It sounds like you may have your wires crossed on the signals. Either that or make sure your other bulbs are not burned out. I would start with that. The only reason you would need a resistor is if they are LED's.
Do you know if the bike had risers installed? That may be why your hands are almost hitting. If you take a pic of your clip-ons where they mount along with your triple, we would be able to tell you.
