Harley Davidson Control Clamps.

Harley Davidson has been  good on using the same control clamps for years. It really doesn't matter what year or model of your bike because they are all universal. That is until they released the 2015 Road Glide and it came out with a longer heavier clamp with a pin on the other side. It is kinda random that they did that. The new design does not look bad and the pin on the other side seems to be a safety feature, not to mention the extra weight is suppose to reduce handle bar vibration. But why only do it to the Road Glide Standard, Special and Ultra? The Road Glide CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) is the premium Harley Davidson and it has the older style control clamp. It might be due to the fact the controls are chrome on the CVO maybe Harley never chromed the new style clamp so just settled for the older style. Well thankfully it is only a clamp and it honestly takes two minutes to change them. Our Signature handle bar is designed to fit the Standard, Special and Ultra model for the clamp. If you have a CVO please specify when you purchase so we can make sure the handle bar we send you will fit perfectly. Now if you are trying to run one of our handlebars that is not a Signature on your 2015-now Road Glide all you simply have to do is buy the older style clamps which run around $30 (click here for example). You can use the diagrams below to determine which style you have.

Part Number:41700321 & 36700113

After Market Handlebar Grips.

Factory 47 is a leading manufacture for Harley Davidson handle bars. We make sure each handlebar we sell pasts our quality and safety inspection. We designed all of our handlebars to work with stock Harley Davidson hand grips. We have never changed our 1" diameter and have never had a issue when using stock handlebar grips. We do occasionally get a call about after market grips not fitting but this is always due to the aftermarket grip diameter (a straight line passing from side to side through the center of a body or figure, especially a circle or sphere) being to small. So if you happen to have this issue please check your stock Harley Davidson grips on the handle bar. If your aftermarket grip is to small please contact that manufacture. Unfortunately we can not change our diameter and all of our handle bars are made with the same grip specs. Do not mistake this issue for your throttle sticking and not returning to the neutral position, in that case you simply just might have pushed the throttle control to far in and there is friction at the end. In that case just pull the control outward a little bit to give it some space. Thankfully this is a a very little issue and have only seen it happen a couple of times.

Harley Davidson Risers.

Probably one of the hardest parts about manufacturing a handle bar is knowing which riser to make it for. We ask you a lot of questions before you make your initial purchase because we want to make sure we get you the correct handle bar. For years Harley Davidson was always 1" diameter and no matter what handle bar you had it would work. Well times have changed and Harley Davidson now offers quite a few different risers on bikes. We don't know exactly when but we do know it all started with the CVO models when Harley changed the diameter of the handle bar to 1-1/4" for a more beefy look and they decided to spilt the risers for the springers. In 2015 when Harley introduced the re designed Road Glide it was not only 1-1/4" diameter but it had the wire hole facing forward and a pin in the riser. We try our best to make sure our handle bars will fit your bike but there is some cases where we just can not make a one off custom bar to fit your risers regardless if they are Harley Davidson. Factory 47 is a handle bar manufacturing company and we run all of our bars in production so to stop all of our production for one handle bar would shoot up the cost of the bars. But there is a solution if you happen to have a riser that we do not offer a handle bar for, simply change your riser. If we do make you a custom handle bar we charge at least $100 but it is simply just easier to buy a riser that is the standard 1" Harley Davidson diameter not to mention they cost less then $100. Now we understand if you are concerned about safety, we too are riders and always put safety as our top priority. So just make sure they are Harley Davidson brand so you can be sure they have gone through all the safety requirements required by law. Another reason to change your riser is simply just the look, most customers including ourselves who put the Maddogger on the Softail will change to the older style riser because the new riser is way to high and pulled back. Whenever we look for risers a simple solution is Ebay, just search Harley Davidson riser. We really hope this article helps you and trust us after you put a Factory 47 handle bar on your bike the riser is gonna be the last thing someone looks at. In case you need some technical help please use the diagrams below with our techs so they can further assist you.

Hey Joe, where you goin with that Street Glide.

A while back we where introduced to Joe from our friends at Baggers Connextion. Joe has a super clean 2016 Road Glide with our 14" Assault bars, Shield engine guard and Anarchy bag guards. We first shot pictures of Joes bike over a year ago under the LA bridge but since then unfortunately Joe was in an accident. Thankfully Joe and his wife where ok with minor injury's and have since got the Street Glide back on the road. Only now the Street Glide has a few new upgrades and amazing paint job. Joe is also running air bags from our friends at Shotgun Shock and headers from Bassani exhaust. Joe made a little visit today to Factory 47 and we made sure to take advantage of his bike with some updated shots.

Road Glide Riser Pin (2015-2018)

When Factory 47 first designed the Signature handle bar for 2015 Road Glides we noticed three new things about the riser. The first thing was it now was standard for the Road Glide to have 1-1/4" handle bars and riser diameter, second was the hole for the wires on the handle bar and riser where now forward and not facing down. But last we noticed that there is now a pin in the riser. This pin as you know if you are reading this article started to become an issue, for one you can not adjust your handle bars up or down so you are stuck with a standard position. Second we assumed it was a new safety feature so we did not want to pull it out. So we designed our signature handle bar with a slot on the right side of the handle bar. We took advantage of the pin and we used it as a stop so when you are setting up your Signature handle bar if you go to far forward it stops you before you hit the fairing or if you go to far back it stops you before it hits the tank. You wouldn't notice this installing the handle bar until you where all done and turned the bike and hit something. This was a great solution and will always work for the standard or special Road Glides. 95 percent of our orders for Signature handle bars are those models but we do occasionally get an order for a CVO or Ultra Road Glide, and this is where we ran into another issue. We have no explanation why but Harley Davidson decided to put the pin on the other side of the riser for those models, it is the exact same riser only the pin is on the other side. Now a simple solution would have been to put another hole on the other side until we found out what the pin was for. The Road Glide riser pin is not a safety pin as we assumed it is only a pin to speed up production so when they are assembling the Road Glide they always know where to place the stock handle bar. This is why there is no pin in any Road King, Street Glide, Softail, Dyna or Sporster. So if you do have a CVO or Ultra we do apologize for the inconvenience but you will have to pull out the pin. But don't worry it really only takes one minute, just grab some vice grips and pull up. Hopefully this article truly helps you out and we hope you don't think we are just trying to pull a fast one on you, we are riders like yourself and have been in the handle bar manufacturing business for years so we understand to put safety first above all aspects when designing our products.

Definition of a Vicla.

We do occasionally get a call asking us what is a Vicla? And to be honest it is kinda hard to describe but here is our definition of a Vicla. The term Vicla is a slang term for a style of motorcycle. Typically you see a lot of Softails with this style. It is like having a 1964  Chevy Impala and either making it a muscle car or lowrider, as to having a Road King and making it a bagger or Vicla. The traditional style Vicla will have a 21" spoke rim, white walls, long fishtails, chrome accessories, etching, stretched bags and fender, custom leather, high apes or low beach bars and a custom lowrider style paint job. The style originated in California but has now spread across the United States, we even see a large amount of them in other countries such as Japan. Each and every Vicla has its own unique style and flavor but one thing we can guarantee is its always easy to spot one from the crowd and its always a Harley Davidson. Our most popular Vicla handle bars are the Maddogger and Beach Bar. Plus most people who run the meat hook style will want the Shield engine guard and Anarchy bag guard to match. Here is a few links and some resources to help you learn more. If there is any more links you suggest please leave them in the comments below.

Vatos Y Viclas Espinozas Leather Lay it Low Engraver Gallery Lowrider Mag. Cali Stylz Ranflas Y Viclas SickSickSick HN Apparel 

Springer front ends.

We get some requests for Harley Davidson Springer front ends and we can do it some times depending on how many request we get for them. It is hard for us to just do one bar at a time because of the cost to set up our machines. As of now if you wish to order a handle bar for a Harley Davidson Springer please email us this the diagram below with your specifications and we will respond with in a few business days letting you know if we can take the order. Keep in mind all Springer handle bar orders are custom for us and we do charge $100 extra from our retail list price. Click here to email us.

Here is a example below.

T Bar Adjustable Bracket

The T bar market is growing and we get a lot of requests for handle bars that fit Road Kings, Road Glides and 48 Sportster. If you are familiar with these bikes you can understand why, it is not like a Dyna where all you have to do is pull off the stock risers and bolt a T bar in its place. It is a little more difficult because these bikes have covers or gauges in the way. The Sportster 48 you have to change the complete upper triple tree because the riser is part of it and can not be removed. That is where the idea came from so we designed this bracket which allows you to mount it just like a stock handle bar but it has a plate on the top with two holes to allow you to mount any T bar to it. The major advantage of using this bracket is it allows you to adjust you T bar forward or backward so you no longer have to worry if your bar has the correct angle. Another major advantage is if you ever need to put your stock handle bar or any other handle bar back on to sell for example you have not modified, removed or damaged any of the stock components. Now we understand that by making this bracket it had to be strong and just like our handle bars we made sure to take no short cuts and design with strength and safety in mind first. We only offer this the bracket in powdercoat gloss black and it has our signature Factory 47 plate welded to it so don't be fooled by any imitations. (please notify us if you do see a copy as we have a patent on this bracket.) The bracket will fit any Road King, Sportster 48 and pre 2013 Road Glide (Does not fit 2015-17 Road Glides) Here is the bracket on our good friend Nicks awesome 2015 Road King with our Evil T handle bar. The brackets over all height from top to bottom is 3" and it will fit any standard T bar.

From Solo to Cholo.

A while back we did a Youtube video showing you how to install your 14" Signature handle bars on a 2015 Road Glide owned by our friend Joe Asturi. The video was a huge success for us and has helped thousands of people install there Signature bars since. You can view the video here Install your 14 inch Signature handle bar Since that video Joe has made some major upgrades on his Road Glide and was featured in Hot Bike Magazine in this awesome issue. Joe also has our popular Shield engine guard on his Road Glide. You can see more pictures of Joes bike on his Instagram @joeasturi and to view more shots of the lovely model Elizabeth Velasquez you can view her Instagram @elizabeth_velasquez you can click these links to get more information on the Signature handle bar and Shield engine guard.

Team Show Off My Harley.

Thanks to this great bike scene we live in we have had the chance to meet some great people. A while back we had the chance to connect with Team SOMH when he decided to run our 15" Evil T handle bar on his famous 2004 XL1200C Sportster. If you not familiar with SOMH make sure to follow them on Instagram @showoffmyharley they post awesome shots everyday of riders from around the world. Make sure to show your support and grab some gear from them at http://www.teamsomh.com/ (The handle bar shown in the photos was our original Evil T with the forward bend, we have now re designed the bar with no bend.) You can follow the lovely model @nykoleee on Instagram.

Signature Handle Bar 12" Chrome on a 2016 Road Glide

We under stand it can be hard to choose between the 14" or 12" rise Signature handle bar for 2015-2017 Road Glides. So here is some pictures to show how a Chrome 12" Signature looks. Notice the peak of the bar is even with the top of the fairing (not the glass like a 14"). Keep in mind you can adjust this bar because we have put a slotted hole for the riser pin. Always make sure the handle bar has our signature Factory 47 badge on the bottom right corner. The 12" Signature handle bar allows you to use all your stock cables and wires. Plus you do not need to modify anything. The bottom step down is machined out of DOM so there is no weld. The grip is double swaged with a hole for the new control pins. All Signatures have holes for internal wiring and slotted for throttle-by-wire. Most customers ask our opinion on which bar is better the 14" or the 12" and to be honest that is all based on your height and preference, but we can tell you that 90 percent of Signatures ordered are 14" and we have never received a customer complaint on that height. But we will always advise choosing a 12" over a 10" because the 10" is so close to stock it doesn't offer the same look, plus keep in mind as you pull the handle bar back toward you the grips move downward. Most customers that decide to go with the 12" want to play it safe and in this case if you choose a 12" or a 14" they booth look great.

Factory 47 Part Numbers

Here is a quick guide on understanding Factory 47 part numbers. Keep in mind you do not need the part number to place a order, but it does come in handy to make sure we get you the correct product.

Get the most out of your pre 2013 Road Glide wires.

Factory 47 understands it is expensive to switch handle bars. You have the bars, cables, wires and labor. So to help you out here is a quick little tip to help you pre 2013 Road Glide owners out. We found out on this 2009 Road Glide that the main wire harness can be un clipped from inside the fairing allowing around 12"s more slack. Also note if you take the throttle by wire harness and do not run it through the fairing it also gains you a lot of slack. We where able to run factory wires on this 2009 Road Glide. (NOT THE CABLES) shown below.

 

Get to know your Harley Davidson.

The Harley Davidson Universe is large which can lead to plenty of confusion. Our goal is to help clarify some of the perplexity surrounding Harley's Model abbreviations and aid you in better understanding some of HD's frequently used names, acronyms and styles. 

In the world of two-wheels, a Harley is not simply a 'Harley.' The world's dominant motorcycle brand identifies five general families - Touring, Softail, V-Rod, Dyna, and Sportster. Each family has a set of features that makes them unique. Once inside the family, however, there's plenty of variety... brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, second cousins twice removed.  

As a general rule when it comes to Harley abbreviations the following three standards apply: 

1st Letter: This signifies the engine series.

F = Big V-Twin Motor 
X = Sports and Special Construction
V = Revolution Motor 

2nd Letter: Identifies the diameter size of the forks.
*This excludes the Sportster & V-Rod Models

L = Large Diameter Forks 
X = Small Diameter Forks 

3rd Letter: Designates the frame style. 
*This is where you can differentiate between a Touring, Softail, or Dyna Model

H/T = Highway/Touring Frame 
ST = Softail Frame 
D = Dyna Frame 

Any additional letter indicates features that may accompany that particular bike family. This is usually where the confusion occurs since Harley tends to use the same letter to designate different features of a bike.

Touring Models

Starting at the top, the Touring models are the largest model bike Harley offers.Considered the modern day Granddaddy of the Harley Family, Touring Models generally feature saddlebags, larger storing capacity, as well as extra room to accommodate those long road trips. They are also great for riders who plan to travel two-up (with a passenger) with regularity and need a bit of extra room for their passenger. This family includes the Road King, Electra Glide and the Street Glide, etc.

Touring Model Letters	Model Name
FLHR	Road King
FLHRCI	Road King Classic
FLHRSI	Road King Custom
FLHS	Electra Glide Sport
FLHT	Electra Glide Standard
FLHTC	Electra Glide Classic
FLHTCU	Ultra Classic Electra Glide
FLHTCUL	Ultra Classic Electra Glide Low
FLHX	Street Glide
FLHXSE	CVO Street Glide
FLHTCUSE	CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide
FLHTCUTG	Tri-Glide
FLHTK	Electra Glide Ultra Limited
FLHTKL	Electra Glide Ultra Limited Low
FLHX	Street Glide
FLHXS	Street Glide Special
FLHXXX	Street Glide Trike
FLTC	Rubber Mounted Dresser Classic
FLTCU	Rubber Mounted Dresser Classic Ultra
FLTR	Road Glide
FLTRSE	CVO Screamin' Eagle Road Glide
FLTRX	Road Glide Custom
FLTRXS	Road Glide Special

Softail Models

Next in line, the Softail Models. Harley's Softail lineup offers the traditional hard-tail look with the benefits of a more forgiving, yet hidden suspension system. For riders who prioritize comfort or who simply need a bike that will have more 'give' over bumps in the road, the Softail is an excellent choice. This is also a great choice for riders who like to ride solo or two-up.

Softail Model Letters	Model Name
FLST	Softail
FLSTC	Heritage Softail Classic
FLSTF	Fat Boy
FLSTN	Softail Deluxe
FLSTSC	Springer Softail Classic
FLSTSE	CVO Softail Convertible
FLSTSB	Cross Bones
FXSTB	Night Train
FXSTC	Softail Custom
FXSTD	Softail Deuce
FXSTS	Springer Softail
FXSTSB	Bad Boy
FXSTSSE	CVO Softail Springer Screamin' Eagle
FXCW	Softail Rocker
FXCWC	Softail Rocker Custom
FXS	Softail Blackline
FXSB	Softail Breakout
FXSBSE	Softail CVO Breakout

Dyna Models

The Dyna Model was first introduced in the early 1990's and offers a big-twin engine with trademark Harley style. While the suspension is hidden on the Softail models, the Dyna is easily distinguished by its traditional exposed coil suspension. Compared to the Sportster Models, the Dyna is distinguishable by virtue of its larger engine and (in some cases) slightly larger gas tanks.

Dyna Model Letters	Model Name
FXDB	Dyna Street Bob
FXDC	Dyna Super Glide Custom
FXD	Dyna Superglide
FXDL	Dyna Low Rider
FXDF	Dyna Fat Bob
FXDFSE	CVO Fat Bob
FXDS-CON	Dyna Convertible
FXDWG	Dyna Wide Glide
FXDX	Dyna Super Glide Sport
FLD	Dyna Switchback

Sportster Models

The Harley Sportster Models are a smaller size bike in the Harley family and offer great versatility for either solo or two-up riding. Sportsters are offered with two motor size options - either 883cc or 1200cc.

Sportster Model Letters	Model Name
XL	Sportster
XLH883	Sportster Hugger
XL883	Sportster 883
XL883C	Sportster 883 Custom
XL883L	Sportster 883 Low
XL883N	Sportster 883 Iron
XL1200	Sportster 1200
XL1200C	Sportster 1200 Custom
XL1200L	Sportster 1200 Low
XL1200N	Sportster 1200 Nightster
XL1200R	Sportster 1200 Roadster
XL1200S	Sportster 1200 Sport
XL1200V	Sportster Seventy-Two
XL50	Sportster 50th Anniversary Ed.

V-Rod Models

Perhaps the most unique model in Harley's lineup, the V-Rod's feature a distinct engine that was developed jointly with Porsche. The V-Rod Models are power packed with a Revolution Engine that utilizes overhead cams and liquid cooling.

V-Rod Model Letters	Model Name
VRSC	V-Rod
VRSCAW	V-Rod (240mm rear tire)
VRSCB	V-Rod Black Finish
VRSCD	Night Rod
VRSCDX	Night Rod Special
VRSCF	V-Rod Muscle
VRSCR	Street Rod

Other Models

Harley rounds out their lineup with trikes and their new Street Bike series as they continue to expand into new markets - offering a bike or trike for just about anyone on the road.

Other Model Letters	Model Name
XG500	Street XG500
XG750	Street XG750
FLRT	Freewheeler Trike
FLHTCUTG	Tri Glide Ultra Classic
FLHXXX	Street Glide Trike

The Blog is back!

Factory 47 is proud to announce we are bring back our blog. This tool has helped customers and dealers for years get to know us and our product a little more in detail. We plan on offering articles to help you with our product. Plus we plan on adding more content from shows to learning about other products or bikes. We look forward to 2017. Make sure to add this to your favorites!

-Andrew