Motorcycle Handlebar Riser Installation Tips

There are a lot of reasons to install Handlebar Risers on your Bike.

Aftermarket Handlebar Risers in most cases will significantly reduce rider back, neck and shoulder strain and allows for a more relaxed riding position.  Aftermarket Risers will greatly increase your comfort and lessen fatigue caused by having your arms stretched out for long periods at a time.  Most people that install a set of Aftermarket Risers will never go back to stock.  You also get the added bonus of the Custom Look from the Aftermarket Risers.

For most bikes you will install Four Inch Risers.  Four inch refers to the actual total height of the risers, not how much extra they will bring your bars back compared to stock. 

Four Inch Risers usually will give you an additional 1 1/2" to 2" of additional rise and an additional 1 1/2 to 2" Pullback to  you.  Do not be overly concerned with the difference between 1 1/2" or 2", both will be sufficient in almost all cases to make your ride much more enjoyable.

Four Inch Risers are usually designed as a straight bolt on replacement.  In some cases you may have some minor cable or hose rerouting.  We will talk about that later.

General Installation Instructions:

• We suggest getting a second person to help in holding the handlebars.

• Remove the windshield from the bike (if used) to make installation somewhat more easy. 

• Cover the gas tank with a towel or soft cloth, we really recommend this. Don't take a chance on scratching your tank! 

• Loosen and Remove the nuts or Bolts on the bottom of the stock risers. These are on the bottom side of the upper triple tree.

• Remove any plugs from within the upper OEM handlebar clamps, and loosen the allen bolts.

• Allow the Handlebars to move downward and rest on the cloth that covers your gas tank.

• Remove the Handlebars from the stock clamps and place them gently on the tank.

• Remove the stock Handlebar Clamps from the triple tree.

• Remove the OEM cable/hose/wire looms. These may or may not be reused, and it allows for a bit more of your hoses/cables/wiring to be used.

• If your riser hardware kit came with tubular spacers, place them into the holes in the top of your triple tree now. Install the new risers, replace the windshield bracket (if used), insert the bolts supplied up through the bottom of the triple tree...but don't tighten yet...

• Place the handlebars into the riser's saddle (the receiver in the riser body where the handlebars sit). They should NOT drop into the saddle of the risers easily, but rather be sitting slightly high in the mount.

• Secure the upper riser caps lightly with the top allen bolts supplied. Get on the bike, pull the bars to the desired position. Tighten the top caps EVENLY to pull the handlebars down into the riser saddle. Always be sure to tighten the clamps evenly as opposed to tightening one side a lot, then the other. Tighten the top caps to 10 ft/lbs. DO NOT USE ANY THREAD LOCKING COMPOUND! In most cases should be a small space remaining between the upper cap and the body of the riser, this will allow for full compression of the bars into the riser saddle and a positive grasp of the bars.

• Tighten the bottom riser nuts below the triple tree to 20 ft/lbs. DO NOT USE ANY THREAD LOCKING COMPOUND ON THE BOLTS!. Double check all of the bolts one more time.

In the event that you do need to reroute some of the cables or hoses behind the Triple Tree here are some general instructions:

• Lift the front of the bike so there is no weight on the front wheel.

• Remove the center pivot nut from the Triple Tree.

• Loosen the pinch bolt on each side of the top Triple Tree.

• Lift the Triple Tree up and off of the front end.

• Pull the cables/wiring/hoses behind the Triple Tree.

• Reinstall in reverse order.

Notes:

• Basic tools are all that is required for Riser Installation.  Tools required in most cases are, Allen Wrenches, Socket Wrenches, Tie Wraps, Cutters, and Screwdriver. 
• There are multiple risers available with the correct Riser Bolts for your bike.  You should not have to drill out the Riser Bolt Holes in your triple tree to make them work.
• There is typically a large amount of extra wiring within the headlight bucket. One only needs to grasp the wiring sheathing, and pull gently. 1-3" of additional wiring is easily found in most applications.
• Kawasaki Vulcan's are notorious for having LARGE variations in nacelle and tank location. While this poses no problem for the factory handlebar mounts, it can be a source of much headache for aftermarket riser installation. Prior to Riser Installation on Vulcan 800's and Nomads, you may want to perform the following: Remove the speedometer nacelle and saddle. Loosen the front gas tank bolt (located under the nacelle), and the rear tank bolt (under the front edge of the saddle). Pull rearward HARD, and retighten the tank bolts. Next, reinstall the nacelle. Before tightening the Nacelle, make sure where all nacelle cover bolts are. Place one hand in front of the nacelle and pull rearwards HARD. Tighten all nacelle bolts. Vulcan's are famous for variations in the location of the gas tank/nacelle and this varies a LOT from bike to bike. This adjustment will insure the most riser clearance possible.
• On a few bikes you will find a large rubber washer below your original risers of appx. 1 1/2" in Diameter.  If this is the case and you are using Custom Risers that have a Bottom Dimension that is less then 1 1/2" in Length, we suggest putting a 1 1/2" to 1 5/8" diameter washer over the rubber washer, then the new risers on top of the washer. Some of the Custom Risers like the Twisted Risers shown below have base dimensions of 1 1/4" x 1 1/4".  

Light Bar Wiring Instructions
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