I did my own bar swap on my 08 SG and if I can do that you can do it on your RK. It's really not that tough and you will save a ton of money!

 

I just did this on my RK last week. It's very simple. 3-4 hours tops and that's if you take beer brakes. I used stock cables. No need to extend them for heritage bars. Just be sure to shim your front break lever with something. I used a piece of cardboard and don't over tighten the "spear" on your headlight when you put it back together. It's fragile and cost me $50 for a new one.

 

I also put the heritage style bars on in my garage in 1.5 hours start to finish. the bars were a little over a hundred bucks out the door. I used the stock cables and wiring with no issue. I have a 2013 RK classic.
I guess it really isn't outrageous for the cost at the dealer to be 250 if they charge for the bars and the labor. I just didn't want to pay it. The 1000 dollar and up costs are for the taller bars that require replacing all of the wiring, cables and brake line. i was going to go this route myself but just didn't like the idea of soldering all of those wires and then running them inside the bars. I know people are good at it but i didn't want to spend that kind of money. I am very happy with my Heritage style bars and my riders back rest and just did a 2100 mile ride with that set up with zero complaints.

 

Thanks All,
I'm gonna give it a go. It will (as with most things) probably end up being a less daunting task than I initially presumed. The pictorial Dr. J provided clears a lot up for me(Thanks Doc). I have a service manual. Haven't really looked the procedure over in it yet. I sat on a 2014 or 15 at the dealer. They've changed the bars to be more ergonomically friendly. I wish they'd figured this out prior to '09. The seat was lower as well.

 

I found the Heritage style bars for 80 bucks.... That's quite a mark up the dealership has

 

I have an 09 Road King and did the Heritage style bars on it! All you need to buy is the bars. EVERYTHING else remains the same. NO WIRE EXTENSIONS OR ANYTHING ELSE TO BUY!


As for the seat, a lot of us have swapped out for the Sundowner as well. Between the 2, no more back aches.

 

I swapped mine out on my last dyna. It was pretty simple.

It looks like the fairing would make things more difficult but not impossible. Just take your time.

 

$1000 estimate from a dealer is not out of line for non-fairing bike like your RK. My dealer is $100/hour labor.
I've seen shop quotes of over $2K for changing bars on fairing bikes that require extending wires and cables.

 

If I could do mine, almost anyone can do it!
Not that hard at all.

 

I got a 2011 "Low" Touring seat it's better but not great. I don't know that I can go lower without lowering the bike.