Handlebar risers and wider bars - how much slack is in the stock cabling?

[keithd]

So I got some 2" risers and some motocross-style fatbar handlebars.

At the moment I'm working on the clutch lever and I'm not sure how much slack is available. I managed to get an extra 1" on the clutch cable by removing the right-side cable clamp, and it's just barely enough. The issue right now is the clutch switch wire is about 1", maybe 2" short. :mad-new: Is it possible to disassemble the mini-fairing and re-route the switch wire? I need just the smallest touch of extra slack.

I haven't yet worked on the brake lever. I will not be gaining extra slack from the slack near the brake caliper - that's so the fork doesn't yank on the brake line itself. It looks like I could re-route the brake hose a bit around the top triple-clamp area, hopefully I won't need much. If that doesn't work, new brake cables aren't the hardest thing to install.

Do they make longer clutch cables that'll fit the Buell? If the cable itself were 2-3" longer I could keep the stock routing.

I do have to say, I sat on the bike with the new handlebars installed and no switchgear, and the handlebar position is wonderful. The stock bars were too narrow in both angle and witdth, the new bar fixes both with a bonus of gaining just a touch of rise.

 

[BuellyBagger]

Taking advantage of our rainy weekends to do some wrenching I see! I'd say go with the Ulysses clutch cable if what you've done so far doesn't quite stretch. As far as that clutch switch wire itd be worth a shot to take the fly screen off and try to find some extra wire, but I doubt you'll find much extra. At least u can splice in some extra inside there and make it easier hide/tidy your splice.

 

[keithd]

Taking advantage of our rainy weekends to do some wrenching I see!

Come to Nebraska, they said!
The weather's not so bad, they said!

But yeah, I might need to get a Uly cable. I'll try looking under the fly screen after this hangover subsides...:black_eyed:

 

[keithd]

Update Time!

OK, so to answer my own questions, here's what I've discovered:

This handlebar with these 2" risers that are clamped by the stock bar clamp are about as high/wide as you can go with mostly stock parts. Yes, yes, gold handlebars. I like the black and gold look. :black_eyed:

I bought those cheap Chinese handlebar risers to test it all out - I will definitely get Rox Speed risers later on as they make a version for Buell XB* bikes. My cheap risers work for now, but long term I don't trust them to endure any real abuse.

I bought these bar-end mirrors and they work a treat. I mounted them under-slung to get a tidy look. It's not ideal as I have to shift my elbows some to see, but IMO the style-to-inconvenience factor was worth it. The mirrors have a clear but small field of view, but better than the no-mirror setup the previous owner went with.

A few things I found out the hard way:

• The stock clutch cable is just long enough, but I had to remove a clamp near the exhaust pipe to get enough slack. Rubs the voltage regulator a little maybe. Uly cable would work better.
• The brake line is also just long enough, but I removed the clamp behind the flyscreen housing. If you want tidier routing, you will need a 4-6" longer brake line.
• The clutch switch wire will have to be lengthened. I added about 6" by cutting the stock wire under the fly screen. Soldered and heat shrunk everything and hid it under the stock wire cover.
• The brake switch wire is plenty long, and the left/right control wires are plenty long too. Thank goodness for small favors.
• The throttle cables were the most problematic. I had to drill a hole in the flyscreen housing top corner in order to get enough slack, and just barely at that. Uly cables might work better here if they're longer.
• Finally, you will need to buy a $18 5/8" or 9/16" drill bit if you want to use bar-end mirrors. Motocross bar ends don't have a large enough opening. Drill bits larger than 1/2" are stupid expensive.

I will say that Erik did NOT want folks working back there behind the fly screen. I felt like I was working on a German car or Japanese bike with having to remove a dozen things just to get at the 1 thing you want. In all fairness, Erik also managed to stuff a LOT of things behind that tiny flyscreen, so you gotta give something to get that neat, tidy look.

I bought some cheap shorty levers off eBay. They look REALLY nice and feel good with a 2/3 finger pull, but there is a darn good reason CRG asks as much as they do. The cheapie levers flop around a LOT. Not like they're unsafe, but they do not have that fit and finish that well-made parts do. Just like with the risers, I'll replace these with CRGs or another high-end brand later. The only Chinesium part I won't replace is the handlebar. It works fine, it's a non-moving part, and the small amount I needed to drill out didn't seem weaken it structurally.

Is it worth it? HELLS YES it is. This is the exact riding position that I was looking for. The bars give a Supermoto-style riding position which is very comfortable for me and helps take some pressure off my wrists. The only downside it that it probably adds 4-6" total in width which might be an issue if you live where you can lane split. Hopefully when I have it all back together I can take a few pics.