I have been threatening to put a set of Ape hangers on the cop bike for a couple of years, but after my trip to the Smoke out West last year with Bandit and crew, and seeing all those bars to the stars down there, I was all over it.
These bars are specifically made for Electra Glides, and are bent to clear the dash panel on the inner fairing.
I remember seeing a Screamin Eagle E Glide on EBay once where a guy hacked the shit out of his $40000 bike to fit a set of Apes that weren’t designed for dressers. It looked like hell, and I’m sure he regretted it every time he rode it, hence the auction.
Anyway, here are a few tips for anybody wanting to do the same. These are a fairly new product, and although I saw a few down in the states. Mine is the first newer model glides in these parts with Ape-styled bars.
First thing you want to do is get the bike up on a floor Jack or bike stand. It will make the job a lot easier. I got my floor jack for about $100 a few years ago.
Remove the seat, and disconnect the battery. Remove the outer fairing, and disconnect the stereo, and remove it from the inner fairing.
Once you have the stereo removed, there are four bolts holding the stereo box in place, inside the fairing cover. Remove those four bolts, and pull out the stereo box.
Next you need to remove the ignition switch control, and there is a trick to this, that if you don’t do, you will be scratching your head for hours trying to get to the riser clamps.
Underneath the switch is a small button on the lower left side. Use a screwdriver, or a small Allen wrench to push this button in, while turning your key to the left past the lock position, and facing the bottom of the switch. After doing this, rotate the switch control to the acc position, and lift it off the post. Done… Just that little trick saves hours of contorting your fingers under the dash to remove the ign. switch itself.
Trust me, I did it the hard way when I installed Beach Bars. After removing the switch control, you can remove the retaining nut that holds the switch control in place, and then the lower dash panel, and the riser clamps should now be clearly visible.
Remove both handle bar controls, and clutch, and brake levers, and let them hang from the fairing beside the bike.
When I first bought all the parts I was told I needed to complete this job, I bought, a new clutch cable, both throttle cables, a soldering kit, and some wire harness elements. I was told I would have to extend everything 6 inches.
I should back up a bit here and tell you that I already changed the brake lines a couple of years ago to accommodate the 39-inch Beach bars. (I get bored every once in a while, and change the bike around to keep me from buying a new bike.)
Anyway, the good news here? The only thing you HAVE to change is the brake lines, and the clutch cable. Everything else, including the existing wire harness will fit the new bars.
Now you might get energetic, and decide to cut in to the harness, and add the extra length to run them internally, but I opted for the easy way out, that would put me on the road the fastest.
It isn’t a show bike, its built to log MAJOR miles, so the wiring being on the outside was a good thing as far as I was concerned. Easier to get at in case of any problem. See Bandit’s highbar installation on a Road King for internal wiring tips.
The throttle cables also stretched out the extra few inches needed, so no need to change them, unless you want to upgrade to braided lines. If you do, give me a call, as I have two magnum braided lines, 6 inches over stock for sale….
Everything should be clear of the old bars now, making them ready to remove. Undo the riser clamps, SLOWLY, and hold on to the bars as you do this, to prevent them from falling down and slamming in to something, like maybe your tank.
Once you have the clamps backed off, let the bars hang free, and remove the clamps, freeing the bars. Remove the old bars, and you’re ready to rock and roll.
Next thing you need to do is remove the clutch cable. Back off the adjuster in the middle of the cable and remove cable from handlebar lever.
You need to remove the tranny cover to access that end of the cable. Note: Drain tranny fluid first… For some screwed up reason, I skipped that last part, and ended up with a nice mess on my buddy’s shop floor.
Undo the four bolts holding the tranny cover in place, and remove cover.
There is a retaining ring holding the ball and ramp clutch mechanism in place. You have to remove this to free the old clutch cable, and allow you to back it out of the cover. When you remove the retaining ring, CAREFULLY remove the ball and ramp set up, being careful not to drop the 3 ball bearings on the shop floor, and force a 1 hr hands and knees search, and cleanup of said ball bearings, hypothetically speaking of course.
Once this is removed, you can use a wrench to hold the clutch cable at the outside of the tranny cover, and turn the cover to remove the cable. It is easier than turning the cable, as it is still routed under the motor and frame.
Once the cable was backed right out, I could remove the old cable. Note how it was routed to the bars. Clean everything up, and route the shiny new braided clutch cable under the motor, and thread in to tranny cover. Hook up to ball and ramp mechanism, and put back in place. Replace retaining ring, and you are good to go. Clean all surfaces, and install new tranny cover gasket, and replace four bolts holding tranny cover.
Now you are ready to mount new bars. Pop them in to place, and position in the spot with the most attitude, I mean the most comfort…. Tighten them down, and you are ready to start putting everything back together. These bars have a huge range in movement, so I can see myself pulling them back a bit when on a long trip, but for now, I just put them as far forward as I could.
They are great.
I also changed the grips at this time, so I had to pull the throttle cables out, and install on new grips. Not a big deal, just be careful not to kink the cables, or chew them up as you will need to use some needle nose pliers to get the job done.
Then its just a case of putting the controls back on the bars, zap strapping all the wires, and cables out of the way, and putting the fairing back together. Top up your tranny fluid, and take her out for a rip. You will notice you feel “Badder” right out of the gate. I should have done this years ago…
Side note: I also included a couple of shots of the brackets I fabricated to replace the inner fairing brackets that keep breaking from the vibration on these bikes. Cost me about $5 and have out last the stock ones by a long shot. The pics are self-explanatory. Give it a try…. See you on the road.
E Man…
Out…..
