Is it a big job to change out these bars for some mini apes with internal wiring? I'm also thinking about changing to the low resistance clutch parts. I enjoy doing this type of work on my own but I want to know what I'm getting myself into.

Thanks in advance.

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I did my 16' apes myself it's easy enough you have to change cables and brakelines good time to go to stainless braided stuff .make sure you mark your wires before you cut them

 

sorry not paying attention on a wide glide you might not have to change everything it depends on how much taller the mini apes are go for it you'll be glad you did

 

I just added mini apes to my Dyna T-Sport. I needed some extra pull back and height. I found a great V-Rod bar at my H-D dealer. It is the V-Rod reduced reach bar. It is 31" wide, 5-1/2" high, 9"pullback, and 5-1/2" at the clamp. Now for my adventure...
This handlebar does not have dimples for the wires. I decided to run them internally which really looks nice.
I had to remove the battery, gas tank, seat, and rear fender. Next I had to clip a lot of wire ties and remember where they were. The wiring harness in Dynas is stuffed into the top of the frame backbone. It exits the rear of the bike near the front of the rear tire. There is about a foot of excess wire in the harness so you have to push from the rear and pull from the front (steering head end) to find the plugs for your handlebar switches. DON'T CUT THE WIRES. Just keep pulling until both handlebar switch bundles are exposed. On mine, the right bar was the last one to appear from within the frame. Don't worry about the harness, it is plenty long enough. Take the plugs apart. Part of the plug locks the individual pins in place. When you open the plug the wires come out easily. Leave the rubber seal in place around the wires and you will not have to mark the wires. Now push the wires through the handlebar holes. They will exit the bars in the center. Mount and adjust the switches, levers and mirrors. Now the fun begins. Thread the switch harnesses back the way they came out and allow for lock to lock steering. Don't leave too much slack but make sure they don't pull either. Now reassemble the plugs making sure to match the wires with the color on the main harness. It is easy! Plug the first plug into the harness and tape it up good. Pull from the rear of the frame (behind the battery box) until the next plug is ready. Do the same for it too. Keep pulling until the slack is gone. I used some Muphy's Oil Soap which will wash right out later. Now you have a foot of harness hanging out the back of the frame in front of the rear tire. Double it over, use some more Oil Soap, and stuff it back into the frame backbone. Reassemble the bady parts and test it out. It took me two days to figure it out but I could do the job now in about 2-3 hours. Anyway, it was fun and the bars look good.

 

can you send a picture of the finshed product please. fellow t sport owner. thanks.

 

I like the bars that are in the pictures in your first post. They look like Low Rider bars, which I find very comfortable.

 

I'm finally getting around to doing this. The sentence above is the one that makes me a little nervous. Any other advice?

 

Very simple process, just takes time and a lot of cold beer. I did mine July '05 and the "ONLY" problem I ran into was bleeding the front brakes. I found out later that my master cylinder just happend to go out at the same time and needed a rebuild.

Remove tank to access the harness plug inside left side frame rail. There are two plugs inside the frame 1 for the turn signals and another for your switch controls. Also there is a harness service loop at the end of the frame tube behind the battery that is accessible, this will allow more wires to feed out the top near the neck. You will have to remove a plastic block off plate inside the rear fender to straighten the wires out while pulling on the neck end of the wires. Either solder the wires and heat shrink or you can use what I did, went to the local auto house and found weatherproof butt splices these have built in heat shrink. Stagger you cuts so not to clump all connectors together and just take your time. It sounds harder than it really is but it is so much worth it. On installing the clutch cable, remove side cover and install new cable then install the lever end. Only after the lever end is completed then reinstall the tranny side cover, this causes less pressure and is easier. Plan on a good day and a a half to get this done correctly. I did not reinstall the lights on the bars as factory, instead I installed a small chrome blinker under the headlamp. Less wires to feed in the bars.

 

You don't need to remove your tank, just take off the seat and slide it back, it makes the whole process a lot easier. You can do it. I vote for taller apes, but I am prejudiced...

 

Im all for the apes, i never thought they would be as comfortable as they are, i will never go back now. I tried to do the job without taking my tank off but found that with the tank off i had way more access, there was nothing in the way and i didnt have to worry about hitting the tank. Taking the tank off is no big deal just get two small pairs of vice grips and crip the fuel line at both sides and then snip in the middle.

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