Using clip ons from other bikes

I know all about the after market options for clip ons but why can't I just go get a pair from another bike that has a 36mm fork? The wreckers must be full of them! Any one know what bikes would work?
Also on the stock bars the wiring goes on this inside of the bars what do you do when you go to clip ons?

I've seen some, but never the right size. Almost all newer bikes use USD forks so they are out. Look at older sportbikes with regular forks and you may get lucky. As for the wiring, just run it on the outside. It may not be as clean, but you'd have to run it in, then back out at the fork tube anyways so why not just leave it out the entire time?

how do you get the controls to tighten up. On the orig. bars they fit tight to the bars. if you run on the outside then the controls wont fit tight

I'll tell you what I have clip on on my bike, and they are from a 89 FZR 600, and to get them to fit on tight, there i a notch on your controls and you have to drill the bars that you are purchasing so that you controls fit right...Be sure to measure where to put your hole, and use a punch to mark the area, and there ya go...that's what i did.

I have a 78 KZ1000 B2. Are the forks 38mm or 36mm? Has anyone changed the forward controls when changing to clip ons? If so from what bike?

Should be 36mm......I also have a set of clip on, never had a issue with the wiring. You might have to extend the wiring.

I have a 650 sr. I'm sure the forks are 36mm. I found a pair of stock fzr600 bars for $10 on ebay. Can they be shimmed or to fit? They are 38mm. I dont want to spend 150 on a new set.

Darkangel wrote:

I'll tell you what I have clip on on my bike, and they are from a 89 FZR 600, and to get them to fit on tight, there i a notch on your controls and you have to drill the bars that you are purchasing so that you controls fit right...Be sure to measure where to put your hole, and use a punch to mark the area, and there ya go...that's what i did.

You could just file the nubs off and then attach to the bars. If they move a little just put a piece of electrical tape around the bar where the controls are going to clamp onto.

Airtech used to sell some 36mm for about $75 or $80. I have several pairs.

The problem with aluminum clamp type clipons is that the master cylinder may interfere with the clamp. Some/most KZ master cylinders hug the handle bar. This puts the master cylinder right next to the bar for most of it's length. If there is a big aluminum clamp, the master will hit it. The Airtech type, which is welded steel, has clearance for the master cylinder because there is no protruding clamp.

I found two sets of 36mm clipons in a salvage yard, when I was still racing my kh500 (which also has 36mm forks). I forget which bike they came off of but they are pretty neat looking with about 1/2" rise and not much drop in the bar.

here is a list of all the bikes that use 36mm forks:

36 Honda XR-200R (84-02)
36 Kawasaki KX-80 T2-T4 (92-94)
36 Kawasaki KX-85 A1-A4 (01-04)
36 Kawasaki KX-100B5-B7 (95-97),
36 Kawasaki KX-125 A4-A5 (78-79)
36 Kawasaki EL-250B2/B3 (88-89)
36 Kawasaki EX-250F2-F4, F6-F18 "Ninja 250R" (88-90, 92-04)
36 Kawasaki KL-250A3-A5 (80-82)
36 Kawasaki KL-250D2-D21 "KLR250" (85-04)
36 Kawasaki KLX-250A1/A2 (79-80)
36 Kawasaki KX-250 A/A1/A2 (74-76)
36 Kawasaki KX-250 A3 (77)
36 Kawasaki KX-250 A4 (78)
36 Kawasaki KXT-250A1/A2 (84-85)
36 Kawasaki KX-400 A1/A2 (75-76)
36 Kawasaki EN-450A1-A6 "454 Ltd" (85-90)
36 Kawasaki H1-B/D/E/F (72-75)
36 Kawasaki EN-500A1-A7 "Vulcan 500" (90-96)
36 Kawasaki KH-500A8 (76)
36 Kawasaki KZ-550A1-A2 (80-81)
36 Kawasaki KZ-550A3-A4 (82-83)
36 Kawasaki KZ-550C2-C4 "Ltd" (81-83)
36 Kawasaki KZ-550F1/F2 "Spectre/Ltd" (83-84)
36 Kawasaki KZ-650B1-B3 (77-79)
36 Kawasaki KZ-650D1-D2 "SR" (78-79)
36 Kawasaki KZ-650F1 (80)
36 Kawasaki KZ-650H1-H3 "CSR" (81-83)
36 Kawasaki KZ-700A1 (84)
36 Kawasaki KZ-750B1-B4 (76-79)
36 Kawasaki KZ-750F1 "Ltd" (83)
36 Kawasaki KZ-750E1 (80)
36 Kawasaki KZ-750E2-E3 (81-82)
36 Kawasaki KZ-750K1/K2 "Ltd" (83-84)
36 Kawasaki KZ-750M1 "CSR" (82)
36 Kawasaki KZ-750N1/N2 "Spectre" (82-83)
36 Kawasaki Z1/A/B 900 (73-75)
36 Kawasaki KZ-1000A1-A4 (77-80)
36 Kawasaki KZ-1000D1/ D3 "Z1-R" (78, 80)
36 Suzuki RM-100 K3 (03)
36 Suzuki RM-125 B/C (77-78)
36 Suzuki PE-175 C/N/T/X (78-81)
36 Suzuki RS-175 T/X/Z (80-82)
36 Suzuki DR-250 Z/D/E/F (82-85)
36 Suzuki PE-250 B/C (77-78)
36 Suzuki PE-250 N/T/X (79-81)
36 Suzuki RS-250 T/X (80-81)
36 Suzuki TS-250 T/X (80-81)
36 Suzuki TS-250 T/X (80-81)
36 Suzuki DR-370 C (78)
36 Suzuki DR-370 N (79)
36 Suzuki SP-370 C (78)
36 Suzuki DR-400 T (80)
36 Suzuki DR-400 T (80)
36 Suzuki PE-400 T/X (80-81)
36 Suzuki SP-400 T (80)
36 Suzuki DR-500 X/Z/D (81-83)
36 Suzuki SP-500 X/Z/D (81-83)
36 Yamaha YZ-80 E1/F1/G1/H1/J1/K1/L1/M1/N1 (93-01)
36 Yamaha YZ-85P-S (02-04)
36 Yamaha YZ-100 J/K (82-83)
36 Yamaha YZ-125 D/E/F/G (77-80)
36 Yamaha IT-175 D/E/F (77-79)
36 Yamaha IT-175 G/H (80-81)
36 Yamaha TT-225 S/T (86-87)
36 Yamaha TTR-225 L/LC, N/NC/P/PC/R/RC/S/SC (99, 01-04)
36 Yamaha XT-225 D/DC-S/SC (92-04)
36 Yamaha DT-250 F (79)
36 Yamaha IT-250 D/E/F (77-79)
36 Yamaha IT-250 G (80)
36 Yamaha XT-250 L/LC (84)
36 Yamaha TT-250 G/H/J (80-82)
36 Yamaha TZ-250 G/H/J (80-82)
36 Yamaha TY-350 N/S (85-86)
36 Yamaha XT-350 L/LC/N/NC/S/SC/T/TC/U/UC/W/WC/A/AC/B/BC (84-91)
36 Yamaha XT-350 D/DC/E/EC/F/FC/G/GC/H/HC/J/JC/K/KC (92-98)
36 Yamaha XT-350 L/LC/M/MC (99-00)
36 Yamaha IT-400 C/D/E/F (76-79)
36 Yamaha IT-425 G (80)
36 Yamaha TT-500 C/D/E (76-78)
36 Yamaha TT-500 F/G/H (79-81)
36 Yamaha XT-500 C/D/E/F/G/H (76-81)
36 Yamaha XV-500K "Virago" (83)
36 Yamaha XV-535 T/TC/U "Virago" (87-88)
36 Yamaha XV-535 E/EC/F/FC/SF/SFC/G/GC/SG/SGC "Virago" (93-95)
36 Yamaha XV-535 H/HC/SH/SHC/J/JC/SJ/SJC "Virago" (96-97)
36 Yamaha XV-535 K/KC/L/LC "Virago" (98-99)
36 Yamaha XJ-550 H/J/K "Maxim" (81-83)
36 Yamaha FJ-600 L/LC/N/NC (84-85)
36 Yamaha FZ-600 S/SC/T/TC/U/UC (86-88)
36 Yamaha SRX-600 S/SC (86)
36 Yamaha YX-600 S/SC/T/TC/U/UC/W/WC/A/AC "Radian" (86-90)
36 Yamaha XJ-650 G/H "Maxim" (80-81)
36 Yamaha XJ-650 J/K "Maxim" (82-83)
36 Yamaha XJ-650 RJ "Seca" (82)
36 Yamaha XJ-750J/K "Maxim" (82-83)
36 Yamaha XJ-750RH/RJ/RK "Seca" (81-83)
36 Yamaha XS-750 2D (77)
36 Yamaha XS-750 E/F (78-79)
36 Yamaha XV-750 H "Virago" (81)
36 Yamaha XV-750 J/K "Virago" (82-83)
36 Yamaha XV-750 MK "Virago" (83),
36 Yamaha XS-850 G/H (80-81)
36 Yamaha XS-850 LG/LH/SG/SH (80-81)
36 Yamaha XV-920 J "Virago" (82)
36 Yamaha XV-920 K "Virago" (83)
36 Yamaha XV-920 MK "Midnight Virago" (83)

Very few clipon bikes on that list. and remember not all factory clipons are the pinchbolt kind, some bolt to the top clamp using vertical bolts and locating pins. The ex250 ninja is like this and won't work (woodcraft makes a pinch bolt clipon for the ex250 in 36mm which is $154). your best bet is probably going to be a 1986-1988 fz600 but good luck finding that since I can't remember the last time I saw a 1980s fz in the junkyard or otherwise. You can't use the fzr clipons because they are 38mm.

I used to shim too large clipons down using copper pipe. copper pipe is so soft it acts like a giant crush washer, the problem was getting the pipe in the right size, sometimes it had to sleeve it a couple of times. With the price of copper these days it is no longer a viable option because clipons are cheap to buy now.

I found these sets and they might work:

cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CLIP-ON-HANDLEBA...?hash=item3a46c8ff60

cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CLIPONs-HANDLEBA...?hash=item3ca757048d

oh...and for converting the controls from internal wiring to external wiring you just notch the control housing. I do it all the time on SOHC hondas, my 1975 cb750 has notched controls and I ride it every day without issue. If you really want to be water tight (your controls are not to start with by the way) then you can use a little silicone sealer where you notched them. takes 5 min and a dremel and is super easy.