Straighten handlebars
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 204
Likes: 0
From: Cleveland Ohio
Mine have been crooked from day one. I can straighten it if I turn to the opposite lock and twist. Like the others have said it is the risers. Im just to lazy to take all of the tin off to fix it right.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,705
Likes: 22,718
From: Farmington ,MS
Most Harleys with stock rubber bushings in the risers suffer from this. You can put the tire against a curb and push them back straight, but they won't stay. Poly riser bushings are the only true fix...or just ride the bike and don't worry about it.
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 717
Likes: 1
From: Drexel Hill, Pa
You can be out of line with the poly's too. Mine were straght with the factory rubber bushings and when I switched to polys I was out of line. You have to just mess with them until you get them where you want them. t's not too bad with drag bars, but we did my boy 16" apes and you can really see there not true.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 5,294
Likes: 149
From: FL
The bars on my NT were out of alignment when I got it. I had the dealer put on braided cables, new risers and the poly bushings and figured they would be straight when I got it back. They weren't, but it's as simple as hspring03 said. I just loosened the risers and aligned them.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,205
Likes: 3
From: Mebane, NC
I thinks he's talikng about the riser bolts that come from the bottom and screw into the riser. They are 1/2"x13 bolts about 2 3/4" long? You can loosen them and adjust the bars. There's more play in them than you might think.
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 337
Likes: 0
From: Gulfport, MS
Handlebar alignment can become an issue when the handlebar clamp hasn't been torqued properly. Try loosening the bolts on the clamp and then re-torque starting with the two bottom bolts and then the two top bolts. Followed the procedures in my maintenance manual and fixed the issue for me when I swapped bars and risers.
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,269
Likes: 7
From: Liverpool UK
Its a known softail issue, poly bushes makes it better but you get more vibration when riding, you can fix it by loosening you risers and straightening, but it will go go back eventually, I've had 2 different places do mine and the second place got it straighter than the first, but it has drifted back a little, you have to live with it, do a search it been discussed many times here.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 7,882
Likes: 5
From: So California
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Road Captain
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 507
Likes: 4
From: Wentzville, Missouri
I recently noticed that my bars were not exactly aligned as well. I also thought that my bike had been dropped but remembered that I had pushed (with difficulty) my bike up into a trailer when I had a dead battery and I must have misaligned the stock risers with unequal pressure. I pushed them back with a bit of force.
