firebolt custom high bars

[gtp3800]

So I noticed in the last month or two that with the firebolt you dont have many options to get higher bars for long trips or just because you want higher bars, (in my case, 5k miles in 2 weeks is going to be much easier sitting straight up). So after researching here and many other forums I found basically only a couple options. The heli bars from asb which only give you a 1 inch rise for 225 dollars. Ok well that worked but it was still no where near comfortable enough to do any serious long riding. Then there is the lsl kit which is great but I wasnt a fan because of the 400 dollar + price tag. plus its lighting bars, not firebolt bars so I was not a fan of that.

anyways, I realized in order to do this money is going to have to be spent on an lsl.... but then I came across a very poorly described thread on the bw forums. Some guy welded a 3 inch plate on his stock bars to raise them 2.5 inches. he said it worked but didnt say how he did it, or what it looked like, or any reviews. So basically I took my asb high rise bars, had them cut my a welder friend I have and he welded a 2 inch piece on the bars, on top of the already 1 inch rise, so they came out to be 3 inches higher, and of course angled more towards the rider. this brought up alot of questions on how to make this work without cutting the fairing, and I have done it. The bike is very comfortable, i am sitting almost straight up, and no cutting of anything.

I will be taking pictures and will make a post on this thread on how I did it. But right now, I need to run to cycle gear.

 

[kd4gru]

I've got a set of 3" ROX risers in mot using.
Will sell $60 shipped. There a little over $100 new.

 

[Jonny Black]

if gtp doesnt want them I will take them kd4gru


Jb

 

[gtp3800]

Jonny black, feel free to pm him. I made these bars and they work great! im going to post some pictures soon.

 

[Jonny Black]

Thanks gtp I will

also, been trying to search...but not all that great at it, for that 3"s I am assuming you had to get a longer (lightning?) brakes cable? what else did you need? and if you could let me know the part numbers, if any would be great.

I love riding my firebolt for long cruises as well, but the position is hurting a bit.


Jb

 

[rchuff]

gtp get some pics up soon please .

 

[kd4gru]

Try gettin ULY cables, they should be plenty long.
Not to jump this post, it is about higher bars(kinda) , I have a lighting I'm wanting to put ULY bars. Does anyone have one w/ cables , lines, and or controls for sell of trade for a lighting set up.

 

[Jonny Black]

So the ULY clutch and brake cables should be all I need right?



Jb

 

[kd4gru]

I have not measured them , but I would think they would do the trick.

 

[gtp3800]

you wont need uly cables. The lightning brake cable and clutch cable worked just fine with a little bit of room to move, no reroute necessary.

here is a picture of the rewelded bars to give a 3 inch rise.

if you can see they still have the drilled holes for the controls, although I had to redrill a hole to get it to be where I wanted. it also still has the anti rotation knobs at the end. 3" rise from stock bars. they are slightly longer than stock bars to fit 1125 models, but with this drastic rise you will need that extra length on the firebolt as well, the controls hit the 3 inch plate which gives you a wider grip stance, which in my opinion is more comfortable and easier on your body.

now the issues I had was ok cool 3" rise, will cables work? reroute? will it clear the fairing? how much more comfortable is it really? blah blah blah, could not find out any information on this.

so

dont have this same angle in a before shot but you can def tell they are higher. not with that 3 inch rise I probably have them set up about 2 inches higher and 1 inch closer to me.

the cylinder did hit my fairing, so i have to angle the bars and get my brake lever set up to where i want it, all while avoiding that fairing. it takes time to move it a hair every time but after 3 or 4 times of tightening and untightening the bar I got it to where I feel very comfortable with the angle of the brake lever and it misses my fairing by less than a quarter inch. but it misses! which is great news if you do not want to take a dremel to your fairing which was not an option for me.

the ONLY real issue I had while doing this was that very poorly designed front brake light switch that activates your brake light when you apply the front brake. Its this long black plastic clip that is just in a terrible place and in the end I realized it has to go if you want higher bars. So, I cut that switch off and simply used some L shaped connectors. I had to have the cylinder as far to the left as possible to clear the fairing and the metal pins where hitting the 3"plate. So I simply took some pliers and bent them to the sides, then connected the clips and ta da! it works.

what you need to do this mod.

I used the high rise bars from asb because they come with that extra bit of length for 1125 models. which you need or your grips will be half an inch off the end of the bar. those bars are 225 on asb.

someone who knows how to weld. luckily in my case my friend owed me big time so he welded that 3 inch plate in for free. and it looks flawless.

lighting brake and clutch cables.

L crimp connectors

and thats it. Oh and I have aftermarket levers on which stick out farther than the stock. So.... I cannot make a full left turn, which doesnt matter to me because I never really need to have my bars fully cocked to the left. they do get far enough to lock the handlebars. So i tried with the stock levers and they clear just fine.

if anyone has any questions Id be more than happy to help. I can take more pictures. I havent tried this with stock bars but it may be cheaper if you used stock bars and had your welder weld an extra inch of round bar to the end to make it longer. I know my welder said he could do that. I hope this helps alot of you out, I had a very hard time trying to find a way to get comfortable for a long trip and not completely changing the bike. the very VERY nice thing about this mod is that in 20 minutes you could have your stock bars back on and riding aggressive, or if you are heading out for a trip, in 20 minutes you are sitting comfortable and ready to go.

I just hope this is enough for my trip lol.

I hope this helped. Im also going to copy this post and make a brand new thread so that it is the first post. (modders feel free to delete this when that happens)..