Some of you probably saw my new 1200L in the “what did you do thread.” I am flirting with the idea of some short, tasteful, comfortable bars to make this bike a little more friendly for someone 6 feet tall. I was talking to a work associates employee yesterday who put some 12” on his and he claimed I could pull it off without a new cable set. I know there are variables, but general do you find that to be true?

 

In general, yes. I've done it twice, both times on softails.

 

Is not the cheapest or easiest route to take, but you'll probably be a lot happier if you just find the bars you want, and do what you have to to make them fit. Don't cheap out and limit yourself to bars that will work with your stock cables and wiring.

What I like to do is use pvc pipe and fittings to mock up some ideas. See what you really like best.

 

Emory70 makes a very good point. Cables that are even a little too short are bad news. The cable lenghts to bar height match that the factory goes are what you want. Keep in mind that cable length 'free play' is important to more than just having enough to accomodate 'lock to lock' bar movement (this is especially true witht the throttle cable). Also keep in mind that the factory goes with the bare minimum, yet still safe, cable lenght as a cost cutting measure.

 

So here is the second question, is there a rule of thumb for matching cables to bars?