Blackline Black Out | Getting In Control

17 Moving up top, we started with the left-side grip. The grip is glued in place so after removing the switch housing we cut the grip off.

18 Some light work with fine grit sand paper helped remove the remaining glue and smoothed out the bar end so the new grip could easily slide in place.

19 The new grip was slid in place and then the switch housing was reinstalled.

20 In order to swap out the clutch lever, we had to loosen the clutch adjustment.

21 With some slack in the clutch cable, we were then able to pop the cable end out of the clutch perch. The front turn signal mount had to be removed to gain access to the circlip at the bottom of the clutch lever pin.

22 Once the stock lever was out, we then slid the clutch cable into the new lever followed by the clutch cable pin. The lever was then slid back into the clutch perch followed by the clutch lever pin and circlip. We then readjusted the clutch.

24 The stock grip was removed and the new grip was slid in place. We then installed the throttle cable ferrules into their proper slots. When removing/installing throttle cables be sure to keep a finger on the ferrules as they can easily slip off the cable ends and fall off into Never Never Land.

25 Next, we followed the instructions for swapping out the stock brake lever by positioning a cardboard insert between the brake lever and lever bracket; this will help protect the rubber boot and plunger on the stop light switch.

26 Once again with the front turn signal out of the way we were able to access the circlip holding the brake lever pin in place. We removed the pin and lever, then gently slid the new lever in place. We then slid the pin back into position, installed the circlip, and bolted the turn signal back in place.

27 Here’s what the new lever and grip look like. The black lever blends in nicely with the black bars, switch housing, mirrors, and grips. The new grips feature a crosshatched rubber surface that provides steady traction in wet or dry weather with or without gloves. They also have a raised center section that gradually tapers off towards each end and provides a comfortable feel when you wrap your hands around them.

31 The last thing we did was the least expensive part of the entire article. We cleaned up the rear end by getting rid of the stock license plate reflectors.

32 All we had to do was remove the two bolts that secured the bottom of the license plate and then the left and right side reflectors fell right into our hands. The reflector strip running lengthwise across the bottom simply snapped out of the license bracket.

33 Much better. In less than two hours and with some basic handtools, we were able to further enhance the look and give the bike more attitude. Stay tuned as we continue to black out our Blackline and add some more components that will make this a versatile yet mischievous-looking machine.