After installing my Mustang daytripper seat, the debate was over... the stock low-rise bars was just stretching me too much. After taking measurements and doing the "eyes closed, hold hands at comfortable position, open eyes" my search was on for the bars. I admit the search mostly made me confused but I finally selected a super glide style low-rise bar with Width: 30.25; Rise: 6.5; Pullback: 11.5; Center: 7 (Part# 5000051 from J&P) I ordered the bars with the dimples but chose to drill them for internal wires anyway.

First test fit of bars so I could take measurements: Test Fit photo (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0109%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target8.html)
I used aquarium size tubing to take the measurements for the cables because it held the shape of the cable so nicely. Here's what I came up with:

Wiring: needed to add 8 inches;
Brake Line: went with universal style SS Braided line and 2- 10 mm X 35 degree fittings - brake line itself needed to be 44 inches
Throttle & Idle: Barnett SS Braided - stock + 6 inches
Clutch cable: Barnett SS Braided - stock + 6 inchesHere are a few project photos:
Drilling bars1 (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target0.html), Center hole (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target3.html), Control hole (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target6.html), Drilling bars complete (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target4.html)
Before cutting wires (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target12.html), Splicing wires (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target15.html), Splicing complete (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target19.html), Wires complete and in bars (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0111%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target2.html)
New bars installed1 (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0122%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target0.html), New bars installed2 (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0122%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target3.html), New bars installed3 (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0122%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target2.html)

Two "tricks" that I took from reading the related threads here on the XLForum that helped me the most was first the little jig made from a piece of clothes hanger and two alligator clips for holding the splices while soldering. I can't imagine making 24 solder joints without this homemade clamp. And the second was the advise of getting a vacuum pump for bleeding the brakes. I got mine from HarborFreight for about $25 and I was able to bleed the brakes in about a half an hour.

Now I need some decent weather so I can test out the new position. :banana

Thanks for the detailed pics I am just getting ready to put new bars on mine as soon as I get around to it.

Looks really nice!

Adios

Very nice! I just started working on the exact same project this weekend.
What did you use to "glue" the left handgrip into place?

Please tell me more about the vaccuum pump you got from Harbor Freight. What size/model was it and how did you use it?

Very nice! I just started working on the exact same project this weekend.
What did you use to "glue" the left handgrip into place?

Please tell me more about the vaccuum pump you got from Harbor Freight. What size/model was it and how did you use it?

Actually, I'm not gluing the left grip on. I spread a thin coat of silicon on the bar. In the morning after it has hardened, I will slip the grip on. This will do a good job of holding it in place and will keep it easy enough for me to remove it if I so choose to in the future. I got the idea from the stock bar. It had a couple of rough areas under the left grip that I took advantage of when I initially got these grips. The left grip didn't give me any problems and as a bonus I was able to easily remove it for this bar replacement project. :)

Very nice! I just started working on the exact same project this weekend.
What did you use to "glue" the left handgrip into place?

Please tell me more about the vaccuum pump you got from Harbor Freight. What size/model was it and how did you use it?

I bought the "Mityvac" brake bleeder. In the HarborFreight store, it was on sale for $24.99. Mityvac Link (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=39522)

If you do a search here in the forum for brake bleeding stories you will find several references to experiences taking many hours to bleed the DOT5 systems. Based on my experience with the Mityvac, I can't imagine how I would have accomplished this alone without it. And it only took me a half an hour. I am pleased with the experience.

Thanks for the detailed pics I am just getting ready to put new bars on mine as soon as I get around to it.

Say it isn't so.....You changing something on your bike:roflblack
Thanks for the detailed pics. Very informative and clear.

Thanks for the info. I have at least one more brake line change ahead of me in the next couple of days so I appreciate the tips.

Extending the wiring for my controls was nowhere near as frustrating as changing the brake line has been. I went to the local dealer and was sold a stainless steel, braided brake line kit. One of their service guys explained that I should bleed the line from the master cylinder only and that I didn't really need to mess with the bleeder valve at all. I installed the new line and dutifully spent forever bleeding out the air and re-assembling everything. I took it for a short spin around the block and found that I had no front brakes at all. I returned and disconnected the new brake line at the caliper and there was no brake fluid at all. Closer examination of the brake line showed that there was no fluid because there was NO HOLE IN EITHER END. I assume this was either a manufacturing or packaging defect but there was no way for brake fluid to even pass through the line. I now have to wait until Tuesday when the dealer is open again to recitify the situation. I hope I don't grief about returning an installed part.

Great write up and photos. I too appreciate it, cause I will have to do a swap within the next couple of months.

Closer examination of the brake line showed that there was no fluid because there was NO HOLE IN EITHER END.

Not to laugh at your misfortune, but..........:roflblack That's just too funny. I can't imagine that they were able to make a brake line and forget to put the darn hole in the middle of it.:roflblack

Great write up and photos. I too appreciate it, cause I will have to do a swap within the next couple of months.
Man, I cannot wait to hear how this one plays out...

Sweet and nice write up with pics and ref. #

I'm getting ready to install some buckhorn handle bars on my '01 883. The kit is from H-D which came with the handle bars, brake line and two throttle cables. I'm new at all this, so this is probably a stupid question, but, do the wires have to be spliced/lenghtened? Thanks

I'm getting ready to install some buckhorn handle bars on my '01 883. The kit is from H-D which came with the handle bars, brake line and two throttle cables. I'm new at all this, so this is probably a stupid question, but, do the wires have to be spliced/lenghtened? ThanksThat's an empirical question. It depends on what was on there originally, drag bars? If they gave you new brake and throttle/idle cables there's a good chance you'll have to lengthen the wires too, especially if you've got drags now, but it's not a particularly challenging task. There is usually a little extra wire tucked in there already though, when you cut off the zip-ties you'll get an idea of how much you've got to work with.

Excellent pictures....and those handlebars look nice!

I have the stock handle bars. Probably going to have to extend the wiring knowing how it usually goes. Is it best in any particular location to splice?

I have the stock handle bars. Probably going to have to extend the wiring knowing how it usually goes. Is it best in any particular location to splice?Doesn't matter too much, but stagger the cuts on the stock wiring so you don't end up with a huge wad of shrink tubing in one spot.

I have the stock handle bars. Probably going to have to extend the wiring knowing how it usually goes. Is it best in any particular location to splice?

I found the information in this article (http://www.angelfire.com/theforce2/hogrider02/) very helpful as it shows you how to remove the wires from the plugs and it shows the staggered splices. I chose to make my first splice 2 inches from the plug and proceeded to move up the harness an inch and a half for each additional splice. I also recommend that you make yourself the clamp in the photo from two alligator clips and a length of coat hanger wire. This clamp was incredibly helpful and I can't imagine making the 24 solders without it. Photo (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/images/img_0025.jpg)

Another advantage from measuring up from the plug is that it will require less 1/2 inch heat shrink tubing to encase the entire harness when you're finished. You can see how nice the final product is if encase it all in heat shrink tubing that you heat just until it is about to be a snug fit around the wires. I didn't fully shrink it so that it would be more flexible.
Photo (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0111%5FHandlebarsReplacement/images/img_0003.jpg)

CTD sent me a mail asking for a more details, so I'm posting my reply here as well in case anyone else might find the info helpful...

The entire job turned out nice. You can see a better photo of the bike from pics of yesterday's ride. It was finally a sunny weekend day here in the Pacific Northwest.
BikeRidePhotos (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0205%5FFebBikeRide/)

First, I'll tell you a minor challenge I had with the bars themselves. The bars were smooth and my risers were not perfect circles so I was concerned with the bars moving after they were torqued down. So I cut four little strips from thin squishy rubber and placed these under and over the bars in the risers. When torqued, some of the rubber squished out which I carefully trimmed away. The bars are rock solid.

Next, to ensure I got good measurements for the wires and cables, I drilled the bars for the internal wiring. Then I used small clear tubing to run where the wires would go. Left and right sides measured the same length. When I compared this to my stock wires, I determined I needed to add 8 inches. This turned out to be perfect at the final assembly. Since the wiring is in view as it goes under the tank, you want it covered in black. I chose 1/2 inch heat shrink tubing because I knew I could shrink it down to the perfect jacket size. That being snug but not tight so the harness will be more flexible. Look at these photos and you will see where I cut off the factory jacket. For the heat shrink jacket, I overlapped it one inch over the factory jacket and shrunk that part tight so it would clamp on firmly and not move. The result was beautiful.
WiringPhotos (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/)

Next I used the tubing to measure for the brake line, throttle & idle cable, and the clutch cable. I chose a universal brake line setup and the line itself needed to be 44 inches. The one I got was 45 inches, which I kept, but I think 44 inches would have been just a little better. The other cables were made by Barnett and they use a system of stock length plus extra. For me, the clutch, throttle and idle cables were all 6 inches over stock. These also fit nicely.

And yes, you are right that the throttle and idle cables were a pain in the ass. The carb end was challenging on my '05. The idle cable has a spring on the carb end that fits in the bracket. To hold this spring up while I fiddled with attaching the cable I straightened a paperclip. Took this small wire and bent a tiny loop in the end which I used to hold up the spring. I had to take a length of coat hanger to bend an "L" on the end to act as my extended finger between the cylinders. With these two wires I was able to install the idle cable (twice, came back off once).

Take your time and things will turn out terrific.

Thanks for the detailed comments, it will make the changeover a lot easier. Did you pull your gas tank?

How do the new bars feel to you for reach etc?

Thanks for the detailed comments, it will make the changeover a lot easier. Did you pull your gas tank?

How do the new bars feel to you for reach etc?

While you don't have to pull the tank for the wires, you do need to unbolt the front and wedge a small piece of wood under it to hold it up. But when it came to the throttle & idle cables, the tank had to be pulled. I'm sure most here will cringe at this, but I've never fully pulled the tank. Instead, I've unbolted it and disconnected the overflow tube then with a workbench table on the left side of the bike lined with towels, I've lifted, rotated, and propped the back of the tank down on the workbench. The fuel line has enough flex that it didn't look overstressed at the twist. I'm not recommending this to you, you will have to decide for yourself. For my bike, this procedure works great.

Yesterday's ride was the first ride of any length with the new bars. And I love the feel of them. One of the long trips I'm planning to take this summer is from Seattle, WA down to San Diego on I-5 (quickly) then spend 8 days returning North up US-1 and US-101. For this trip I'm planning to have some sort of backrest. Right now I'm thinking about a tombstone bag (http://motorcycle-luggage.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=MLK4143&Category_Code=) from Kuryakyn. I figure this trip will be around 3300 miles.

Good advice on the tank. It looks like it has a fair amount of plumbing attached :)

Glad to hear the bars are comfortable, that's the main reason I bought them. You did a superb job of routing the wires inside; very nice job on all of it.

Your trip sounds like a good time. U.S. 1 and 101 are really scenic routes especially throught the Redwoods and along the coast. I have a buddy who has a Honda Shadow with the Tombstone bag, he loves it. The beauty of the bag is the backrest when you are solo and it's removable when two up. Pretty good combination.

i was just wondering... since the bars already had dimples in them were the bars just drilled at the dimples?? and can you drill any bars for internal wiring or internal throttle?? probably dumb questions but i just don't know the answers. thanks.

i was just wondering... since the bars already had dimples in them were the bars just drilled at the dimples?? and can you drill any bars for internal wiring or internal throttle?? probably dumb questions but i just don't know the answers. thanks.

I followed the advice I found online. That being to drill a 1/2 inch hole in each dimple and a 1/2 inch by 2 inch slot where the wires exit the bars at the riser. This worked perfect for the type of riser that comes on the customs. If you have an open riser, you might choose a different plan. It would totally depend on your situation. Be certain to file the drilled holes completely smooth so that your wiring will not be damaged from rubbing. Then I took black paint and a little brush and painted the edges as well (it isn't viewable anyway).
DrillingSlot1 (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target0.html), DrillingSlot2 (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target3.html), DrillingDimple (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0110%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target6.html) (half inch hole drilled in end of dimple) WiringInstalled (http://rufusk.myphotos.cc/2006%5F0111%5FHandlebarsReplacement/target2.html)

looks good thanks!