[dware15glide]

hi guys
fairly new to this forum and was searching thru all the posts. I am sure you all can answer this. the local hd dealer is telling me I need a wire extension kit and clutch and brake extension to install my 12" malos. everything I read on here says that the stock lengths should work. I had it in getting a recall addressed and was going to have them install the bars.
originally they quoted me 2 hours labor but called today to tell me about needing extensions and also that it is now an 8 hour job.
should I say screw it and do myself? I have done some work installing bars and wires on my old bike but not on this bike. sounds like this should be a 2 to 3 hour job on my own.

any advice/help would be appreciated.

 

[kyle31490]

I'd do it myself. I don't know much about the 15's yet but I bet nothing need extended, especially wires. Don't hold me to that. Someone will know for sure.

 

[bigshaqa]

You won't install them in 2-3 hours trust me lol!!!! Don't know about the 15's needing to be extended but prior years the stock wire and cables work without extending them

 

[kyle31490]

I expected my swap was gonna take 5 hours.... Took 37.5 hours. Lol.

 

[JAYDOG198]

We had 14" Factory 47 Odyssey bars put on my wife's 15 RGS with stock cables. U are good to go!

 

[kyle31490]

We had 14" Factory 47 Odyssey bars put on my wife's 15 RGS with stock cables. U are good to go!

You mean stock clutch/brake too with 14's? Good to know for future bike.

 

[Swomack]

I have 13" Twin Peak Apes on my sled and all of the stock cables and wires work just fine. If you plan on going with 14" or taller, you will then need to change out with new.
Swomack

 

[dware15glide]

thanks guys for the feedback I appreciate it. gonna tackle this on my own and I will let you know how it goes. fingers crossed it doesn't take 37 hours (holy crap)!!

 

[kyle31490]

There were extenuating circumstances lol.

 

[Blackbag1]

We had 14" Factory 47 Odyssey bars put on my wife's 15 RGS with stock cables. U are good to go!

Did you install them or did a shop install them? Either way, I'd like to know how long it took you or how much time the shop charged. Since the '15s are fly-by-wire and use hydraulic brake and clutch lines, I'd think the only time consuming part of the install would be disconnecting the WIRES, fishing the WIRES through the F47 bar, and reconnecting the WIRES to their appropriate connections.

And...I'd think the front brake line and clutch line would be simple external bolt-on transfers onto the new bar since there'd be no need to drain/bleed anything cuz neither of these two lines/reservoirs need to be cracked open, right? And since its a shark, the fairing stays put unlike the bats.

So...the 10hrs to 48hrs and $1000 labor that shops are charging for bar swaps is really meant for the bats, not the Sharks, right? And I'm going to guess that a bar swap on a 2015 shark WITH NO wire/cable/hose EXTENSIONS is about a 3-4hr 1st-time job for the competent at-home DYIer....and a 2hr job for a shop that had done a bunch of them. And im betting the 1.5" I.D. bars make the swap easier still. Am I wrong about this? I've asked this question a few times before, but never got anyone to answer up about the ease or difficulty of 2015 shark bar swap....I hope I get one now. thanks!

 

[gjpollman]

I just installed my 12" malo bars last week. easy to do since you don't have to pull apart the wire harness like with the older ones as they fit right through the bar... would have gone smoother if I replaced the TBW with the CVO one but overall the 1.5" bars were easy compared to the ones I had on my 2012 RG.

For those that didn't know the wires are connected to the switches with little 4 pin connectors so they can be fed from the center of the bar up to the grips very easily. I would say the whole project took me 4 hours (about of hour the day before to remove everything) and then 3 to pull the wires and get everything realigned the way I wanted it.

I heard that 14" malos will work with stock cables but honestly I don't know how, the wires were about at their end with the 12" so I am not sure where I could have pulled 2" more from. That said the clutch and brake line definitely has enough slack once I removed the little ziptie on them inside the speedo cluster.

 

[fdny136]

I did 14" on my cvo road glide .easiest install I have done yet all stock cables etc

 

[kyle31490]

If anyone is willing, I think someone needs to do a full wright up on this with pics, just like DONKS thread on the 09-13 bikes.

I figured the fairing, ignition, etc would still need to come off and I figured the plugs still needed all depinned before pulling the wires, but I'm not sure after reading some of these. Hopefully by the time I can afford a 15+ bike I'll have a pretty good understanding of the new design. One of my first mods on a 15+ was going to be 16" bars, but if its guaranteed that 14" bars will use stock everything I'd go with 14"s to save the cash and hassle. If I have to extend anyway then I'll go 16".

 

[Blackbag1]

I just installed my 12" malo bars last week. easy to do since you don't have to pull apart the wire harness like with the older ones as they fit right through the bar... would have gone smoother if I replaced the TBW with the CVO one but overall the 1.5" bars were easy compared to the ones I had on my 2012 RG.

For those that didn't know the wires are connected to the switches with little 4 pin connectors so they can be fed from the center of the bar up to the grips very easily. I would say the whole project took me 4 hours (about of hour the day before to remove everything) and then 3 to pull the wires and get everything realigned the way I wanted it.

I heard that 14" malos will work with stock cables but honestly I don't know how, the wires were about at their end with the 12" so I am not sure where I could have pulled 2" more from. That said the clutch and brake line definitely has enough slack once I removed the little ziptie on them inside the speedo cluster.

THANK YOU!!!...finally...someone who actually DYI'd a 1.5", 12" F47 Malo on a 2015 RG...and lived to tell about it...I'd buy you a beer or two and a steak if we were within reasonable riding distance from each other...this is exactly the info I've been looking for before taking the plunge...F47 is just two hours from me

 

[03rkjc]

Fairing doesn't need to come off, just the cover around the ignition switch

 

[Blackbag1]

So when shops tell a Rushmore RGS owner who won't need extended lines and wires that it'll be 10hrs labor at $95 an hour, call it bullshit and find a more honest shop.

 

[dware15glide]

hi guys
fairly new to this forum and was searching thru all the posts. I am sure you all can answer this. the local hd dealer is telling me I need a wire extension kit and clutch and brake extension to install my 12" malos. everything I read on here says that the stock lengths should work. I had it in getting a recall addressed and was going to have them install the bars.
originally they quoted me 2 hours labor but called today to tell me about needing extensions and also that it is now an 8 hour job.
should I say screw it and do myself? I have done some work installing bars and wires on my old bike but not on this bike. sounds like this should be a 2 to 3 hour job on my own.

any advice/help would be appreciated.

update
so I picked my bike up from the local Harley dealer tonight around 530. after going round and round with them and them saying they were the professionals I politely disagreed with them. they stuck to the story that it would be at least an 8 hour job and I would need wire extensions and brake and clutch extensions.
so i got home and jumped on the project and started around 630 this evening. started by pulling the tach and speedo cover to access the simple clips. in an hour i had the stock bars pulled and all the wiring stripped out. it took about 20 minutes to pull the wires thru the new bars and then about another hour to reinstall the new bars.
total time in it was about 2 1/2 hours total using all the stock wiring and hoses. i would agree with previous post in saying i think 12" bars are about the max for the stock wiring harness but i may be wrong. there was not much play with wires but seemed to be plenty with the brake and clutch line. i am not a professional by any means and have wired a few sets of handle bars in the past on my Yamaha warrior. these bars were super easy and would not be afraid to tell anyone to tackle on their own. no pulling pins no soldering just simple plug and unplug.
long story short i saved myself about $1000 and got to know the bike a little bit in the process. so tomorrow i am headed back to the "professionals" to show them that it can indeed be done with stock components and in just a few hours by a novice.
hope this help a few people if they are on the fence with trying this mod on their new 15.

 

[kyle31490]

Please post after you talk to them with their reaction. I LOVE when that stuff happens! Great work!


I had no idea a bar swap on a 15 was so much easier. I'm envious of you guys doing this!!!

 

[Blackbag1]

update
so I picked my bike up from the local Harley dealer tonight around 530. after going round and round with them and them saying they were the professionals I politely disagreed with them. they stuck to the story that it would be at least an 8 hour job and I would need wire extensions and brake and clutch extensions.
so i got home and jumped on the project and started around 630 this evening. started by pulling the tach and speedo cover to access the simple clips. in an hour i had the stock bars pulled and all the wiring stripped out. it took about 20 minutes to pull the wires thru the new bars and then about another hour to reinstall the new bars.
total time in it was about 2 1/2 hours total using all the stock wiring and hoses. i would agree with previous post in saying i think 12" bars are about the max for the stock wiring harness but i may be wrong. there was not much play with wires but seemed to be plenty with the brake and clutch line. i am not a professional by any means and have wired a few sets of handle bars in the past on my Yamaha warrior. these bars were super easy and would not be afraid to tell anyone to tackle on their own. no pulling pins no soldering just simple plug and unplug.
long story short i saved myself about $1000 and got to know the bike a little bit in the process. so tomorrow i am headed back to the "professionals" to show them that it can indeed be done with stock components and in just a few hours by a novice.
hope this help a few people if they are on the fence with trying this mod on their new 15.

THIS...IS...AWESOME...STUFF!!!

I'm no paid mechanic/technician, but after reading lots and viewing a few YouTube videos, I just had a feeling that it'd take a competent dyi'er 4hours tops to swap out bars on Rushmore Road Glides if extensions aren't involved and all parts and tools are ready to go. Dealerships and indys who quote 10hrs+ for your exact install are just being lazy, greedy, and dishonest. I could see how 10hrs could be applicable for all the Bats and pre-rushmore Sharks, but not the Rushmore Sharks. Thanks again for sharing your experience and giving some of us fence-sitters new hope and encouragement to do this ourselves!

 

[turbochrisb]

Agreed.....cant wait to hear what they said!

Please post after you talk to them with their reaction. I LOVE when that stuff happens! Great work!


I had no idea a bar swap on a 15 was so much easier. I'm envious of you guys doing this!!!