My ’98 Savage came to me with low, flat, w i d e drag bars (36” wide!).    Here's a photo.  I thought it was cool at first, but soon I came to realize that those bars are too freakin’ wide for comfort.  So I recently acquired a KhromeWerks drag bar – much narrower, with a little more pullback and a slight rise.  I scored it on e-bay – it is brand new and cost me the princeley sum of $2.26 (plus $10 shipping).

My question is – should I, a relative newbie with limited wrenching skills, attempt to swap bars myself or should I bite the bullet and have my mechanic do it?  He estimates a couple hours or so of shop time, so it would probably cost me $100 or so.  I also plan to put new grips on – probably the cushy Kuryakyns.

Is there a bar swapping tutorial somewhere on the internet?  Any advice for me?

I've had my bars off.  It wasn't too hard.  Having a helper would make it easier.  I think you could do it.

Try this gentleman's site.  He gave me lots of encouragement when I changed my bars out.  M.
http://www.jonline.org
Note to file:  check out Bert Heise's site and Be_Savage and read, read, read.  You will probably find the answers to all of your tech questions there.

I did it!  It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, and maybe I'm not as clueless as I thought I was....anyway - I now have new bars and new Kuryakyn grips.

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Thanks for all the encouragement and advice.  Y'all rawk!

Sorry, Susan - I couldn't wait around for you...I picked up the Kuryakins at my local cycle supply after work this evening and started the project around 8 pm -  finished just after 10 so it was too late for a ride.  It took over a half hour to drill a couple of 3/16" holes in the bar - I had to go to my neighbor's and use his drill press.  I'll try them tomorrow (if'n it don't rain).

Susan, did you remove the chrome colored plastic ring from the original grip that is right next to the throttle cable pulley (or whatever it's called)?  I couldn't seem to get it off without destroying it, so it is still on.

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Because on the inner side of the forward-facing half of both handlebar switch assemblies there is a protuding stud that fits into the 3/16" hole, keeping the switch assembly from rotating around the bar.

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It didn't on mine.  I tried to twist it off with vice grips and it wouldn't budge.  Maybe the previous owner who installed the longhorn bar glued it on.  I'll tear it apart again in a couple days and see if I can remove it.

I filed the nub off of mine..  No probs.

I don't think the nub is there to keep the throttle from rotating, but rather to speed up assembly by making it pre aligned.

Just slip it into place and screw it down, rather than having to pay attention to how it's located.

bassman29 wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:10:


Yep, like Kropatchek said mine slid right off.  But if its not affecting anything I don't know if I'd tear the grip off the fix it...  I think that Kuryakyn glue is pretty powerful stuff.