A Quick Tech Tip For Narrowing A Handlebar

There are lots of handlebars, both aftermarket and OEM, that can look really neat and funky if they’re just made a bit narrower. 

As you probably know, lopping an equal amount off the ends of the bars gets you most of the way there. But if the section between the uprights is wide, that can also be skinnied up, too. In fact, if you’re working with a Harley-Davidson that’s going to keep its stock controls, it’s often the only practical way to attack the job so you don’t lose your dimples.

A friend taught me a good way to do this years ago that I’ll share here: don’t make your cut or weld your slug in the center of the handlebar. Here’s why.

If you take the section out of the center and blow up the chrome, you’re now sort of forced into running a one-piece top clamp on your risers. (Even if you're neat, the seam is still visible.) What you wanna do instead is center your cut-and-slug job in one of the riser's lower sections so you can hide your cut.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you mock up your bar and decide you can take 1 1/4” out before the bend for the uprights starts interfering with the risers. Instead of centering the cut line between the risers like most of us would naturally do, move it over! 

Mark the bar where it lays in the center of the riser. Make your cut, then take 5/8” off each section. Slug it, weld it back up, and dress it real well so it bites into the riser easily.

Mount it back up, and your bar should be centered, skinny, and the cut should be invisible—even if you choose to run skinny two-piece risers.

Happy choppering!