Old Britts calling it quits

swooshdave said:
Wouldn't it be easier to get it from Walridge?
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Yes, after two attempts that were incorrect bends, and numerous back and forths with them, they have not offered any solution other than "sold many of those without complaints". Checking other Canadian suppliers shows no one with the bend spec listed on OB handlebar page. So I have two nice stainless bars from Walridge, both the same bend that makes front brake MC sit too high, not clear the bend angle, so I can't get the brake lever where I want it.
 
Original bars weren't stainless though. The Norton EU bars have extra long ends where the grips and controls mount so you don't have a problem rotating the M/C. I think it is unique. Somebody would have to make a stainless exact copy and I don't know if that exists.
 
I have so many parts from oldBritts in my bike that if Ella whistled it would ride itself across the country to them. I rarely had to wait more than two days to get parts delivered, and their ordering system is great. I wish them the best.
 
great tech articles on that site for sure, and hope they are archived.

also comfortably under 50, for another decade or so.
 
Scout63 said:
I have so many parts from oldBritts in my bike that if Ella whistled it would ride itself across the country to them. I rarely had to wait more than two days to get parts delivered, and their ordering system is great. I wish them the best.
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Fred wrote that e-commerce solution himself, if I recall correctly. In the Norton world it was never equaled until the latest AN site. The Old Britts site is quicker to navigate although the order page is pretty clunky.
 
swooshdave said:
To be honest I kicked the idea around but I’m concerned about a customer based that is getting really old quickly and not a lot of younger customers coming in.
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Apparently the pandemic has led to a bit of a boom for the motorcycle industry generally, following a serious decline that had been going on for more than a decade. Adventure Rider Radio did an episode on this recently. I hear auto parts are flying off the shelves too.
 
batrider said:
The Norton EU bars have extra long ends where the grips and controls mount so you don't have a problem rotating the M/C. I think it is unique.
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I'm in that battle right now - do you have a set you can measure. I don't care about the rise. The bar I bought at 27" tip to tip and the only way I'll get the master cylinder to work is swapping the location of the hose and switch and even then it will have almost no ability to rotate for comfort.
 
marshg246 said:
I'm in that battle right now - do you have a set you can measure. I don't care about the rise. The bar I bought at 27" tip to tip and the only way I'll get the master cylinder to work is swapping the location of the hose and switch and even then it will have almost no ability to rotate for comfort.
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I just took the EU bar off and went back to the standard US bar this Fall. It measures 28" between the ends and the straight parts where the grips go are about 7-1/2".
 
Supercat said:
Apparently the pandemic has led to a bit of a boom for the motorcycle industry generally, following a serious decline that had been going on for more than a decade. Adventure Rider Radio did an episode on this recently. I hear auto parts are flying off the shelves too.
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People have more time to fix their own motorcycles and cars. We started loaning some specialty tools to customers since we had some calls for it.
 
batrider said:
Original bars weren't stainless though. The Norton EU bars have extra long ends where the grips and controls mount so you don't have a problem rotating the M/C. I think it is unique. Somebody would have to make a stainless exact copy and I don't know if that exists.
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From OB bar page:

"The factory Norton UK bar (06-4132, $52.95) and measures W 31", H 2", PB 6"."

Im not too fussed if stainless or chrome, as intent to to get a more suitable hand position on the MC side.

What I got from Walridge sold as Euro bars was about 27" long and 3 1/2" pullback. I suspect they are for drum front brake bikes.
 
Tornado said:
From OB bar page:

"The factory Norton UK bar (06-4132, $52.95) and measures W 31", H 2", PB 6"."

Im not too fussed if stainless or chrome, as intent to to get a more suitable hand position on the MC side.

What I got from Walridge sold as Euro bars was about 27" long and 3 1/2" pullback. I suspect they are for drum front brake bikes.
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It's weird. The "semi-western" bars I'm replacing for this guy are 33" wide and the "European" bars I got are 27" wide. The only way they can work is to connect the hose to the inner connection and the brake switch to the outer connection. I suspect that Waldridge sells the same EMGO bars that I got from Wassell. My guess is that you are right - European bars but for drum brakes. I wish I had bought him a 13mm Triumph master cylinder instead of the 13mm Norton master cylinder as the hose comes straight out the end and can go over the top of the triple tree an then down. That's the way one of my Tridents is with the same sized bars and it works well.

So, OB says that US and UK bars are both 31" wide and the UK bars are simply lower and slightly straighter.
 
So the thing is everyone on the forum needs to order from Old Britts until they run out of stuff. I’m going to put in an order this week. Who’s with me?!?!?!
 
They changed the part number on these bars 2 or 3 times over the years. That usually means that "form, fit, or function" has changed.
 
marshg246 said:
It's weird. The "semi-western" bars I'm replacing for this guy are 33" wide and the "European" bars I got are 27" wide. The only way they can work is to connect the hose to the inner connection and the brake switch to the outer connection. I suspect that Waldridge sells the same EMGO bars that I got from Wassell. My guess is that you are right - European bars but for drum brakes. I wish I had bought him a 13mm Triumph master cylinder instead of the 13mm Norton master cylinder as the hose comes straight out the end and can go over the top of the triple tree an then down. That's the way one of my Tridents is with the same sized bars and it works well.

So, OB says that US and UK bars are both 31" wide and the UK bars are simply lower and slightly straighter.
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I already have swapped the hose and brake light switch mount positions on MC, ga ve a few more degree rotation but still makes for less than ideal angle at my wrist. Ive got clutch lever right where I want it for comfort and the brake lever is quite a bit higher, with "euros" from Walridge.
 
marshg246 said:
It's weird. The "semi-western" bars I'm replacing for this guy are 33" wide and the "European" bars I got are 27" wide. The only way they can work is to connect the hose to the inner connection and the brake switch to the outer connection. I suspect that Waldridge sells the same EMGO bars that I got from Wassell. My guess is that you are right - European bars but for drum brakes. I wish I had bought him a 13mm Triumph master cylinder instead of the 13mm Norton master cylinder as the hose comes straight out the end and can go over the top of the triple tree an then down. That's the way one of my Tridents is with the same sized bars and it works well.

So, OB says that US and UK bars are both 31" wide and the UK bars are simply lower and slightly straighter.
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Majorca bars are supposed to be lower and narrower than UK bars. Different p/n.

These are both from BritCycle

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The UK bars I got from Pokes in Seattle were always Flanders bars - for different bikes in the 80s and 90s. The drag bars I had my aunt bring over from CNW when I had her mule stuff over for me a few years ago was Flanders, too.

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But, if OB doesnt have what you want, just wade thru the not so easy Flanders site if OB doesnt have the bars you want. Or, BritCycle

 
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