My Light Bar

[Dean]

A lot of people laugh when I tell them about my light bar, but I don’t care. It works, looks good and adds strength to the crash bars. After looking around for a factory one or an after market one – I decided to make my own. I do not remember the details as far as length, width and things like that, but this is basically what I did.
First I found a quality chrome towel bar (like the ones you see in bathrooms and such - see your laughing already) that was the same as the outside width of the crash bars. I cut it down to just a shade over the length of the width between crash bar ends. I found a nice steel pipe that was about the width of the inside of the towel bar. I cut it to length so that it would end up stopping up against the curve of the crash bar on both sides. I did end up grinding it down ( no lathe available ) to make it thinner so I could slide it into the crash bar ends and the towel bar. I painted it with a good spray can of enamel paint, so it wouldn’t rust over night. Then I just loosened up the crash bars so I could get the “light bar” in between and tightened them up again. Cheap to make, looks good ( even after about 3 years) and strong as a rock. I drilled and tapped the bar and pipe so I could attach my extra lights.

The End.

[kenquinn]

Dean,

Sounds interesting. I'd like to see a few photos.

kenquinn

[flip18436572]

Do you have some pictures?

If you can't post them up, email them to me and I can post them up.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

Hey Dean, from what I see and think ........ no ones laughing. As a matter of fact I think a few others have come up with similar work-arounds for certain areas of concern/interest. A big plus to this forum is cost savings ideas that many come up with, so if some laugh at it let them. You can laugh too, the whole way to the bank $ !
Great idea!

[Dean]

I will take some pic's and post as soon as I can.

[tregal16]

I am not laughing, as a matter of fact, I have been working on something like that myself. I just have to go get the chrome bar and make it. Nothing wrong with being frugal

[Mr Jensee]

As long as the bike doesn't end up looking like it was cobbled together by Jethro Boudine, I'm fine with it.

[VoyKimmer]

I did the same thing a number of years ago only I found a towel bar that fit inside the crash bars. I cut it to length to the curves on each crash bar and bolted back up. Looks like solid crome all the way across and strong to. Accidentilly laid my bike over hard and it did not budge or bend the bars. Did this before I had it and bent the crash bar on the right side and cracked it so had to buy a new one.

[Mr Jensee]

Kim it would be great if you could post a picture or two of it. I'd like to make such a bar sometime in the future. The light bars I've found on Ebay are bidding up in the $200 range.

[VoyKimmer]

I will send them to Gary so he can post them for me. I don't know how.
Kim

[Rhinestone Kawboy]

Ok, here they are: (Kim- there is directions in the announcement section of most forums on how to post pictures in them).




I might add, that I seen that Marvellas had an accessory light bar available at the Rally. It was quite inexpensive and looked good. The last I looked, it was not on Marvellas's website, so you might want to contact them and inquire.

http://www.marvellas.com

[Mr Jensee]

Those pictures look great. I went to Marvella's site and nowhere on there could I locate a light bar though...

[flip18436572]

That is why Gary said to contact them, because he did not see it on their website.

[Mike in Pekin , Il]

who cares if it works for you and you like it. I saw a voyager today the gentlman had used cb antenna mount brackest to install his passing lamps. cheap, looks good, won't rust. whatever it takes.

[tregal16]

Over the weekend I finally got out to look for chrome "towel bars". I went to the hardware store, they sold Safety+First grab bars. I ended up buying at Ollie's (Discount store) for $10.00 it is 7/8" OD which fits exactly inside the factory crash bars, it was 24 inches long, I ended up cutting the bar down to about 21 inches. My thoughts are I am going to drill a hole and bolt it. However I imagine you could leave it the 24 inches and would be ok. I will have to get some pics and I will post them if anyone is interested.

[flip18436572]

What about drilling holes on the back side and just using pop rivets that wouldn't be seen by most people. They are easy to drill out if you have to replace the bar for some reason.

[tregal16]

I didn't think about that. That is a good idea.
Thanks, I will think about that.