bracket in between the clip-nut and where the spacer was.
I reused the clip-nut on the bottom.

I also had to cut a hole in the plastic (air deflector) underneath the Headlight. (it is actually marked on the back where to cut the hole)

I have the instructions at home (I'm at work)
I can look at them later today when I get home.

 

[Cycledude]

Skunk thanks for the reply ! So there’s a spacer in there I wasn’t aware of that, I will be anxiously waiting for you to look over the instructions before I go any further.

 

[SHUMBA]

I removed the Yamaha crash bars from my 2013 Tenere last fall when I traded for a new 2018.
Well today I’m installing the crash bars, everything is going fine except for the single bolt for the brace at the very top, I don’t have any instructions and I’m wondering exactly how I’m supposed to go about attaching the single bolt to the brace ? Are you supposed to just bend that nut locking piece of metal so it’s out of the way and switch to a self locking nut ?

Hmmm, I would contact Yamaha and ask them if they altered anything in the crash bar/ bike frame between 2013 and 2018. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a 2013 is a Gen 1 and the 2018 year is a Gen 2.
I hope that you are able to fit the bars onto your new bike
SHUMBA


Sent from my SM-T380 using Tapatalk

 

[Cycledude]

Hmmm, I would contact Yamaha and ask them if they altered anything in the crash bar/ bike frame between 2013 and 2018. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a 2013 is a Gen 1 and the 2018 year is a Gen 2.
I hope that you are able to fit the bars onto your new bike
SHUMBA


Sent from my SM-T380 using Tapatalk

I am positive they will fit, everything is already installed except that top brace under the headlight, I just want to know exactly what the instructions say before going any further and Skunk has said he will let me know tonight.
I never saw any instructions because I bought the 2013 with the crash bars already installed.

 

[SHUMBA]

I am positive they will fit, everything is already installed except that top brace under the headlight, I just want to know exactly what the instructions say before going any further and Skunk has said he will let me know tonight.
I never saw any instructions because I bought the 2013 with the crash bars already installed.

Ok, Skunk will solve the mystery
SHUMBA

Sent from my SM-T380 using Tapatalk

 

[SkunkWorks]

The set that I put on my 2014 came off a Gen-1 bike.
Luckily the person I bought them from provided the OEM instructions.
The frame and the area around the headlight/steering-stem is the same on Gen-1/Gen-2 bikes. (except for the plastic air-deflector on the Gen-2 bikes)
The instructions were spot-on for my 2014.

 

[EricV]

Typically you will need to spread the clip a little, then lift the long bolt a bit, do NOT remove it, then slide the bar in and get the bolt thru it.

At this point I recommend bending the clup back in place as much as possible.

No spacer there. No clip nut. The clip is a retainer for the nut. If you don't bend the clip back into place, it makes it harder to get the long bolt threaded back in. Be VERY CAREFUL to avoid cross threading that bolt. You don't want to have to replace either the bolt or captured nut!

 

[SkunkWorks]

OK,
Eric is right. There is no spacer that gets removed. (I thought so, because I remember removing something to make space for the upper Brace)

What you have to do is undo the long bolt. The instructions tell you to remove it and use a longer bolt. The crash-bars I bought did not come with this longer bolt. I used the OEM bolt from my 2014. It was long enough.

You then have to bend the clip far enough to remove the captured nut.
Bend the clip back straight and slide the Brace into the clip, and lower the long bolt back into place.
The nut (that was once captured) goes on the outside of the clip and is no longer captured by the clip.
I used blue thread-lock on it when I reassembled it.







You can see in this picture that the nut now goes on the outside of the clip.
There is not enough room inside the clip for the upper brace and the nut.


Here is what it should look like assembled correctly.



Here is the hole you have to make so the brace goes through the air-deflector.
(It doesn't need to be as large as I made it. It can be smaller)

 

[EricV]

That will certainly work. The Rumbux kits use a similar flat bar. I have installed several. An alternate install method retains the nut in it's captured clip. You just have to use some care to avoid cross threading since the bar displaces the clip a little. I've not had problems with it most of the time. A couple of times it was fussy. I found using a flat blade screwdriver tip to lever the nut up to a better orientation worked well to get it threaded onto the long bolt.

 

[Cycledude]

Typically you will need to spread the clip a little, then lift the long bolt a bit, do NOT remove it, then slide the bar in and get the bolt thru it.

At this point I recommend bending the clup back in place as much as possible.

No spacer there. No clip nut. The clip is a retainer for the nut. If you don't bend the clip back into place, it makes it harder to get the long bolt threaded back in. Be VERY CAREFUL to avoid cross threading that bolt. You don't want to have to replace either the bolt or captured nut!

Thanks Eric and Skunk that was very helpful, there is some kind of oval bushing spacer in there, it fell out a couple times but I managed to get it all back together. The only thing I didn’t do was cut a hole in that plastic wind blocker because I don’t have a Dremel tool so I’m either going to borrow one or buy one next week. Tomorrow morning I will be taking the Tenere about 100 miles to a RTE.

 

[EricV]

Thanks Eric and Skunk that was very helpful, there is some kind of oval bushing spacer in there, it fell out a couple times but I managed to get it all back together. The only thing I didn’t do was cut a hole in that plastic wind blocker because I don’t have a Dremel tool so I’m either going to borrow one or buy one next week. Tomorrow morning I will be taking the Tenere about 100 miles to a RTE.

The plastic is easy to cut with a box knife or other sharp knife. You can optionally make a notch for the bar to fit or cut a hole. I've done both. It's not a very noticeable spot when the bars are installed. You can just leave the panel off as well, if you choose. The Gen I bikes didn't even come with that panel, it has no function, aside from esthetics.

If you choose to cut it with a knife, just score the area you wish to cut, then repeat your scoring a bit deeper and after a few times it will be thin enough to cut through.

 

[Cycledude]

Well cut the hole with jacknife yesterday, turned out pretty nice.