Handlebar Replacement — and the Three Things It Drags With It

Changing bars is easy. Changing bars without also buying cables is where it goes wrong.

People budget for the bars and nothing else. Then the bars arrive, and it turns out the throttle cables, the clutch cable and the front brake line are all now too short — or so long they loop somewhere they will chafe. Work out the cable question BEFORE you order the bars, not after.

Tools

• Hex and Torx drivers for riser and switch housing fasteners
• Torque wrench
• Tape measure
• Brake bleed kit if the brake line is disturbed
• Masking tape and a marker
• Service manual

Measure the job before you buy

Bar dimensions that matter: RISE (how far up), PULLBACK (how far back toward you), WIDTH, and CENTRE CLAMP DIAMETER. Getting any of those wrong is a return.

Diameter matters twice: the clamp area where it meets the risers, and the ends where grips and controls fit. They are not always the same.

The rule of thumb: a small change in rise and pullback is often absorbed by existing cable slack. A significant change is not. If you are going up several inches, assume you need longer cables and lines and price them in from the start.

Internal wiring is its own decision. Bars drilled for internal wiring look cleaner and make the job considerably longer, especially routing switch wiring through.

Measure your existing cable routing before you strip anything. Photograph it from several angles. You will be very glad of those photos.

Removal

Support the bike and protect the tank — a bar coming loose drops onto the tank, and that is an expensive fifteen seconds.

Open the switch housings carefully and note the wiring. Tape and label anything that is not obvious.

Do NOT hang the master cylinder by its brake line, and do not let the caliper end take any load. If the line is staying, keep the master cylinder upright so you do not introduce air.

Loosen the riser clamps last, holding the bar. Then lift it clear.

Fitting

Fit the bars loosely and set the angle before tightening anything. Sit on the bike in riding position and check wrist angle and lever reach — this is your one chance to get it right without doing the job twice.

Torque the riser clamp fasteners evenly and to the manual figure, in the specified sequence where one is given. Many clamps are designed to end up with an even gap top and bottom rather than pulled fully together — check your manual before you clamp them metal to metal.

Refit the controls and check throttle operation through FULL steering lock both ways. The throttle must snap shut on its own at every steering position. If it does not, the cables are too tight or badly routed, and that is a safety fault, not a niggle.

Check the clutch cable the same way — correct free play at full lock in both directions, not just straight ahead.

Check the brake line does not stretch, kink, or foul at full lock. If you disturbed the hydraulics, bleed the brakes and get a firm lever before the bike moves.

Check all wiring for tension and chafe points at full lock, both directions, and with the suspension compressed.

Parts for this job

Check fitment for your own model and year before ordering — add your bike and we will flag what fits.

Other Harley how-to guides

This guide covers procedure and judgement. Torque figures, fluid capacities, gaps and tension settings are specific to your model and year and must come from the factory service manual for your motorcycle — we deliberately do not print numbers we cannot stand behind for your bike. Independent aftermarket retailer, not affiliated with Harley-Davidson, Inc.