I have an '09 Ultra and I want to put a 14" ape handlebar on my bike. I was looking at the Hill Country Custom bars HC-BB14C complete kit plug and play. Can anyone give me any ya or na's for these bars and/or give me any suggestions. Thanks in advance and have a blessed day!!!

 

For me, I would leave the swap to a pro, so many issues on here from guys that do their own

 

You're on the right track getting a kit that includes the cable and wire extensions. Too many folks on this forum take the easy route thinking they can get away without the extensions. You should look into Burly Brand bars and extension kits. Two separate purchases but together they will be cheaper then the Hill Country Kit.

http://www.burlybrand.com/

I put 14" apes on my bike a while back. Installation was a giant pain due to all the wire and cable extensions. I've been working on cars and motorcycles since before I was a teenager and it took me 5+ hours to install. If you have little patience and/or have little to no mechanical ability I would highly recommend having the dealer do the install. It may cost 3 or 4 hours of labor costs but it is definitely worth it.

Installation:

The front brake cable is easy to change as long as you know how to properly bleed the brake lines. The reservoir will need to be completely drained to change cables and you will have to replace it with new brake fluid when you put it back together. Check the reservoir cover for the correct type of fluid to use.

The clutch cable can be very hard to install if you don't remove your exhaust pipes before you remove the clutch cover. Also you will loose clutch/Transmission fluid when you remove the cover. It will need to be replaced when the cover is put back on. The clutch cable will have to be manually adjusted to factory specs when you're done.

The wire extensions come with male and female connectors pre-installed so you can add the extensions to the existing wires. You need to remove the wires from the plug connector one at a time. The instructions say to insert a paper clip into a hole to release the pins from the connector. I was not successful on getting a single wire out. I had to cut and splice the wires manually.

 

Thanks Eno for that info since its already riding season I gonna wait till winter. Im just trying to get everything ready and have it waiting so when I start I can go at it with both barrels.

 

I went with a setup from Hill Country (12" Yaffe's) as I didn't want to mess with pulling wires and adding extensions. I also wanted chrome controls which is what the HCC setup comes with, so I didn't need to swap out anything from the old bars - except the grips.


If I ever want/need to put the old bars back on, they are still fully complete so it would be an easy swap.


Yes, I paid more for the plug and play setup, but I am very happy with the end results.


The biggest pain was having to pull off the exhaust to change the clutch cable - some aftermarket exhaust systems might give you access to the clutch cable cover, but most don't.


FYI: When bleeding the brakes, pump the brake handle SLOWLY. Pump it slow a few times then do something else for 5 minutes. Repeat until the handle firms up and you have pressure. I wasted about 15 minutes sitting there pumping the handle like a nut thinking the faster the better when it's actually the opposite.


A service manual will come in handy for guiding you thru the clutch cable swap and brake bleeding.