Bar Harness II

Bar Harness II

FAQs

What size do I need?

Measured bar-end to bar-end, including bar-end weight or caps…

The 28505 Bar Harness II (short) fits bars up to 28 inches wide.

The 32505 Bar Harness II (sport/standard) fits bars up to 32 inches wide.

The 36505 Bar Harness II (x-wide) fits bars up to 36 inches wide.

The 40505 Bar Harness II (xx-wide) fits bars up to 40 inches wide.

NOTE: We are a little generous with our webbing so all of our sizes typically fit bars a little wider (1 to 1.5 inches) than shown here.

Should I buy the Original Bar Harness or the new Bar Harness II? 

The Bar Harness II was developed to solve the four main issues encountered with the Original Bar Harness. There are work-a-rounds and techniques that make the Original Bar Harness work just fine for most folks but the Bar Harness II addresses those issues and is even quicker to install, and the same price. 1. The Original Bar Harness would often tend to “scrunch” up the grips if not installed properly or if they were over-tightened or the grips were not properly glued to the bars. 2. In the process of scrunching grips, the cuffs would migrate inward which would move your tie downs closer to body work. …not always a good thing.  3. The cuffs, in order to clear a wider variety of fairings were made to keep the cross-straps very close to the bars and sometimes that placed them too close to the switchgear, fouling horn and starter buttons. Insufficiently tightened switchgear can be pulled inward which can break the tiny locating pins on some bikes. Once a new bike is assembled, the little pins are no longer necessary, but nevertheless…

On the other hand, many customers have grown accustomed to the Original Bar Harness and still prefer it to the new Bar Harness II. If we are comfortable with what we know works for us, why change? Beats me!

There appears to be glue between the webbing of the cuff that looks like it is coming apart. Should I be concerned?

No. The glue you see is used to keep the webbing together only until it is sewn.

The Bar-Harness won’t go on without twisting the cross strap. Is that correct?

Yes. The Bar-Harness and Bar-Harness II cuffs or cups need to be twisted 180 degrees from each other before they are slipped over the grips.

Are the cuffs Velcro’d on?

No. There is no Velcro or hook and loop material used in the Bar-Harness

Is there a way to use the Original Bar-Harness without scrunching my grips?

The problem can be minimized by rotating the cuffs down and forward toward your tie-down points and ALL THE WAY ON so that when you tighten your tie-downs the cuff is already in the final position and won’t have a tendancy to pull the grips with it. Also keep in mind that the Bar-Harness shouldn’t be over-tightened. Compressing the fork spring half way is plenty. By the way… The Bar-Harness II uses a hard Polycarbonate “cup” that eliminates that problem.

I have soft foam grips. Is there any way I can use the Original Bar-Harness without damaging my grips?

We have found that a short piece of PVC pipe slipped over the grips will solve that problem, but the Bar-Harness II doesn’t have that problem.

Are there any tips in caring for the Bar-Harness?

Yes. The three “S”‘s to avoid are… Sun, Solvent and Sharp edges. The sun’s untraviolet rays tend to damage most man made fibers over time, including polyester and nylon. Polyester seems to withstand untraviolet damage better than nylon which is why we use the more expensive polyester webbing and thread, but your Bar-Harness should last longer than the average motorcycle if it’s stored out of the sun and washed only in mild detergents, never solvent. It goes without saying that sharp edges will damage any webbing.

I know that plastic gets brittle and breaks in the sun. Should I worry about the Bar-Harness II?

The Bar-Harness II is made of glass filled injection molded polycarbonate which is very resistant to the sun’s UV rays, but to get the longest possible life out of your Bar-Harness II store it out of the sun. The Bar-Harness II also has a built-in safety feature, it has a stainless steel “D” ring molded into the cup that internally connects the webbing to the handlebar. If the cup ever gets damaged or broken there is still a steel backup inside to keep your bike from coming loose.

Installation Instructions:

  1. First, Turn off engine and remove key!!!
  2. Load motorcycle onto trailer or into truck, placing front wheel against a secure stop (such as the truck cab or a wheel chock). Use of a helper or “spotter” is highly recommended.
  3. Lower the side stand or have a helper steady the motorcycle until it is secured.
  4. Inspect the Bar-Harness for signs of weakening or fraying of the sewing or webbing. Call us for free replacement if the integrity of the Bar-Harness is compromised in any way.
  5. Grasp one cup (see photo) in each hand and pull apart far enough to slip first one cup, then the other, over the
  6. handlebar grips. Be sure the cups are on all the way. You will notice it is necessary to rotate either cup 180 degrees toward the front or rear so that the cross straps hang from the bottom of the cups. This will cause a twist in the cross straps, which is normal. Next, pull out on the ends of the straps until they are snug and the cups are all the way on the grips.
  7. You will now be able to install your own tie-down hooks into the loops at the ends of the straps.
  8. The hooks at the other end of your tie-downs should be secured in such a way as to pull the motorcycle down and forward.
  9. CAUTION!!!!  PLEASE NOTE that the bolts attaching long bar-end weights (over about 1 inch) may be easily bent. These bolts were never meant to support more than the bar-end weight itself. We recommend that you use caution when tightening your tie-downs or simply remove your bar-end weights while using the Bar-Harness II.
  10. The straps should be angled out and away from the vertical position as much as possible to better triangulate the support of the motorcycle.
  11. Additional tie-downs are highly recommended and should be attached nearer the rear of the motorcycle (possibly to exposed frame tubes or grab handles). The ideal situation is to tie the weight of the motorcycle downward so as to take the weight of the motorcycle out of the equation, then all the Bar-Harness has to do is keep the bike upright, causing less stress on motorcycle components. You may want to take a look at the Peg-Harness elsewhere on this site.

Warning:

NEVER start engine with harness installed.

NEVER install harness on loose or bent bars.

NEVER install harness on any part of the motorcycle except the grips at the ends of the bars.

NEVER install harness on handlebars higher than four inches above the top triple clamp or handlebar clamp except as additional stabilization.

NEVER leave the harness installed on rubber mounted bars for an extended length of time (weeks) except when used as an additional stabilizer and other tie-downs are used to support the total weight of the motorcycle.

NEVER compress the front forks more than halfway or approximately two to three inches.

NEVER pull down on the straps hard enough to bend your handlebars or your bar-end weight bolts. Extra caution should be used when using ratchet tie downs.

NEVER install the harness on motorcycles with extended forks (such as choppers).

These warnings are for our protection! Don’t ignore them and blame problems on the harness.