on my wifes road king she put wild one 12.5 apes she sure does like them. they are very confortable for me also but you will need all new cables. they are nicer than stock junk anyway so go for it!

 

If anyone reading this post has the Chubby's 518 bar and could comment on it for comfort and especially manuverability I'd greatly appreciate it.
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I have the WO 518 bars on my Road King and can tell you they are way more comfortable than the stock buckhorn bars. They spread your arms a little further apart and bring your hands back a couple of inches. I just put mine on and I am still getting used to them but already have better control of the bike while making slow speed turns.

 

You're going to love the RK.

No bike can fit all folks so you can expect to make changes for comfort and safety.

I got my RK last Feb. and eventually made bar changes. Not a big issue.

Here are a couple of links in the forum for similar concerns:

https://www.hdforums.com/m_2591976/m...tm.htm#2594881
https://www.hdforums.com/m_2565274/m...tm.htm#2566507

Good luck and here's wishing you many miles of great riding.

 

Congrats on the new bike. I am also thinking about new bars and grips for mine. After several hours I get sore shoulders too. It seems to be a common theme among Road King riders. After the holidays I plan on going and sitting on a bunch of bikes to decide which bars I want to switch over to.

 

I've posted a couple of links below (or above, depending on where they end up in this issue). However, I will copy you my previous response to a similar issue.
Before you get into reading too deeply, keep in mind any solution to the issue is dependant upon your particular physical size, weight, etc. I have a 2007 RK. I was also trying to solve a back ache.
Hope this helps:

"Don't know how tall you are and if you are having to lean forward to reach the bars, but that's what it sounds like.
Assuming you are having to reach for the bars then I would agree with the handlebars posts. I am 5-9, have a RK, and after about 100 miles my shoulders and back would get sore. I used to ride one handed a lot to relieve the strain. If you find yourself letting go and riding one handed to reduce the strain, you're probably having to lean to far forward with your stock bars. Unless your feet don't reach the lower controls comfortably, most likely it is the handlebar position.
I've averaged about 1,000 miles each month since I got my bike last Feb. I made changes after about the first 1K miles.
I switched to HD's increased reach bars, about $50.00 and installed them myself. (Get the shop manual.) Ran the wires inside the handlebar, but that's a bit of a job and not necessary. For the RK there was no change to the control cables (brake, clutch, & throttle). This made a huge difference, no pain at all. On occasion I've ridden close to 500 miles in a day and no back or shoulder pain. No need to ride one handed either. (My butt, on the other hand says it would like a better seat, after about 150 miles, but this is not a big issue for now.)
Don't believe a seat change or backrest will cure your back pain. Until you can sit back with the proper lean angle, you'll get the shoulder or back ache.
Try to sit on your bike, close your eyes and hold your arms out in a comfortable and relaxed position, sitting back, not leaning forward. Try to leave your hands up for a little while, not just momentarily, and try to get comfortable. Open your eyes and see where your hands are. Should give you an idea. Ideally, you can find a bike that has different bars and sit on it and see how it feels. Don't rush into this.
In my experience it took what Harley said was about a two inch change in reach. Didn't seem like it when I first started looking, but the increased reach bars pulled the grips that much closer to me and reduced my forward lean that much. So, even though I thought my stock bars were fairly close to a good position, they were off by at least 2 inches.
Seats are expensive and there are lots of conflicts about the various aftermarket ones. Read the posts. A good plan might be, when it comes time to get a long distance one, to get a stock HD seat of good configuration (off the internet, they can be had reasonably) and send it to a custom rebuilder and have him modify it to your weight and ride specs.
As for back rest, once I got my handlebars right, I had no more shoulder or back issues. I like moving my butt around in the corners so a back rest doesn't appeal anyway. Also, when I get the custom seat job (for my wife as much as for me on long trips) I figure that willl add support to my back and still not cause problems in the corners.
Hope this helps. HD makes a fabulous machine, but it is up to us to make it fit exactly right. No one can make a bike fit all riders."

Note, the bars I referred to above are stock HD "Increased reach" bars, made to handle a situation like this. I can give you the parts number if you are interested.

 

I looked at the Heritage bars, but thought they were a bit too narrrow for my taste. So, I bought a Harley handle bar they called a "pull-back". (These might be the same as the "Increased reach" bars rdurantb was talking about toward the end of his post). It brought the controls back to me and I no longed had to reach forward. And coupled with the Mustang Solo seat, with backrest - I'm comfortable. Can ride "forever".

Hack

 

Congrats on the new ride.I thought the stock bars sucked.I changed them to 12.5 mini apes and also put on a mustang solo seat w/backrest.Looks great feels great.Good luck!