Well, 5 minutes in, and we tapped out. Wound up getting the Road6 14" apes for christmas. Bought the burly wire kit as well. Got some tools together and brought them to my sisters garage (I don't have one....yet) which is where the bike is stored. The existing bars are about 10" apes, so the wiring had to be lengthened. Well, we started with the left side. took the grip off with the controls module for the horn/left signal etc. That wiring was inside. Im guessing that was done by the previous owner. One of the lines inside the box was a bit nicked. Well, thats where we quit, haha. Pops said were in over our head. He of course said take it to a dealer and have it done. I spoke to someone at the dealer and said roughly 8 hours labor at $65 an hour. Blahhh.

Am I/we overthinking this?? Can it be that bad? My old mans thought was if its going to take them 8 hours, how the hell long is it going to take us? And of course, when he saw the nicked wire, that was it. I have searched all over the internet and this site obviously for step by step videos, to see if its something that I could do, but can't really find such a thing. I will say, we have never bled brakes or changed/adjusted clutches, so that had him a little worried as well. I do have the manual for the bike, but obviously, thats not a step by step removal/install. And the bars that are on there now are not stock. Part of my issue has always been starting the job. I'll usually sit and contemplate my first move for an hour, before I actually touch anything. I would say he's more worried about the wiring, and I'm more worried about the clutch and brake reinstall.

If there was a step by step process or better yet a video, that would be awesome. Then I could decide if its for me or if I'm ponying up. I did find a site that has "step by step" videos, but they charge $35, and I'm a little leery about that. I am also going to call a local indy here in Rochester tomorrow, to see what they would charge. But ultimately would love to save all of my money, haha. What do you guys think? Anything step by step that may help me? Admittedly I sound like a dumbass, but really I'm not. Just new to the motorcycle world. Thanks guys.

 

There are many freebies.... you can just about build your own bike with Delboys videos. Up your Google game. You got this.

Edit: a factory service manual will take you far and help with many basic questions.

 

The best way to learn is do it bud! You can do this!!!! Over thinking and second guessing yourself will kill your momentum and want to everytime! Watch multiple videos if you have to. If its something you really want done just bite the bullet and pay someone else, but I'm willing to bet you can do it!!!!!

 

Fix that nick in the wire too!lol

 

You can do it. Watch all the videos you can. Read posts on the forums. Read your manual. Get to the point where you can visualize all the steps in your head. I had never touched a bike prior to my sporty, and after thoroughly reasearching ( took me a month to fully prepare), I tackled the job. It took me about 48 hours of labor to complete the entire job, but I did a heck of a lot more than just the bars. Road 6 12" bars, new grips, switch caps and housings, custom coil relocation with modified brackets and choke mount and a split coil, plug wires tank lift, wire tuck, LED turn signals, custom wire harnesses. When I got stuck, I reached out to the awesome people on this forum for help, and they never disappointed

 

Just give it a shot. If I quit working on something every time I didn't know exactly what I was doing, I'd never learn anything new or get anything done.

And who cares how long it takes. You're the one doing it so you know it's being done right. Dealer techs cut corners all the time. If you want to ride in confidence knowing your wires are perfect and not going to short, then do it yourself.

 

 

Hahaha, alright! You guys are excellent at peer pressure! Hahaha. Cool, I'll keep reading up and see where I'm at. And thanks for the videos, Rat. I'll check them out.

 

Good to have a helper to lend the third or fourth hand on bars and wires, cable jobs. Take it slow and deliberately, mind your torque.
Spend that 500 dollar savings on more mods.

 

I've done a few swaps with internal wiring mostly on touring models. I'm hoping a Sportster will be a little simpler since I'll be doing one soon. It's usually just common sense prep and be careful. I suggest getting some wire pulling lube from a Lowe's or Home Depot. It helps, believe me. Just take your time. Make a plan. It's not that hard.