I have done bars on my 15 RGS this month (with help) in under 5 hours total. There was plenty of BSing going on. On the newer 14+ you can do up to 14 inch without extending wires and you use stock brake/Clutch lines.
Yesterday I helped put 12" bars on an 03 electra standard. Job took longer due to changing clutch cable and brake lines.
It can be done with help of a friend or two.
Buy the beer and pizza and have the internet on standby in case you hit a snag.
Plus its kinda fun.

 

To the O.P. , if you do decide to tackle this job on your own , don't forget to be very generous with multiple layers of blankets or whatever makes sense to protect your fuel tank and other sections of your motorcycle. handle bars , wrenches , and handlebar controls weigh enough to dent and gouge the tank through a single layer of a blanket or bath towel .

 

Curious if you remember what brand of bushing you used, I will be doing the same with my bar change,
Thnx

 

I wanted 10" Yaffe but wasn't looking forward to doing this on my limited. The dealer service dept said they'd do it for a flat rate of $400 so I bought all the parts online and dropped everything off. Picked it up the next day and couldn't be happier. They did a great job at Alamo City HD here in San Antonio.

 

Drag specialties. amazon.com

 

I haven't done a CANBUS bike, I did the heated grip install on my 16 FLTRU it wasn't too bad not nearly as many wires as there are on an older bike.

My 03 FXD took about 3 hours start to finish when I installed the 14's that included bleeding the front brake. Running the heated grip crossover for my wife's heated grips on her 09 FXDFSE was a nightmare, that braided cable sheathing on that internally wired bike is a pain.

 

450 total for 12 in Yaffees, installed by my local Indy. Opened a shop down the road. former HD certified mechanic for 15 years and former teacher at a technical school. Took 2 days. Guy is busy. Perfect job. HD dealership said 1300 bucks. Lotta overhead at those dealerships to pay for.

 

Each dealer might be different in this regard. I did my own bar swap on my '16 RGS. Months later, I had the kill switch go bad as it wouldn't shut the bike down, had to kill it with the ignition switch. It started doing this intermittently, then just flat out stopped working. I checked everything I could before taking it to an HD dealer, not even the same one where I bought the bike mind you.

I explained that I did the bar swap and have put on 1900 miles and that's when the kill switch issue started. I explained the diagnosing that I did as well. The service guy looked at me like I was nuts, I thought they were going to offer me a job lol, I don't think they're used to people knowing how to work on their own bikes. Needless to say, the switch pod was still covered under warranty regardless of who did the bar swap.

Here's the funny part....the HD tech broke the locking tab off of the new switch pod when installing it. So I have to go back in the spring to have it repaired again.

 

I take my bike to the shop because I'm not a good wrench. Are you offended by me calling them the "stealer"?

 

slowrollin - I believe I was the first to mention that we should refer to them as "dealers - not stealers". I am not offended by your referral.

I was trying to point out that when our inside voices say things - if often comes back to hurt us. Plus, I was mentioned that it is winter tie and you might ask for a winter discount. I am a bit like you - I don't work on my bike

A great example - over the holiday period, I had my XM radio installed. The book rate on this is 1 hour - so, I was looking at $100. All my friends said it was an easy install - but, as mentioned, I will not do my own work.

For Xmas, my daughter gave me a $50 HD gift card. So,great time to get the install. I told the dealer about the card and how pleased I was that she gave it to me.

Install took about 30 minutes - and when I gave them the card, he said, that covers it. Said it was winter time, they were not busy and a real easy install. So, he decided to adjust the rate to better match the actual time.

Yep,we spent extra money on something else - but this is how we support one another.