After our friend Tommy said he wanted a more aggressive look than what he got with the stock, 10-inch mini-apes on his '07 H-D Softail Custom, we called Hill Country Custom Cycles for one of its Wild 1 16-inch Ape Hanger Kits (MSRP $629.95). The kit is designed to fit any Harley model '90-08 (except '08 Touring models, and fairing and Springer models). The core of the kit is a good-looking set of Wild 1 Chubby ape hangers with 1 1/4-inch thick bars. The beauty of the kit is that it includes switches, chrome controls, and stainless cables so you don't have to play the guess-the-correct-cable-length game. For convenience Hill Country pre-installs the handlebar switches with internal wiring. The 1 1/4-inch bars are reduced in size to 1-inch at the riser clamp and grip ends to accept stock risers, controls, and grips.
When the kit arrived, we set up a "three amigos wrench day" in our garage with riding buddies John and Jeff joining Tommy to install the taller bars. Replacing the handlebars on a motorcycle is not a difficult mechanical task, but it can be tedious, especially if you have to re-wire the electrical connectors, disconnect and reconnect all the controls, replace the brake line and bleed the brakes. Access to a service manual is advised.HB
 1. Hill Country's complete...  1. Hill Country's complete ape hanger kit includes Chubby Wild 1 bars, chrome hand controls pre-installed with internal wiring, Barnett stainless steel braided throttle and clutch cables, stainless steel braided brake line, chrome cable clamps, and electrical connectors. |  2. Here's our bike owner,...  2. Here's our bike owner, Tommy, on his '07 H-D Softail Custom with the stock 10-inch mini-apes. Maybe we can make him smile by the end of the day. |  3. To get started with the...  3. To get started with the installation, we set the bike in a wheel chock with a block under the kickstand and removed the seat and disconnected the negative battery terminal. Then we removed the tank console and unplugged all its connectors. |
 4. Here's John pulling the...  4. Here's John pulling the tank to expose the wiring connectors along the framerail. Removing the tank involves separating and plugging the tank crossover hose, disconnecting the quick release on the fuel supply line, and disconnecting the fuel gauge. |  5. We disconnected three...  5. We disconnected three plugs going to the handlebars: the 8-wire connector (gray) for the left controls, the 6-wire connector (black) for the right controls, and 6-wire multilock (black) for the front turn signals. |  6. John loosened the throttle...  6. John loosened the throttle cables and disconnected them from the throttle body, while Tommy removed the mirrors and grips, which he reused, and the turn signals, which he relocated to the front forks. We also removed the brake line and disconnected the clutch cable from the left hand control. |