I recently bought my first bike, an '07 Sportster 1200C, and I wanted to swap out the handlebars and riser for some ape hangers of some kind. I've always dug the look. After a ton of research and finally completing the job, I thought I'd share my process. As a disclaimer, this is NOT a detailed write up on how to swap your handlebars out. I'm a beginner with bikes, but I'm mechanically inclined and decided to tackle the job myself. I have seen many other people ask countless questions about cable lengths, part numbers, risers, wiring, etc. when doing this specific job on a Sportster Custom. After receiving so much help from the community on how to do the job, I thought I'd give back a bit and help answer some questions.

To start, I've included some pics (see bottom of post) and part numbers of the parts that were necessary for this particular job:

Bars and Riser
Handlebars: 12" Road 6 Customs
Speedo Top Clamp: Black Wrinkle (HD pt# 55847-05A)
Risers: Satin Black - HD Pt# 56116-82A (left) and 56117-82A (right)
Speedo Rear Cushion: HD Pt# 67104-95
Speedo Rear Cover: Black Wrinkle (HD Pt #67320-95)
Indicator Light Harness: HD Pt# 68813-07
Indicator Light Bezel: HD Pt# 68513-95A

Cables/Wiring
Clutch Cable (6" over stock): Magnum Shielding in Black Pearl (Pt#42256HE)
Brake Line: Magnum Shielding EZ Align 48" in Black Pearl (Pt#46648SW)
Extended Wiring: NAMZ +8" Pt# NHCX-M08 (probably could have eeked by with +6")
Throttle/Idle Cables: Stock

Necessary Hardware
2x Indicator Light Bezel Screw: HD Pt# 2325
2x Speedo Rear Cover Screw: HD Pt# 2361
4x Riser Bolts: HD Pt# 3210A


A few important notes/tips:

Wiring
If you are internally wiring your bars, then prepare to have your patience tested. Yes, it was my first time, but still...this part of the job took a few hours of trial and error and learning new ways to string some cuss words together. Be patient and do some video/forum research if need be.

If you are wiring bars that have sharp 90* bends like the Road 6 Customs bars, then I would advise to cut the hand control wiring shrink wrap off first. No matter how I tried, the wires would not pull through when they had the factory shrink over them. They caught and grabbed on all the bends, even when all contact surfaces were lubed. I found that cutting off the shrink wrap and then electrical taping all the wires together real tight allowed for the easiest travel inside the bars. Took me 15 minutes to run the wires through once I found this out. I ran the wires through the bars before extending them. They were long enough to get through the bars and out the bottom to allow for the extensions to be attached.

If you are swapping bars on a Sportster Custom like me and you are swapping out the speedometer clamp/riser, then you will need a new wiring harness (part # listed above). There is a difference in shape between the Custom harness shape and the Iron 883/Nightster/Low style upper clamp indicator light socket. It will not fit. Although my '07 wiring harness had LED lighting, the shape does not fit into the new upper clamp I used.

Cable/Wiring Lengths
Be aware that all cable/wiring lengths are specific to this job and the parts listed here. There will be variables in length when using different bars, different risers, internally or externally wiring, etc. However, this guide should be a good place to start for getting an idea of what you'll need.

For example, if you are shooting for similar style bars but with a 10" rise, then you could take my cable/wiring extension lengths and theoretically subtract 2" from my measurements (since my bars have a 12" rise). Again, there are many variables to consider, but you get the point.

Also, goin to magnumshielding.com and comparing the lengths of the cables helped tremendously. You can find out the stock lengths of the cables on your stock bike which will help you decide on how much extra length you'll need with your new bars. I mocked up the bars on my bike and then measured how much over stock length I would need from there.

Miscellaneous

There are many other things that went into this job. Here are just a few:

- The HD service manual was INVALUABLE. Pick one up if you don't have one. It's worth its weight in gold.

- A motorcycle front wheel chock was very helpful. It kept the bike in an upright position so I could get at everything with ease.

- Bleeding Brakes: This was a bit of a b**** for me. But with a bit of patience and research, all went well in the end and I have a firm front brake lever. Get yourself a one man bleeder kit or similar. Here's what I used: http://www.harborfreight.com/one-man...kit-37201.html

- Extra supplies you will probably need: Brake fluid (check which is compatible with your bike), shrink wrap of varying diameter, electrical or self fusing silicone tape, blue and red loctite for reassembly.

Final Thoughts
Hope this helps someone with their handlebar/riser swap on their Custom! As you can see in the pictures, pretty much all the cables and the wiring were spot on as far as length and fitment (as far as I'm concerned).

I also did a 2" tank lift, a wire tuck, and I relocated the ignition and the coil pack. This was all accomplished using DK Customs parts. Check out the before and after pics in the next post. I'm very happy overall with the look.

Please ask away if you have any questions and feel free to leave feedback if it helped.

 

Before



After w/ 2" tank lift, wire tuck, ignition and coil relocation



Rear view

 

Thanks for the info. That is exactly what I wanted to do to my bike but with different handle bars.

 

Glad to help. Feel free to ask away with any questions you might have and I'll see what I can do to answer them.

 

Engine looks so much better with the tank lifted! Does the coil relo lower the coil down so it doesnt block the petcock if you are carborated?

 

AjaBra has a similar article with great pics titled Custom to Low Speedo Change Guide dated 05-29-2012

 

That looks great man. Awesome job.

 

I agree, it looks slick. My bike is an '07 (EFI) and I used the V-coil relo kit which puts the coil down near the bottom of the jugs on the left hand side. Since yours is carb'd, you would just select the kit from DK that is correct for your year bike. They have custom brackets and what not to accommodate the presence of a petcock on a carb'd bike.

I learned a lot from his article. I wanted to build on his article by including lengths of cables and wiring I used so others could get a reference to go by when doing their swap. His part numbers were also for chrome parts, whereas mine are part of a black theme. I also hoped to help others with a few tips here and there to make the install go smoothly...or at least smoother than mine was

I appreciate the love. Thanks!

 

When my bike grows up, it wants to be just like yours. I will be adding this to the never ending list of things I want to do to my bike. Was the Tank lift a pain in the ****?

 

Glad you like it. Thanks for the compliments

The tank lift was a pain only because of the way the tank rests when it is lifted out of its normal stock position. Mine is an '07 so it has the fuel pump bulge that affects how the channel on the underside of the tank is shaped. When it is lifted 2" (like mine is), the bulge makes contact with the backbone of the frame, causing the tank to want to lean to one side. I spent a lot of time cussin and scratchin my head tryin to figure it out. I had to do a lot of rearranging of all the wiring and what not to get it to sit correctly. I also had to shim the actual tank lift brackets with a couple extra washers, but everything sits right now. I think I would have had less of a problem if it was just a 1" or 1.5" tank lift.