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I bought my son a 1997 Dresser and he's 6 foot 5 inches tall. He would like to put handlebars that are taller and wider than the stock ones, any tall riders out there who encountered this problem and changed the handlebars for a more comfortable fit? I am already planning to replace the clutch cable so this would be the time to look at changing the handlebars.
Just pick tall handlebars. In my experience handlebars specifically for touring models are a little wider than say dyna or softail apes. Don't go too crazy 16 inch apes would probably fit the bill
Just as an add, not to sway you one way or the other. My 10" yaffe bars actually measure out closer to 12" of rise. With my fairing it put my hands just above the edge, but still have decent wind blockage. Any taller and hands would be directly in the wind. Might make a difference on them cold Michigan mornings or nights. Living in WI myself I am glad I did not go any taller. Just something to consider. And this is literally the COOL factor, LOL. No matter which way he goes, anything higher than the stockers are going to be more comfortable. Think I read somewhere that keeping hands just under shoulder height is best? Or hands and elbows should be level? IDK now I am just babbling.
But don't forget that brake lines will most likely also need to be extended. Maybe even throttle cables depending on how high he goes. I am about 6' so taller for your boy would probably be better. My throttle cables were just long enough, any taller and they would have been required to replace. Which I did anyways.
I really like the looks of the monkey bars too. Just decided to go with a more classic look on mine.
Last edited by DeputyLoud; Oct 31, 2016 at 02:41 PM.
The bars he has are adjustable, which many members seem to be unaware of. I couldn't get comfortable on my own bike when I first had it and it took me a while to get around to altering them. Been fine ever since! So he may find he can get comfortable with what he has and save himself some cash.
Just as an add, not to sway you one way or the other. My 10" yaffe bars actually measure out closer to 12" of rise. With my fairing it put my hands just above the edge, but still have decent wind blockage. Any taller and hands would be directly in the wind. Might make a difference on them cold Michigan mornings or nights. Living in WI myself I am glad I did not go any taller. Just something to consider. And this is literally the COOL factor, LOL. No matter which way he goes, anything higher than the stockers are going to be more comfortable. Think I read somewhere that keeping hands just under shoulder height is best? Or hands and elbows should be level? IDK now I am just babbling.
But don't forget that brake lines will most likely also need to be extended. Maybe even throttle cables depending on how high he goes. I am about 6' so taller for your boy would probably be better. My throttle cables were just long enough, any taller and they would have been required to replace. Which I did anyways.
I really like the looks of the monkey bars too. Just decided to go with a more classic look on mine.
DeputyLoud- which Yaffe bars did you go with? What is model and year of your bike?
Yeah, I went with the Wild1 12.5" bars. Really like them. But then, I'm no where near 6'5".
IMHO, the problem with picking bars is you really just can't say if you like them until you've put some real miles on them. What feels good in the dealership showroom may be torture after 200 miles.
I know on mine when I first put the 12.5's on, they felt sky high. Comfortable, but pretty weird to ride. Now, something like 10k miles or so later, they feel perfectly natural. You just never know what you will get used to.
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