Flanders riser mounting issue

[packrat48]

OEM style springer, new top tree with ears.. New flanders risers.. The "ears" are slightly too large to fit in the risers.

I tried a wood wedge to "open the gap" a little- still too tight.. As its imported repro crap.. Would you 1. use a bigger wedge and hammer to open the gap 2. file the ears for a proper fit (will damage the coating, but will fit right) Other ideas?

Link to pics

https://f88773fdccdd-004278.vbulletin.n ... id=3678426

[awander]

I couldn't get hat link to work.

But if it was me, I'd work on the tree, rather than the risers.

[HD48FL]

Same thoughts here as I posted that on the other forum.

Since the risers are chrome, leave them alone. Take the top tree to a machine shop, it's easy to reduce the diameters to fit the risers.

[RooDog]

I'm assuming this is what we are dealing with....
The trick here will be getting the machinist to understand what you need done, and what not to do.
Should be a fairly simple lathe op, no?
But don't let him mess with the risers.....
....RooDog....

Flanders Risers.jpg (90.73 KiB) Viewed 557 times

[packrat48]

Yes, that photo is exactly what I a working with (although not brass) I appreciate the opinions, I will make measurements and work on the ears. Its a 55 FL.. Thank you

[bobberguy]

I recently bought a set of Flanders handlebars and found the twist throttle would not fit on the right side but would on the left. Big difference in chrome thickness from side to side. I needed them for a trip and didn't have time to return so I had to sand them down to make the throttle fit and work correctly. Quality control issue. Sounds like same issue on those risers.

[Larry]

Some risers are 7/8", some are 1". BTW, I had a V-Twin riser break.

[RooDog]

Flanders original risers, from back in the day, were brass and ductile, they would bend rather than beak. If the new AM risers are made of aluminum, or, heaven forbid, some mystery white metal, breakage is most surely in its future.....
There is a lot of leveraged stress placed upon those risers, especially if one chooses to run tall ape hanger bars....
Not all "flanders" parts are,in fact, Flanders' parts....
....RooDog....

[RUBONE]

Make sure the riser end is indeed round and machined, not as cast. If the two mating parts do not have maximum surface area contact the risers will always slip on the tree and create a very unsafe condition. Originals were matched closely. The chrome if slick in the riser end will also create grip issues.
And originals will definitely break under some conditions. I have several broken ones in my stuff.

[socalrider]

[quote=RUBONE post_id=150630 time=1637766513 user_id=2188]
Make sure the riser end is indeed round and machined, not as cast. If the two mating parts do not have maximum surface area contact the risers will always slip on the tree and create a very unsafe condition. Originals were matched closely. The chrome if slick in the riser end will also create grip issues.
And originals will definitely break under some conditions. I have several broken ones in my stuff.
[/quote]

What conditions would cause the originals to break ? I have 3.5’s on a hardtail with springer. Thanks

[RUBONE]

Make sure the riser end is indeed round and machined, not as cast. If the two mating parts do not have maximum surface area contact the risers will always slip on the tree and create a very unsafe condition. Originals were matched closely. The chrome if slick in the riser end will also create grip issues.
And originals will definitely break under some conditions. I have several broken ones in my stuff.

What conditions would cause the originals to break ? I have 3.5’s on a hardtail with springer. Thanks

Only very hard impacts, or repeated bending. They were often used on off road/TT/Enduro bikes and will straighten a bit but repeated tweaks will fracture them. If trying to straighten them it works OK if they are frozen, but never heat them!

[Larry]

In my case a stud broke. A heat treating failure I'm sure.

[Robert Luland]

Nope, crap steel. You could make that stud out of 4140 Alloy which is about 25-30 HRC out of the box and crank on it all day long and it won't snap. 4140HC (pre treated) 35-45 HRC. It's only a set of aluminum cases that you're bolting together. How tight do you have to get them? The same way that I have to deck panhead surfaces because of insert pulling. Tight means tight, not crank.