Seats, 'bars, air filters, pipes and mirrors. Traditionally at least three or four of the first five items that riders change on the new or newly bought used motorcycle - throw levers, cables and hoses, tires, brakes and lights into the mix - and you have 'New Bike Make-Over 101' right there.
Upstate New York based Magnum Shielding checks at least two of those boxes that are among the highest on the list. Best known for their DOT approved stainless steel and aramid fiber construction brake lines (hoses) and control cables, recent years have seen Magnum emerge as one of the fastest growing handlebar, conversion and install kit manufacturers on the market.
Whether it's for increased comfort, style, or both, one of the most popular bar styles is pointed bars - in Magnum's case their Viking handlebars.
"Aside from their great looks and comfortable design, what really sets Viking handlebars apart from the competition is the ability to easily run the internal wiring (with the vinyl covering) through the handlebar," says Magnum's Tom Vierthaler.
"All dealers and technicians know that running the harness and wiring through the peak can be the worst part of their day. An installer can spend hours trying to get the wiring (without the vinyl jacket) to pass through these corners, only to end up chafing or damaging the wiring in the process."
Some handlebar manufacturers put immense efforts into ensuring that the inside of the peak, where the two bars are welded together, is smooth and void of jagged edges and welding slag to improve harness installations. But even so, the wiring can still get hung up or snagged by the edges and easily scrapped down to the bare wire - or even broken.
"In reality, the real routing issue is caused by the lack of room or 'pivot radius' space within this passage area. Installers try to solve these problems by running wires individually, but it is very time- consuming and generally requires significantly higher installation charges," says Tom.
Magnum says it has solved the problem with their Viking handlebar kits. The features incorporated into the pointed handlebars were novel enough to apply for a U.S. patent.
"We have designed our Viking handlebars specifically to make the ease of installing internal wiring harnesses a top priority with a design that provides a clean and smooth, burr-free internal radius. This design creates 50% more clearance within this passage area of the handlebar's peak.
"That additional clearance provides ample room to allow the complete wiring harness, along with the factory vinyl covering and the terminal connections (where wiring extensions were added) and their respective shrink sleeves, to easily be passed through the point and installed without any hang-ups or damage. While CAN bus wiring can be relatively easy to pull through a handlebar, older models, which require 8 to 12 wire (per side) harnesses with bulky terminal connections, can be a time-consuming pain in the neck!
"With our Viking kits, the installer can even pull the electronic throttle control wires through at the same time."
Magnum's patent claims revolve around the point of the handlebar - comprised of two angle-cut tubes. Magnum's patent sees at least one of them, and preferably both, flared at the bottom of the oval cut. This method significantly increases the pivot radius of the internal space and provides for an open and smooth path for the wiring harness to follow.
Tom says that they knew that a ground or chamfered surface alone wasn't enough if the goal is to be able to run OE vinyl covered harnesses (as is) quickly through the handlebar - "which is why our design is so unique and desirable.
"We pre-load our EZ pull-thru sleeving into every Viking handlebar to make the job even easier. Just insert the wiring harness into the sleeve and pull the wires through the bars - it really is that simple!"
Made with a premium, high-quality construction that includes machined control mounts and holes for internal wiring and slots for electronic throttle control (that are all burr-free), the handlebars are 1 ¼" diameter, CNC mandrel bent "for a great looking, accurate fit" and work with standard controls - including hydraulic clutch - and incorporate wrist angles "engineered for riding comfort."
The aggressive-looking Viking handlebars are available in 10, 12, 14 and 16-inch Bagger and 12, 14 and 16-inch ape hanger styles. Both are available with high luster chrome or gloss black powder-coat finishes.
Magnum has complete handlebar installation kits for most Harley models 1996 and up "for every budget."
Magnum Shielding has been a Tier-1 manufacturer of premium, matching braided products for over 37 years, including brake lines, control cables and ignition wires. Every Magnum Shielding brake line is pressure tested and fully compliant with all DOT FMVSS-106 specifications and is assembled in
the USA.
MAGNUM SHIELDING
www.magnumshielding.com