Hey all,

So tonight I installed my shiny new 4 inch pull back risers on my Fatboy.  I just never felt comfy with the stock setup - but more on that a bit later.

The install went pretty easy, and in fact I thought I was going to have to remove the headlight and nacelle, but that was not the case as I could get to the riser bolts from behind the trees.

So all was going well, got everything on the bike and had all the riser clamp screws in "loosely" as instructed - And here is where it gets freaky.  The instructions tell you to tighten the front riser clamp screws to torque spec... no problem there, all good.  Then it tells you to tighten the rear riser clamp screws to torque spec - WTF??  There is no way on gods good earth that you can fit a torque wrench under the risers to tighten the lower screws.  These risers have the riser clamp screws on the bottom - not the top, and because the actual riser gets in the way, the only way to tighten is by had with an Allen Key.

So I had to basically feel the tightness of the top clamp screw, and try and replicate that to the bottom screws.  The bars don't move so that is a good thing.

There was no mention of Loctite in the instructions and there was none on the stock bolts - should I put some on, or is there a reason there is none?

I also had a pretty hard time getting the clamps to sit nicely on both risers.  The left one lined up perfectly, but the right one is a bit iffy.  You can see that it is not lined up perfectly and there is a little lip of the riser that is visible.

I will try and get some pics tomorrow.

Looking at them, I didn't think they would do much over the stock risers, but I had a sit on it tonight and there is definite difference, and I like the look of the clean (no bolts) look of the clamps.  I went for a long ride last weekend (350kms) and by the end of it I was struggling.  Leaning slightly forward for the entire trip did my back and arse no good.

Will be interesting to take it for a ride and feel the difference - if only the rain would piss off long enough!!

Oh yeah... and the stock cables and brake lines had plenty of room - I reckon I might have been able to go 6 inches before running into trouble.  So if you are thinking on 4 inch pull backs, you should have no problem with cables reaching.

Cheers
Mongrel

Thanks Oz,

I sort of scratched my head when I didn't see any loctite on the stock bolts, and my little bottle ran out when I was installing the Sissy bar, so I will have to get me a bottle and do the risers. It will be easy enough doing them one at a time without having to remove the bars etc.

got a pic of the risers?

Yep.... here are some pics. You will see that there is a slight lip on the right riser, and for the life of me I could not get it lined up perfect. I double checked that it was around the right way.

http://gallery.me.com/mongrel#100004/IMG_0072&bgcolor=black

http://gallery.me.com/mongrel#100004/IMG_0074&bgcolor=black

http://gallery.me.com/mongrel#100004/IMG_0073&bgcolor=black

Just out of curiosity, and because I'm going to change my risers, how long are stock risers on a Fatty? I was thinking of going an extra inch or 2. How tall are you? I'm also going a new seat to push me forward a tad also.

Hi Magilla,

The stock risers are taller than other bikes. They come up a an inch or so. When I first looked at these next to the stock ones I was a bit concerned that they would not be enough, and I reckon I another 2 inches would be brilliant - BUT that said, I like where the bars are at the moment. Still have not ridden it yet, as the rain wont piss off, but it feels OK.

I also have the HD Signature Seat for long haul. This moves me closer to the bars again and makes a really comfy seating position. The only problem here is that the boards end up feeling too close. I have the Kurry board relocation kit to put on so I am hoping that will help. I am 5'10"

I am hoping to ride it soon and will let you know how it goes.

Cheers
Mongrel