K3 Handle Bar Question

CooGAR

Member
Picked up a nice and running 1974 CT70 today. One of the issues this bike did have is the left handle bar is cracked at the bend that goes into the triple tree. Thus I need a new, left side handle bar. As I'm sure most of you know, that left side handle bar does not have the brake handle support as part of the handle bar.

Question: can I simply cut off the brake handle support from a K0 or will that effect the structural integrity of handle bar?

Thanks!
 

tarkus4

New Member
I am not a expert on this but I think either the clocking or the bends of earlier bars will not work on a 74. I have 2 early 74's and they both have the brake handles. I would try the bar on the bike before cutting off the perch. Also if done right I don't think the structural integrity would be affected.
 

CooGAR

Member
Thanks for the advice tarkus4.

I already have a left handle bar from a K0 on the '74, so using one of those will work. The guy I bought it from gave me a spare left handle bar so I could use it as a tie down point for securing the bike in the bed of my truck. I tie wrapped the cracked bar to the secured K0 handle bar to keep the cable in place until I got back home.

Unless someone tells be otherwise, I'll try cutting off the perch.
 

69ST

Well-Known Member
Foldable bars will physically interchange, regardless of model/year. The only major fitment issue is with Chinese repops as used on clone bikes; the locating tabs don't fit the Honda clamp properly. Welded-on lever perches are a major difference but, those can be removed; it's just pricey having the surgical scars removed. The bar(s) must be re-chromed afterward, to do the job right.

The biggest issue, by far, is the number of different configurations extant. Unless you have a pair of intact bars, that were supplied as a matched pair, expect a R-to-L mismatch if you replace one side only. K0-K2 bars are, ostensibly, the same...however...K0 top trees have 12:00 & 6:00 clocking, whereas K1-`78 are closer to 1:00 & 7:00, giving a wider grip width with the same bars. Later models had even wider spacing, along with no lever perches. Eventually, the internal twist-grip throttle went bye-bye, too. If that weren't sufficiently confusing, there's an unknown number of variations among OEM, OER & reproduction bars sold over the decades. Grip width can vary by at least 4" and, the other two planes (height and fore/aft positioning) also varied.

If you're after purist-originality, nothing short of vintage original (either unmolested used, or NOS) will suffice...without a mountain of cash to have a custom set made. If you're just after something that you like (or can live with, at least) then you need only source them as a pair, to maintain R-to-L symmetry and call it a day.
 

CooGAR

Member
Foldable bars will physically interchange, regardless of model/year. The only major fitment issue is with Chinese repops as used on clone bikes; the locating tabs don't fit the Honda clamp properly. Welded-on lever perches are a major difference but, those can be removed; it's just pricey having the surgical scars removed. The bar(s) must be re-chromed afterward, to do the job right.

The biggest issue, by far, is the number of different configurations extant. Unless you have a pair of intact bars, that were supplied as a matched pair, expect a R-to-L mismatch if you replace one side only. K0-K2 bars are, ostensibly, the same...however...K0 top trees have 12:00 & 6:00 clocking, whereas K1-`78 are closer to 1:00 & 7:00, giving a wider grip width with the same bars. Later models had even wider spacing, along with no lever perches. Eventually, the internal twist-grip throttle went bye-bye, too. If that weren't sufficiently confusing, there's an unknown number of variations among OEM, OER & reproduction bars sold over the decades. Grip width can vary by at least 4" and, the other two planes (height and fore/aft positioning) also varied.

If you're after purist-originality, nothing short of vintage original (either unmolested used, or NOS) will suffice...without a mountain of cash to have a custom set made. If you're just after something that you like (or can live with, at least) then you need only source them as a pair, to maintain R-to-L symmetry and call it a day.

Thanks for the info. I believe your last sentence is the way to go...... :)
 
I thought the later bars took diff knobs and were a lttle shorter where the connected to the triple tree,I could be wrong but they sell different knobs at DRATV
 

kirrbby

Well-Known Member
The K3's did have perches on the bars. They added the mirror mounts starting with that model. Not sure when they dropped the perches completely but it wasn't that year. The early K3's had brake lever perches on both sides with mirror mount holes in them. The later K3's had only a small perch on the left side with a mirror mount in it, no left side lever. The right bar didn't change. Look up hornetgod's albums. He has both types of K3, 2 lever and one lever.
 
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