Handlebars
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,615
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From: Franklinton, NC
Handlebars
hi everyone, i'm new to this forum. I just bought an 05 FXDC. It looks brand new but is all stock. I want to change the handlebars and give it a 3" tank lift, can anyone tell me the max height I can get without replacing the cables? The bar I'm looking at is a buckhorn and has 8 1/2" inches rise
9 1/2" inches pullback. Next I want to lower the rear with Progressive 412's. Any hints or advice?
Thanks
9 1/2" inches pullback. Next I want to lower the rear with Progressive 412's. Any hints or advice?
Thanks
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 9,193
Likes: 494
From: Richmond, VA
You sound alot like me. I recently bought a 1996 FXDL Low Rider. I wanted taller bars and lower shocks. I was able to install Dyna Wide Glide baby apes with all the stock wiring and cables. I believe those bars are 9 inches tall, but I don't know the pullback. I had to pull the top clamp of the triple tree to free up all the wiring and cables, but there was plenty of slack on my particular motorcycle. See the picture below. I also installed progressive 12 inch 412's in the rear. They are not what I had hoped. They ride much rougher than I like, but we'll have to see what I'm gonna do about it in the future. I really like the lowered stance, just not the ride. I also did the progressive drop in fork lowering kit. That I like quite a bit and would readily recomend it if you wanted to drop the front end as well. Listen to these guys and use the search button. I'm no expert and I would have done things differently had I visited this forum first. They are a wealth of late model info.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,615
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From: Franklinton, NC
Thanks!! I like what you did with your bike, nice bags and pillion too (brand?) what would have done different? You mentioned the rougher ride with the Progressive 412's; did you get the "standard" or "heavy duty"? either are adjustable aren't they?
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 9,193
Likes: 494
From: Richmond, VA
Thanks. The seat is the standard Low Rider seat. Nothing unique and not all that comfy for me, but my wife likes her half of it, and has no complaints. The bags are just ebay $22.00 horse tack bags. They work great, but are just a tad small. I can get most of my stuff in them, but my heavy leather jacket won't fit. The shocks, well....I started with the standard 412 12 inchers. Fine for me, but bottomed out with me and the wife. We weigh over 400 lbs together. I installed the HD springs and its decent with both of us, but it rides like a buckboard with just me. Had I visited this site first I would have given Ohlin, Penske or a host of others a try first. But I wanted full cover shocks and have always liked progressive's in the past. They are a great upgrade for a Shovelhead, but I am learning that there are better options. After reading my *** off on these forums, the progressive 440's seem to be a great option if progressive is the brand you prefer. They are twice what the 412's are, so you pay for it. But I'm still a newbie here who thinks an Evo is a late model bike. Search "shocks" and "progressive" and read what the experts say about them. I'm no expert, I'm just a fat guy who likes to ramble on.
Just a note, I have a Penske on the Buell I race and that shock has so many adjustments that I need a manual just to set the thing up right. Its one amazing freakin' shock.
Just a note, I have a Penske on the Buell I race and that shock has so many adjustments that I need a manual just to set the thing up right. Its one amazing freakin' shock.
Last edited by bikerlaw; Sep 11, 2009 at 10:20 AM.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,615
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From: Franklinton, NC
Thanks. Yeah I showed the pic of your bike to my wife... she wants what your wife has LOL I still have the FXDC stock seat but want to replace it with the Le Pera "Bare Bones" solo and add a pillion for my wife. Thanks for the details on the shocks, I heard a lot of good things about Progressive but will do some more checking before I invest. I'm reading my *** off on this forum too. Just ordered a Clymer manual, the HD stealer wants $1300 to extend my cables for new bars.
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Joined: Jul 2009
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Hi NOZEM, I'm a newbie here too. Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents based on recent experience. When I decided to put 12" narrow apes on my 97 FXDL, I searched this forum and others for information on how much longer the the cables need to be with little luck. I found plenty of people switching to the same bars that I wanted to use with estimates of +4" to +10" on length depending on the original bars and bike. I wasn't prepared to make a guess and order, so I ended up ordering just the bars and spent an afternoon test fitting them to determine the length. Turned out that the stock ones worked fine with re-routing the cables outside the trees and some careful straightening and repositioning of the brake line, like bikerlaw said. Anyway, that's the route I would take if you can't turn up anything with a search.
Good luck,
Brian
Good luck,
Brian
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