When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
That is insanely expensive considering the retail cost of the parts. You can do everything yourself (minus the ABS brake bleed which a dealer should be able to do for cheap). If you're going w/8" risers this is a list of part numbers you'll need:
Extended upper clutch cable - 37200379 ($89.99)
Extended upper front ABS brake line - 41800721 ($64.99)
Twist Grip wire extension - 69201804 ($16.50)
Turn Signal wire extension 8" - 69201795 ($16.50) *you'll need 2
Switch wire extension - 69201794 ($29.95) *you'll need 2
I would also get a new set of solid riser bushings for anything above 6.5". Speed Merchant carries a set for $49.95.
As long as you are mechanically inclined enough to remove your gas tank, plug in some wire extensions, replace the upper clutch cable and brake line, you can have it done in your garage in probably 2 hours start to finish. Then you'll just need to get it to a dealer for a proper brake bleed (unless you have the capability at home to do it).
yes i agree its insanely expensive ! especially since they quoted me for labor alone, let alone parts which they told me would be around $500 on top of the risers i already bought ! i should totally do it myself, would be a good learning experience but im a bit afraid to mess with the bike....
yes i agree its insanely expensive ! especially since they quoted me for labor alone, let alone parts which they told me would be around $500 on top of the risers i already bought ! i should totally do it myself, would be a good learning experience but im a bit afraid to mess with the bike....
That's understandable but it really is a pretty straightforward job. Are there any indy shops around you could take it to for cheaper if you bought all the parts? Might be a good option if you don't want to do it yourself. I did the 5.5" risers on my 21 FXLRS and will be changing to the 8" in a couple months and I think the thing I am most worried about is spilling brake fluid on my paint!
Other than the brakes, everything else is pretty easy. I bought all the parts then took the new upper brake line to the dealer to put on. Was something like $150 to do the upper brake line. They called me and said the brake line was to long and I told them not to worry about that as I was changing other part. So that afternoon they called and said it was done and I brought it home and did the rest of the install myself. With risers and short bars running the wires was no problem at all and just put back together in the opposite order you take it apart.
Bringing it back like an 80's slasher movie killer!
So, after a couple months riding with the 5.5" risers (which was a huge improvement over the stock risers) I decided to move up to the 6.5". I did also manage to source a stock FXLR upper clutch cable for $20 so I will be installing that when the risers get here in hopes of being able to return to the stock clutch cable routing through the upper triple clamp. I'm not great at documenting installs, but when I do this one I will try and get some details captured around need (or not) for hand control/TBW/turn signal wire extensions since that seems to be the main uncertainty around going to 6.5". I'll also try to capture whether or not swapping out the upper clutch cable with the 6.5" risers will provide enough length to keep the stock clutch cable routing.
Got the 6.5" pullback risers installed today. No wire extensions or upper brake line. I did source a stock lowrider upper clutch cable so I could keep all the stock wire/cable routing through the upper triple clamp.
There is a bit of work involved if you want to go with the 6.5" risers w/o wire extensions. First, you definitely need to remove your tank to give yourself open access to the rubber grommet that bundles/routes your wires inside the frame.
You'll need to pop that grommet out, and once you do you'll find a hard plastic wire guide/tray attached to a rubber flap. I cut the flap off to get it out of the way, then individually removed the wire bundles from the tray. The tray folds over on itself and clips together, so be patient and find the locking tabs and release them. Once I got the tray out of the way I looked at what wires had the most slack and pushed those the farthest into the frame (checking for tension at full L/R lockout). I then unplugged and rerouted the signal wires to make sure they weren't intertwined with other wires and pulled a bit of slack out of the frame end of the wires (I did this part with the bike at full right lockout as this is where the wires will have the least amount of slack). One of the signal wires is ziptied to another wire so I removed the ziptie. I pulled the signal wire connectors as close to the front of the frame as I could, then started at the bottom of the grommet and reinstalled the rubber grommet. Also, make sure you loosen the hand controls and pull all the signal wire slack you can from there. Once I got the grommet reinstalled, I double checked the slack in all the wires at full L/R lockout and had plenty.
I personally skipped the "purge" when removing the tank, and ended up throwing a P0463 ECM code (which is triggered by inaccurate fuel level reading from the fuel level sensor) so I cleared it and re-fired the bike and the code didn't return. One note, there is an electrical connector that is a PITA to get to that you need to disconnect before removing the tank.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
