Richard,
I changed out the bars on my K9 to Ridgeback bars so I have pulled the wires to switch the handlebars on my bike and Postman's bike to do a swap. NO CUTTING is required, remove your tank and on the backbone will be a connectors where you can disconnect your wires from your handlebars. A quick labeling of the connectors will make hooking the plugs back up a snap later. Remove the grips with the controls off each side and disconnect the wires from the controls. After you have removed both controls, you can remove your handlebars and carefully pull the wires up toward the handgrip cutout until they are removed from the bars.
To reassemble, run a cord into the handgrip cutout down to the cutout at the base of the handlebar and then tape the undertank plug to the cord and put it carefully thru the bars. A thin pair of needlenose pliers allow you to pull the connector thru the slot. Fill the connector with dielectric grease and reconnect after you mount the handlebars. While you have the tank off, fill all the connectors with dielectric grease to prevent water from entering at any time in the future. All you really need is patience and care and you can do the job easily.