HarleyTechTalk

What does it take to install on an 08 XL883. Can I make all the cables reach, also turn signals and wiring.

hello mate
Not sure on the later bikes, but I'm pretty sure that the wiring should be long enough for shorter ape hangers. Trace the wiring loom down and check. On my older bike the wires were way too short, every one had to be cut and extended -euch! The throttle cables and brake line might be an issue but again you will have to measure up. On my '89 everything except the clutch cable needed to be replaced. Hopefully someone will have done it on the forum to help u...
it is a good idea to upgrade the handlebar mount rubbers to something stiffer too if the bars are higher, gives a nicer feel. Poly ones are good.

Question Andy - I switched out to lower and much wider bars on mine. Everything fitted except the brake line for which I had a replacement made up; I was fitting a cheapy 4 pot calliper at the same time anyway. The bars are quite comfy as is, but I'm toying with sticking in another 2" - 3" on the risers (currently std). I reckon the rest of the cabling will take this but I'm unsure on the speedo cable as raising the bars will raise the clocks also.

Hello mate
I must admit you were luckier than me, but that might be because your bike was originally a 1200cc model, which came from new with ridiculous 'cowhorn' bars, hopeless but longer than the drag bars fitted as standard to the 883 models. Seems strange that they would have different looms, wouldn't think so, but there u go. I did internally wire my bars so they need to be a bit longer too as the wires are not taking the shortest path. My wires were way too short to accommodate 6" risers and slightly wider bars wired internally. You can see from the attached pic the way I had to 'stretch' them to get the wires to fit before I wired them internally - they wouldn't have reached even with small ape hangers.
Re the speedo cable - that should be OK if you have the stock one, for a while I had the speedo on the top of the risers (see attached pic) and it reached OK. If it does not reach, a longer cable is readily available from aftermarket places in all sorts of lengths. The attached pic also shows the bike with a '97 1200 custom tank - 12 litres which is the one i mentioned in the reply to your tank question.
cheers
Andy

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here's another pic - you can see the height of the bars and the stretch in the cables here more clearly. Thinking about it both of our bikes would have the same looms and speedo cable - the cowhorn bars were longer than the stock 883 low bars, but no longer than this.

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