Check out our product spotlight on Factory 47's (formerly Buky Bars) Malo Handlebar.

INTRODUCTION – Have you ever looked at a certain accessory for your motorcycle and said, “Ya know, I like it, but it could be better”? There’s just that one little thing that you’d change, and it would be perfect. Well, when it comes to handlebars for our Road Glide, we’ve looked at them all. We like Paul Yaffe’s “Monkey Bar”, but something about the extra “meat hooks” at the bottom made it a little over to the top for us, not to mention the horror stories we’ve heard about internally wiring the sucker. We loved the simplicity of Todds Cycle’s “Strip Bar”, but it isnt available in the thicker 1.50″ diameter. We also like the styling of Carlini’s “Evil Apes” handlebar, but again, not available in the thickness we like. So, what now? Well, what if we were to tell you that there was a company that made a handlebar that had the attitude of the “Monkey Bar”, combined with the simplicity of the “Strip Bar”, and the quality of the “Evil Ape”? You might say such a thing doesn’t exist–and we’d then show you what we consider to be, the ultimate Road Glide handlebar… the Malo by Factory 47 Cycles (formerly Buky Bars).

Never heard of Factory 47 Cycles? Well, let us tell you a little bit about them. Factory 47 is a company based out of Pico Rivera (Los Angeles), CA. They’ve been in the motorcycle industry for over 25 years; building custom frames, pipes, handlebars, engine guards, etc. By chance, we met up with the guys from Factory 47 at the Long Beach Motorcycle Swap Meet in late 2012. They had a booth showcasing all of their products. We were blown away at what we saw. One of the employees, Mark, showed us a line of their handlebars, to include, “The Assault Bar”, “The Mad Dogger”, and our favorite…”The Malo”. We knew, once we laid eyes on it, that “The Malo” would be a hit with Harley-Davidson Road Glide enthusiasts. Why? Well, its all in the details…

DETAILS – The Malo handlebar is made of 1018 cold roll US steel and is manufactured in Southern, CA. It is 1.50″ in diameter, and is available in a 12″, 14″, 16″, 18″ and 20″ rise. The Malo, as with every other handlebar in Factory 47’s inventory, is available in a lifetime warrantied chrome, or in a black powder coat. The Malo features a “meat hook” at the top of the bar and is squared at its base, which is 12-7/8″–roughly the same width as the Road Glides front forks and speedo tach gauge housing. The Malo is approximately 36.5″ wide, has an 8-1/4″ pullback, and is slotted and notched for throttle by wire. Another detail worth mentioning is that prior to assembly, the handlebar sections are inspected for sharp burrs, which have a tendency to slice internal wiring during installation–if found, they are filed down to a smooth finish.

OUR THOUGHTS – We love this handlebar. The chrome was absolutely flawless, and the dimensions of the Malo bar, to include its thickness and base width, fit perfectly with the bike. Everything about this bar was well thought out. This includes the “meat hooks” at the top of the Malo, which offer just enough flare to draw peoples attention, but don’t necessarily make themselves the focal point of the bar. In other words, they were done tastefully. We can also appreciate the fact that Factory 47 decided on leaving the bottom of the bar with just a simple 90 degree angle, instead of opting for additional “meat hooks” at the base, which in our opinion would have been “over doing it”. The slight bend in the bar is a nice touch. Its not overly dramatic, or gaudy–just nice and clean. The thickness of the bar is also something we love. The Malo flows nicely with the front forks, and gives the bike a “balanced” look. The bars thickness, in addition to the burr free insides, made internally wiring the bar a breeze. The wrist angle of the Malo was standard (straight), and at 5’11, the 14″ Malo’s had our hands at or about shoulder height on the Road Glide, which was a very comfortable riding position for us.

CONCLUSION – We’ve looked at dozens of handlebars for the Harley-Davidson Road Glide, and the Malo by Factory 47 Cycles is hands down our favorite handlebar on the market. It strikes the perfect balance between style and simplicity ,and the craftsmanship behind the bar is second to none. If you are looking for a quality built handlebar that looks awesome on the Road Glide, and is a breeze to internally wire, then look no further than the Malo handlebar by Factory 47. In our opinion, the Malo is the perfect Road Glide handlebar.

For more information on the Malo by Factory 47, visit Factory 47 Cycles or call 562-373-5227.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON INTERNAL WIRING – We mentioned above that we internally wired our Malo bars. Another thing that made the internal wiring process such a breeze was the actual wire extensions we used. The guys over at Guerrilla Cables sent us their Ultimate Bagger Harness wiring package. This included color-coded OEM matching wires, Molex connectors, and a highly detailed custom wiring diagram for our throttle by wire system. This kit completely took the guessing game out of wiring our handlebars. Our Malo bars were 14″ and there was plenty of additional wiring left over. This is great, because if for some reason (this kit is soo straight forward, its almost impossible to mess up) you cut the wires too short, you’d still have plenty of wiring to solder. If you are looking for a hassle free wiring solution for your newer Harley-Davidson Road Glide, look no further than Guerrilla Cables Ultimate Bagger Harness (Part #24015-0811).

For more information on Guerrilla Cables, visit http://www.guerrillacables.com. You can also order this kit from our partners at Direct Cycle Parts.