Handlebar Changes
At some point you may be thinking of making changes to your bike. People often start with changing the handlebars, it has the ability to transform how your bike looks.
The are many and various options open to you, form Apehangers to Drag bars and all those in between.
It may seem a simple task to change the bars but trust me its not, there are hidden issues, fly by wire throttles, or longer/shorter throttle cables, clutch cables and brake lines all either longer or shorter. The there is the issue of ABS.
All of these things can add to the cost of a basic set of handlebars.
On average at our shop the changing of a set of handlebars comes in at around £500-£700.
free
Estimate
Colin Wilson
Great work
These guys replaced my handlebars on my breakout, it was a pain in the ass job that was too complicated for me but it didn’t phase them. All done and dusted within a couple of days and they were really helpful ensuring that the handlebar position was right for me. It has totally transformed my bike, these are the Go-To guys.
Response from Brit Chopper Customs
Thanks Colin, always good to get feedback and we are happy you were please with the service.
How long does it take?
Well , how long is a piece of string but Ill tell you now it will take a minimum of one day possibly two depending on what has to be done.
Wiring through the bars
To make your bike look more sleek and tidy and remove all those ugly visible cable trailing down form your switch gear there is the option to place the wiring inside the handlebars, making the whole handlebar area look much slicker and tidier.
This involves in cutting and splicing every wire from the switch gear and possible the fly by wire throttle, as you can imagine this is time consuming and adds extra cost due to the labour involved.
Throttle/Clutch Cables
Not such a problem if you are only installing slightly higher rise bars as there is often an amount of slack in the cable that can be used up to accommodate the extra height. But if you are installing much higher rise bars or much lower bars such as Drag Bars then the cables probably will have to be changed. The same rule applies to the clutch cable.
Brake Lines
Now this is where it can start to get complicated, Harley brake lines by and large are pretty crap, usually rubber lines with crimped metal connectors that cannot be adjusted. This result in new brake lines being required and coming with this change is the added complication of additional fittings such as T-pieces and banjo bolts/fittings.
Then there is the worst case scenario the ABS system, typically on a Harley this is the most expensive set of brakes lines to change, the reason is the linked system of pipes that connect the ABS system to the callipers and the master cylinder, all of this usually needs to be changed out with a series of components which can be very expensive. So be aware if your bike has ABS the Handlebar change is going to be more expensive.
Grips
Sometimes this is not a problem and other times it is, the reason is that sometimes you just cannot get the old grips of the old bars without damaging them, when this is the case a new set of grips will be required, yet again more cost?