Apehanger Install

TOOL BOX
Raising
The Bar
FROM A CRUISER TO A BRUISER
By Tricia Szulewski
HERE I GO AGAIN, ALWAYS CHANGING SOME-
HANDLEBARS & CABLES
SOURCES
10" over stock carbon-coat
clutch cable $48
10" over stock carbon-coat
throttle pull $44
10" over stock carbon-coat
throttle push $44
BARNETT TOOL &
ENGINEERING
2238 Palma Drive, Dept. RB
Ventura, CA 93003
805/642-9435
www.barnettclutches.com
Carbon fiber brake line and
assemblies $20.64
GOODRIDGE USA
529 Van Ness Avenue
Dept. RB
Torrance, CA 90501
310/533-1924
www.goodridge.net
12-1/2" classic apehangers
$91.67
FLANDERS CO.
340 South Fair Oaks Avenue
Dept. RB
Pasedena, CA 91109
800/423-4438
www.flandersco.com
UNDERGROUND CYCLES
631/254-4507
www.undergroundcycle.com
88 RoadBike May 2005
thing on my ’99 Honda Shadow ACE 750. This
time, I decided to try out a set of apehangers.
Why, you ask? Because they look cool. And I’d
heard people say they’re actually comfortable, as
long as your hands are not above your shoulders
when riding. Plus, Paul Spradlin of Underground
Cycles in Deer Park, New York, was egging me on
to let him do more stuff to my bike. So, I ordered
a set of 12-1/2" apes from Flanders and asked that
Paul run the wiring through the bars.
After deciding on the height and pull of the new
bars, I called Goodrich for custom-length, carbonfiber brake lines. Then I called Barnett for a set of
carbon-coated throttle and clutch cables. And as
long as we were cleaning up the cockpit, I decided
to replace my ACE’s headlight glass with the much
nicer one from the Honda VT1100 Shadow Aero.
Now that all’s said and done, my bike looks
awesome with the new bars and cables. Riding it
takes a little more effort than it used to, because
of the reach. But, to me, riding a cruiser is about
compromising a certain amount of function for
style. Right?
3
Next, he located and disconnected all the wiring for the
spotlights, turn signals, and bar-mounted switches.
4
Then he removed the switchbox housings, cables, and grips.
5
1
The stock ACE bars are comfortable and cool looking, but I
was ready for a change.
Next to go was the clutch perch and mirror. Paul then
drained the brake fluid and removed the brake line, brake
perch, and mirror.
2
Before doing any electrical work, Paul disconnected the
battery terminals. Then he removed the headlight ring
from the shell.
6
He loosened the riser bolts and removed the stock
handlebars.
www.RoadBikeMag.com
7
Then he installed the new Flanders bars
temporarily, so that he could mark where he’d
drill the holes to run the wiring through.
11
15
Paul drew a chart of the right switchbox
housing, so he’d remember which wire went
where when it came time to reassemble them.
Paul removed the stock throttle and clutch
cables and replaced them with 10" longer
Barnett cables.
12
8
Paul used an automatic spring-loaded punch to
make the marks. He started drilling with a small
bit and progressively worked up to a 1/4" bit.
Paul removed all the wires, fed them through the
new bars, and mounted the bars.
16
He tightened the nuts on the routing bracket and
adjusted the throttle free play to spec. He also
adjusted the free play on the new clutch cable.
17
13
9
Then he milled the holes with a contoured burr
bit, to make them big enough for all of the wiring
to fit through. To protect the wiring, Paul used a
round file to smooth the edges of the holes.
10
This is about as big as he wanted to go. Any
bigger and the strength of the bars would be in
question.
www.RoadBikeMag.com
The stock wires weren’t quite long enough to
connect and tuck into the headlight shell. The
only way to solve this problem was to splice in
some extra wiring to each wire.
For the brake lines, Paul removed the stock lines
and drained the brake fluid. He torqued down
the new Goodridge line with the provided banjo
fitting and seal washers, and replaced the brake
fluid with fresh stuff.
14
18
Once Paul had all the wiring connected, he
installed the Aero headlight in the stock shell
and replaced the grips, levers, and control
housings on the bars.
The new lines and cables complement the clean
look of the headlight. How do I like the
apehangers? Well, not only do they look cool,
they make riding a lot more challenging. RB
May 2005 RoadBike 89