In The Wind | A King Goes Ape - Hot Bike Magazine

1 The 16-inch ape hangers kit includes the supplied risers and hardware and black handlebar cover kit. Jon also ordered Harley’s two-piece Black Diamond brake line, clutch cable, switch wiring, Twist grip sensor kit, Tapered black mirrors, and Get-A-Grip grips.

1 The 16-inch ape hangers kit includes the supplied risers and hardware and black handleb

Jon McDevitt bought an almost-stock ’09 Road King, but the purchase was bittersweet. The chromed-out bling machine didn’t necessarily fit Jon’s tastes, so the bike would need to undergo a transformation to get it up to speed with a little more edge, so to speak. Jon’s a young buck (22) and really digs the “murdered-out” look of a Harley.

Since the Road King was dripping with chrome, Jon’s first priority was to blacking out the entire bike, starting first in the handlebar department. Utilizing all H-D components, Jon went with a set of black Fat Ape handlebars with risers ($319) along with a black Handlebar Cover kit ($49.95) because Jon likes that “in the wind” feeling while riding. Because the 16-inch apes are that much taller than stock, Jon also ordered a longer two-piece Black Diamond brake line ($69.95 upper, $139.95 lower), clutch cable ($109.95), switch wiring with cruise ($109.95), and Twist Grip sensor kit ($99.95) to fit the new application. To keep a view on those behind him when riding, a brand-new set of Tapered black mirrors ($69.95) were also chosen. Lastly, to roll on the throttle better, Jon liked the look of the Get-A-Grip hand grips ($79.95) to give the all-black handlebar setup a subtle chrome contrast.

We headed over to Jon’s place of business; the Harley-Davidson Fleet Center in Carson, California, to document the installation and see how the swap would better fit Jon’s needs. Overall, the installation was relatively easy and performed in just a few hours. HB

3 This chrome headlight nacelle will no longer shimmer in the light as Jon was powdercoating the whole lot black. To get started with this project, Jon rolled the bike on the lift and removed the headlight from the nacelle to access the switch wiring, which will be extended to fit the new bars.
3 This chrome headlight nacelle will no longer shimmer in the light as Jon was powdercoat
4 Next, Jon removed the stock chrome handlebar cover to access the risers in order to remove the stock handlebar.
4 Next, Jon removed the stock chrome handlebar cover to access the risers in order to rem
5 Once the handlebar cover was removed, Jon located the stock switch connectors and unplugged the wires from each in order to install the new extended switch wiring.
5 Once the handlebar cover was removed, Jon located the stock switch connectors and unplu

6 The throttle-by-wire unit, clutch cable, and brake line were then removed from the stock handlebar. The stock switch housings were also removed but will be reused with the new 16-inch bar and extended switch wiring.
6 The throttle-by-wire unit, clutch cable, and brake line were then removed from the stoc
7 In order to access the riser bolts, Jon rolled the bike off the lift because the frontend needed to be turned to the right and to the left to get to the riser bolts underneath the top triple clamp. Once he loosened the riser bolts, Jon removed the handlebar and risers as one unit.
7 In order to access the riser bolts, Jon rolled the bike off the lift because the fronte
8 With the stock riser/bar setup removed, Jon installed the new black handlebar cover kit…
8 With the stock riser/bar setup removed, Jon installed the new black handlebar cover kit

10 Jon’s partner in crime, Alan Barsi, aided Jon in the installation by wiring the new extended switch wiring through the 16-inch Fat Apes. He then installed the Twist grip sensor kit, which Harley introduced to replace the stock push/pull cable-operated throttle/idle-cable setup on certain models.
10 Jon’s partner in crime, Alan Barsi, aided Jon in the installation by wiring the new ex
10 Jon’s partner in crime, Alan Barsi, aided Jon in the installation by wiring the new extended switch wiring through the 16-inch Fat Apes. He then installed the Twist grip sensor kit, which Harley introduced to replace the stock push/pull cable-operated throttle/idle-cable setup on certain models.
10 Jon’s partner in crime, Alan Barsi, aided Jon in the installation by wiring the new ex
11 With the switch wiring and Twist grip sensor kit wiring fished through the bars, Alan installed the Fat Apes on the riser clamps and tightened them down.
11 With the switch wiring and Twist grip sensor kit wiring fished through the bars, Alan

12 Jon installed the new left grip along with the stock handlebar switch fit with the extended wiring. Jon also installed the new Black Diamond clutch cable to the left-hand control and routed it down to the transmission.
12 Jon installed the new left grip along with the stock handlebar switch fit with the ext
13 After the bars were tightened down, the Black Diamond brake line was installed to the right-side hand control and fished down to the caliper where Jon used the stock banjo bolt to hook up the brake line to the caliper.
13 After the bars were tightened down, the Black Diamond brake line was installed to the
14 The extended switch wiring and Twist grip sensor wiring were fished down to the nacelle and plugged into their respective Deutsch connectors and plugged back in.
14 The extended switch wiring and Twist grip sensor wiring were fished down to the nacell

15 To wrap up the installation of the new brake line and clutch cable, Alan bled the brakes while Jon adjusted the clutch cable.
15 To wrap up the installation of the new brake line and clutch cable, Alan bled the brak
16 Jon reinstalled the headlight to the nacelle and then buttoned everything up.
16 Jon reinstalled the headlight to the nacelle and then buttoned everything up.
17 Sitting atop the Road King, Jon was extremely pleased with the Fat Apes kit and its corresponding components (trust us, this is Jon’s happy face). Now, Jon is one step closer to blacking out his King while getting that “in the wind” feeling when riding.
17 Sitting atop the Road King, Jon was extremely pleased with the Fat Apes kit and its co