Hey all! I just thought I'd post a suggestion for maybe the more seasoned Harley wrenchers or even company's that deal with aftermarket Harley parts.

Well... I'm going to be putting a set of 12" vintage RSD apes on my 09' Nightster along with 3" straight RSD risers in the next few weeks but I've run into the common question asked numerous times, "What the hell length cables should I get?" I've been doing an intensive search both through my HD catalog, aftermarket catalogs and reading threads on what other people have used as far as cables go when getting taller bars and I've come up with an idea...

Why hasn't anyone made a handy, user friendly chart that breaks down the following: HD Model, Bar Rise, Riser Rise = Cables Needed (with company and product numbers)

This way if someone says to themselves, "Ok, I'm gonna be putting a set of 12" apes on my sporty with a 1" rise". They could look at the chart and know exactly what length cables are needed and product numbers they should go with rather than searching around and possibly ending up with the wrong ones.

Now I hope no one's thinking that this idea is just coming from my inability to find the right cables or anything. I just think that a chart like that would get ALOT of use! It could specify everything from drag bars to tall ape hanger cables from all years of HD models. Everyone would use it sooner or later.

Currently I'm hunting around for a vinyl black set of cables that is gonna work with my scoot. I'm thinking about going with the diamond black set as recommended in the HD catalog under the picture of their 12" mini apes (only because I'm not sure what else to get) but I can't bring myself to drop that kind of loot and I know there's gotta be a cheaper solution.

Just an idea...

 

We are working on it. The Dr. is going to provide this info as it seems most people keep this to themselves as a marketing tool. For 12" bars with 3" risers +8 or 10 should do it.

 

it's all about selling parts.....

 

WRONG!

The RSD bars angle downward at the grip, So you have to figure them as 14" tall when you order the clutch cable, not 12" tall....The obtuse angle or the RSD bars will cause a shorter cable to bind-been there, done that, look in my myspace photo aulbums to prove it. I got those bars on a XL1200C with stock risers and had to add extra length to the clutch cable because of the grip angle on the bars.

I would never trust any chart to tell me what cables and hoses to buy. I've done too many bars and can tell you from experience it's best to first mount the bars and then measure using a peice of stiff wire that you can bend and route like the cable.

Get with Magnum Shielding on your cables and brake hose. Make sure to spec a 35 degree angle on your throttle cables and a 0 degree on your upper brake banjo if you want them to look good and fit well.

Beware that the RSD bars are NOT properly knurled and will wanna spin in the risers. You can fix that with a sheet of drywall sanding cloth from the hardware store-just wrap the bars with a narrow piece before you clamp them in. Use drywall sanding cloth, NOT sandpaper.

Don't expect to internally wire the bars if you splice the switch wires. There is no way you can get the splices to bend when you run the wires. Instead buy the HD extended wiring that includes new installed switch housings and 60" of wires along with proper molex connectors and crimp pins. The whole kit is about 150 bucks....Also make sure to use clear silicone to stick the RSD bar endcaps on or they will fall off.

 

Yeah it seem like there is guess work when haveing to switch cables for differant bars. I have the HD 4" pull back riser right now with 15 degree drag bars and hate the look-want a stock risers to drop the bars more. Well i'm still useing all the stock cables and they are wroking out, but the clutch cable is a bit long and the clutch has to be adjusted out alot more. See i need shoter cables, but witch one's i don't know? If you are going with that high of bars then like was said you might want to go with 10" longer cables to be fine.

 

Thanks for the advice Oinker. It is appreciated. You are right, most bars are different from one another. Cables are expensive and nobody wants a set of cables that don't fit.

 

Thanks for the advise Dr. VTWIN and Oinker! Hey oinker, that's a great idea using the stiff cable to plot my route and measurements before I buy anything! I didn't know about the hassle that the bars cause for internal wiring though. I'm gonna have to look into that kit! Thanks again!

 

Because of the sharp angles, internally wiring them is a challenge, but doable due to the open ends and supplied endcaps. The beauty of the HD kit is there are no splices, so you can bend the wires sharply as required when internally wiring the RSD bars.

The nice thing about the RSD bars is they have open ends at each sharply angeled joint. So all you do is feed the wires out thru the open upper end joint, then bend them back sharply and feed them down to the next joint until they finally exite below the risers.

You need to lube the wires before you attempt to pull them thru the bars. The best wire lube you can find cheap and easy is white lithium grease in a spray can. It will not harm the wires and will eventually solidify and not drip/run out even in the hotest climates yet it will retain it's lubricity. Squirt the grease inside the bars soaking them completely and also the wires.

You will discover the RSD bars are very well made. They exhibit professional welds and use top quality materials. The chrome finish is show quality...BUT, the knurling was done on prechromed metal then chromed over so the knurling is not sharp edged nor does it hold well in the clamps. You REALLY need to use the dry wall sanding cloth if you expect the bars to remain rigidly clamped in the risers. It's a cheap and easy fix, so don't neglect to use it.

You will also discover that not all of the end caps fit properly. Some will be too tight to drive in-the others too loose to stay in place reliably. All you need to do to fix that is use a drimmel tool to grind the bar holes a little until the end caps fit well and then glue them in with clear silicone. Make sure to glue in even the ones that seem to fit well. Do the fitment and grinding BEFORE you run the wires inside the bars.

 

Hey oinker... you wouldn't happen to know a HD product number for the wiring kit your talking about that comes with everything, would you? I was just doing a bit of a search and it's just that there are soooo many different wiring extension kits available that I'm not sure which one is the one your talking about. Thanks again and I can't thank ya enough for the help and advise!!!

 

You want HD-70239-07. It is $142.81 (shipped price) from Zanotti's HD.

Enter part number "70239-07" in Google Images and you will hit the pic of the kit at the top of the page. From there you will see that Zanotti's offers the best price.

Go here to save 20% or more on genuine HD parts:https://www.zanottimotor.com/shopping/partLookUp.html

All you will need once you get the kit is a crimping tool designed to crimp open barrel terminal pins. Lowes has a great selection of crimping tools at a decent price. I do so many bars that I ordered HD special crimp tool #48119 and it cost me almost 400 bucks, but you can get the correct tool for about 10 bucks at Lowes. Your other option is to solder splice the wires where they emerge once you run them thru the bars and then you can heat shrink them afterwards. To do that you will have to learn how to unpin the molex connectors(which is pretty easy).

The kit comes with pins already crimped on the wires, but the wires are 5 ft long, so you will have to shorten them to the proper length once bars are installed. That's ok because the HD kit includes all new pins that you can crimp yourself. As you can see by the pics, they even include the different possible wire connectors. You will only use 2 of the 4 connectors they provide and you will also throw out half or the pins provided.