[jukief]

I put Kuryakyn ISO grips on my 800, it was a snap. I liked the ISO grips so much that I bought some for my new bike. I finally got around to putting them on today, and what a huge pain it was. First of all, I couldn't get the darned end cap off the left grip. It was rusted, and it was crossthreaded a bit. I had to grab the vice grips with both hands and put every bit of strength I had into it to finally get it off. Then I had a terrible time getting the throttle cable ferrules into place. It was so easy last time! I was really sweating it , thinking I was never going to get them into place. I finally did, though. I hate it when what should have been a simple job turns into the job from ****.

Now I have to put my highway bars on. I already tried once and couldn't get the bottom bolts to go all the way through. A guy at my dealership told me I might have to use a crowbar to force the bars up into the right position. Guess I'll have to ask the hubby for help next time. I hate that, too. I like to do these things myself.

Ah well. Upward and onward.

 

[Knightrider]

Dont tighten any of the bolts on the engine guard till you have all of the bolts started this way you can get soem movement to catch the last bolt. Be careful, dont cross thread any of the bolts. If it feels too tight while first starting to wind in the bolt or after a few turns its probably cross threading. Take it out and start it again. You may just need to put some force on the bar to get it in a better position to start the bolt. Good luck

 

[Spok]

Now I have to put my highway bars on. I already tried once and couldn't get the bottom bolts to go all the way through. A guy at my dealership told me I might have to use a crowbar to force the bars up into the right position. Guess I'll have to ask the hubby for help next time. I hate that, too. I like to do these things myself.

Ah well. Upward and onward.

I installed my highway bars last week or so and the bottom right mounting bracket was slightly bent inward so that it would'nt go over the bolt hole rather hit on its side. A simple fix was to pull it off and persuade it to move in the right direction with my 5 lb mall hammer. One solid hit and it was done lickity split. I've heard that some folks have had to ream out the holes a bit with a drill bit too...

 

[2WheelFun]

Same thing here with the bars as spok....one of my bolt holes threads did get screwed up a bit so I used a tap to clean up the threads and "PRESTO"....with the Mrs helping me it worked. Funny how all of us have nearly the same issue with these bars.

 

[jukief]

When I first got my highway bars and started to install them, I thought they'd sent me the wrong bars. (The bars on my 800 were SO easy to install.) No instructions or diagrams, and it took me a while to figure out how they mounted. This is definitely going to be a two-man (well, one woman and one man) job. I'm anxious to get them on, though. The bike feels kind of naked without them.

Thanks for the advice, guys!

And speaking of highway bars, do any of you guys have highway bar covers? My MSF instructor claims they work a lot better than lowers to prevent buffeting and keep foreign objects from hitting your legs. I don't know what to think about them.

http://www.accessoryinternational.c...e=PUDS105268&Category_Code=HIGHWAY_BAR_COVERS

 

[2WheelFun]

When I first got my highway bars and started to install them, I thought they'd sent me the wrong bars. (The bars on my 800 were SO easy to install.) No instructions or diagrams, and it took me a while to figure out how they mounted. This is definitely going to be a two-man (well, one woman and one man) job. I'm anxious to get them on, though. The bike feels kind of naked without them.

Thanks for the advice, guys!

And speaking of highway bars, do any of you guys have highway bar covers? My MSF instructor claims they work a lot better than lowers to prevent buffeting and keep foreign objects from hitting your legs. I don't know what to think about them.

http://www.accessoryinternational.c...e=PUDS105268&Category_Code=HIGHWAY_BAR_COVERS

Julie...I cannot offer an opinion about the covers....BUT....They do look like they would do a good job of deflecting debris / bugs / rocks away from your lower extremeties.

 

[Spok]

I've seen them on the web but don't have any info on them. They would have to stop some of the air coming up from below and reduce the buffeting. The ones I've seen are basically leather so as far as stopping road debris, much more than a small rock might pass right thru tho.

 

[trikebubble]

I put Kuryakyn ISO grips on my 800, it was a snap. I liked the ISO grips so much that I bought some for my new bike. I finally got around to putting them on today, and what a huge pain it was. First of all, I couldn't get the darned end cap off the left grip. It was rusted, and it was crossthreaded a bit. I had to grab the vice grips with both hands and put every bit of strength I had into it to finally get it off. Then I had a terrible time getting the throttle cable ferrules into place. It was so easy last time! I was really sweating it , thinking I was never going to get them into place. I finally did, though. I hate it when what should have been a simple job turns into the job from ****.

Now I have to put my highway bars on. I already tried once and couldn't get the bottom bolts to go all the way through. A guy at my dealership told me I might have to use a crowbar to force the bars up into the right position. Guess I'll have to ask the hubby for help next time. I hate that, too. I like to do these things myself.

Ah well. Upward and onward.

I learned a little trick that helps from my dad.
Stick your tongue out and bite down on it.
It always seems to work for him.
I resigned myself to the fact a long time ago that nothing ever works right for me. It's kind of a Zen place to be.

Good luck, Julie.

 

[tnhunter]

I am glad I saw this post. With too small kids and misses that hates my mistress (1500cc) I find almost no time to work on her. My highway bars came in and when they didnt line right up I put them on the shelf. Maybe I will give them another try.....when the wife is away.

 

[Spok]

I am glad I saw this post. With too small kids and misses that hates my mistress (1500cc) I find almost no time to work on her. My highway bars came in and when they didnt line right up I put them on the shelf. Maybe I will give them another try.....when the wife is away.

any other questions you might have on them bars, give us a shout. this gang helped me greatly with my installation of the light bar, not physically - mentally, that is they made me git rid of the I can't do it syndrome.

thanks to the board for that.

 

[tnhunter]

Actually the parts are piling up in the garage. I had this grand scheme of adding to the bike in the off season, but it is cold out there and I havent really installed anything yet. I have pipes and a jet kit and highway bars and a triple tree and some chrome trim and now I am looking for new grips and pegs and a backrest. I have weights on my handle bars and none of the grips I have looked at say they will fit my bike. A 1987 88se 1500b. Should I post a question asking if someone knows what will fit and how tough it is to put them on?

 

[jukief]

Hey, Nick, I hear you. My husband has been buying accessories for his FJR for a couple of months, but he hasn't installed any of them. The garage is getting full of boxes. His seat is off getting redone, and I don't think he has much incentive to work on his bike when he can't ride it. But now would be the perfect time to do it.

I tend to put my stuff on as soon as it comes in. I can't wait to see how it looks and start using it. The only exception to that were my ISO grips, which I held off doing for a few weeks because I wanted to put them on on a fairly warm day.

I can understand why you haven't done the exhaust stuff yet, though; that's a lot of work.

 

[tnhunter]

I just bought her in the summer. I just wanted to see if riding was for me. I hadnt ridden in quite a while. I spent the first couple of months just cleaning her up and doing all the maintenance she needed. I guess I caught too much from the wife about spending all my time with the motorcycle, so now I have to sneak around with the bike. So when I find time, I would rather ride her than work on her. Make sense? I am going to get to her this weekend now, you all have me motivated. Anyone got a dog house they arent using?

 

[tileandslate]

My dog sleeps in the guest bedroom, actually she sleeps wherever she wants. At 215 pounds she pretty much has the run of the house. I even had to go out and buy a king size bed, thinking I would get more room. NOPE, she now has more room to stretch out. Good thing she's my friend, otherwise I wouldn't put up with it.

 

[2WheelFun]

I am glad I saw this post. With too small kids and misses that hates my mistress (1500cc) I find almost no time to work on her. My highway bars came in and when they didnt line right up I put them on the shelf. Maybe I will give them another try.....when the wife is away.

Sorry to hear about the wife tagging you for time spent on your 1500. Does she enjoy motorcycles / riding? It can be tuff when you want to enjoy a hobby of any kind and the S/O doesn't have the same appreciation as you do. Sounds like she needs an introduction to a hobby of her own?

 

[jukief]

Yeah, Nick, you need to get that woman into riding. Of course, with two small kids, I can understand that neither of you have much time and why she would probably want you to spend whatever extra time you have with her and the kids. That's one advantage of getting old, I suppose. My kids are grownups. Plus, my husband and I are pretty independent, so neither of us cares much what the other spends time doing. The good thing about us getting into riding is that it gives us something to do together that we both enjoy. That's one of the reasons I suggested it to him. We really needed to find something to do as a couple; our interests were just too different before this.

BTW, I'm getting ready to go out and tackle my highway bars again. I think this time I'm going to put the bike on the lift. Hubby has offered to help me persuade those darned things to let themselves be mounted.