I had on wild1 knucklebars (like beach bars), very comfortable, decided to try some 11" apes and after a 40 minute ride i don't see how you guys do it! My back hurts from the reach, the throttle twists on bumps, it's just not a comfortable ride for me. I am 5' 11" so it should be fine size wise.

You guys with 16" or bigger apes I'll hand it to you. That takes some serious dedication.

 

I agree with you on the ape hangers. I have 10 inch mini apes on my SG and I love them. My son HAD 14 inch ape hangers on his LR, and while they looked great, they really sucked when it came to comfort and handling. He wants to go to 10 inch minis also. I guess ape hangers are an acquired taste that take some getting used to...

 

I thought about trying 10" modular apes (adjustable) from arlen ness but I just don't want keep buying ****. It's funny because the stock streetbob bars seemed really comfortable and they don't seem much different height wise.

I'm a fan of wild1inc bars so I think I'll stick with what I have for now with the beach bars and later on try some smaller apes.

 

Ive got 16's on my sporty and 13's on my Ultra. Can ride for hours, love'em. When I get on bike with out apes they feel strange to me.

 

You can see my bike in my signature below. It's nothing crazy, not set too far foward or anything. Actually if I pull them back2 inches it may feel better but the more I pull back the more goofy it starts to look.

Problem is my arms are fully extended, no bend in elbow, and this is not a good way to ride. That's why when I hit bumps the throttle jerks, no play in my arms.

Maybe I have short limbs, i don't know. I''m bummed because these were a real pain to put on and I thought I was finally done with bigger mods.

 

Another issue is I put in the progressive front lowering springs and damn the ride got rough! Dropped it 1.5" but I may go back to stock. I'll ride it 300-400 miles and see if I get used to it or they break in some.

So combine a rougher ride with arms fully extended on bars and not so fun result!

 

Yeah, here is where you need to decide on function vs form.

A quick search shows most Streetbob riders on tall apes with arms as you describe.. pretty much outstretched straight ahead. I have taller on my bike, but remember because of the steeper Wideglide rake, following the fork tube angle upwards, causes the grips to actually sit closer to you the higher they go (up to a point of course). Experiment, try rolling yours back a bit in line with the forks & see if it improves. There definitely shouldn't be any pain involved with riding!

Sorry can't help on the rough ride. Stock front suspension is inadequate already & apart from the look.. I can't imagine many good things after robbing even the smallest amount of travel from them.

 

To each their own. I am happy with the OEM mini-apes on by SB. Other setups just don't feel right to me.

 

Stick with it. I bet in two weeks you'll love them.
They are a bit different. Slow speed tight turns are a challenge at first. High speed sweepers get interesting. I did get a crick in my neck at first but only because I was riding tense worrying about **** because of the new bars. Roll with it for a few weeks. Bike looks bad *** by the way. It will feel like you can't live without them shortly.

 

I'll take your advice along with the other who said tilt them fwd some. For the work involved getting those wires thru I should give them more time. Thanks