I bought a pair of bar-end mirrors, they recently arrived, but I cannot get them to expand in the handlebars. The expandable sleeves seem like they are just strong enough to avoid the conical nut to be screwed down and make them expand. So, instead, the assembly just spins when I try to tighten the screw/bolt for them. There is a 7/8" sleeve and then another one that goes on top that makes it 1". The extra sleeve is thicker and I think that's why it is so hard to expand. The first set of mirrors I got the wrong size, 7/8" only, and that sleeve expanded easily. It was the same material and design as the ones I have now.
I tried using vise-grips to hold the conical nut so I could get the expansion started, which worked to a degree. However, at this point, it's just difficult to tighten any more and the nut is getting pretty marred (I used pliers first which eventually slipped...).
I thought about possibly heating the sleeves up with a small butane torch, to make them easier to expand, but I want to make sure that won't mess the metal up. I believe it is aluminum. Ideas?
I tried using vise-grips to hold the conical nut so I could get the expansion started, which worked to a degree. However, at this point, it's just difficult to tighten any more and the nut is getting pretty marred (I used pliers first which eventually slipped...).
I thought about possibly heating the sleeves up with a small butane torch, to make them easier to expand, but I want to make sure that won't mess the metal up. I believe it is aluminum. Ideas?