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I got a set of KST straight jackets for my 2016 road king for Christmas, my problem is I’m debating on doing it myself or paying to have them done. Everyone I’ve talked to said it’s not a hard job. I’ve don’t bar risers on my last bike, The de pinning the wires is my only concern, I also heard only the TBW wore has to be de pinned, is this true? Best price I got was $240 for the labor on the bars, which could also buy the front tire I need...
You saved money by doing it yourself (provided you didn't break anything in the process). Some jobs do require special tools, this one does not.
You'll know how the job was done (hopefully the right way) and you'll never wonder if it was half assed to get to the next job.
You won't be a prisoner to a dealer or someone who knows what needs to be done AND knows that you don't. That is a big one.
It's nuts and bolts, a human put it together and another one can do the same. This is your chance to become a little less dependent on people you don't really know.
Alex, I'd like to add this. Every time you do a job for yourself and save some labor money, put what you saved into a fund to buy tools, specialty and otherwise. More important than that is not skimp when it comes to quality. You don't need a Snap On roller with 20K of tools in it, you just need some good hand tools, an inquisitive mind and patience.
You saved money by doing it yourself (provided you didn't break anything in the process). Some jobs do require special tools, this one does not.
You'll know how the job was done (hopefully the right way) and you'll never wonder if it was half assed to get to the next job.
You won't be a prisoner to a dealer or someone who knows what needs to be done AND knows that you don't. That is a big one.
It's nuts and bolts, a human put it together and another one can do the same. This is your chance to become a little less dependent on people you don't really know.
Exactly! (at least in my opinion). Not to bash dealers, but I could not understand HD's job time/hourly rates only to find I had to go over everything myself when I got home. I did have a good local Indy when I got the bike, but he changed careers shortly after. So... I figured it was time to start learning to do things myself. I started with oil changes, then brakes, then bars then the cam. Every job gives me a huge feeling of satisfaction and pride, and saves me a ton of money. Tools that you don't already have, pay for themselves in no time.
With that said,,, I will only do what I have confidence in doing. If I come across something critical that I don't have the confidence in doing, I will take it out of town to a pro.
A service manual, YouTube and HD Forums are excellent resources to get you going.
My 2 cents: Take lots of pics before and during teardown so you can refresh on wire/cable routing and where the little details went as it goes back together. Especially when it comes to electrical.
You saved money by doing it yourself (provided you didn't break anything in the process). Some jobs do require special tools, this one does not.
You'll know how the job was done (hopefully the right way) and you'll never wonder if it was half assed to get to the next job.
You won't be a prisoner to a dealer or someone who knows what needs to be done AND knows that you don't. That is a big one.
It's nuts and bolts, a human put it together and another one can do the same. This is your chance to become a little less dependent on people you don't really know.
This is definitely some great food for thought.
Originally Posted by Steve N,
Exactly! (at least in my opinion). Not to bash dealers, but I could not understand HD's job time/hourly rates only to find I had to go over everything myself when I got home. I did have a good local Indy when I got the bike, but he changed careers shortly after. So... I figured it was time to start learning to do things myself. I started with oil changes, then brakes, then bars then the cam. Every job gives me a huge feeling of satisfaction and pride, and saves me a ton of money. Tools that you don't already have, pay for themselves in no time.
With that said,,, I will only do what I have confidence in doing. If I come across something critical that I don't have the confidence in doing, I will take it out of town to a pro.
A service manual, YouTube and HD Forums are excellent resources to get you going.
I’m definitely leaning more towards it. I already have the service manual and I have the confidence on the physical bar change. It’s just the wiring that I’m probably over thinking.
Over the last 45 years or so, working on cars, trucks, bikes or whatever. I have some tools that i only used onetime because the tool was cheaper than taking the car to the dealer. Just my 2 cents. Also my philosophy is it's broke, you have options 1) take it some place to get it fixed. 2) throw it away and go buy a new one. 3) Take it apart and see if you can fix it. Remember it was broke when you started out. you have nothing to lose as long as you understand righty tighty, lefty loosie.
A very common thread on these pages is “I changed my bars and now xyz doesn’t work”. Another less common thread is “my dealer quoted me $500 or more to swap my bars”. Putting these two together, for $240 I know what I would do. I enjoy doing my own maintenance but have gotten better at knowing when I might be getting in too deep for my skill set.
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Should or shouldn’t I?
