Beach Bars 1995 FLSTN
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 2,719
Likes: 6,009
From: Boston suburbs
I happen to love beach bars, but you're going about it wrong.
Have someone strattle the front tire facing the rider. Sit you your bike and close your eyes
with your eyes closed, put your hands up to your ideal riding position
have your friend measure hand to hand , clamp to center or where your hands are, and then clamp up to the height of your hands
That will give you width, pullback and rise. Find the bar that matches those measurements
Of if you're just looking for cool looking bars, and you don't mind a swap in comfort for cool...
I just ordered buffalo beach bars for the 3rd bike I'm putting them on. They happen to fall almost exactly where I'd ideally like them
Have someone strattle the front tire facing the rider. Sit you your bike and close your eyes
with your eyes closed, put your hands up to your ideal riding position
have your friend measure hand to hand , clamp to center or where your hands are, and then clamp up to the height of your hands
That will give you width, pullback and rise. Find the bar that matches those measurements
Of if you're just looking for cool looking bars, and you don't mind a swap in comfort for cool...
I just ordered buffalo beach bars for the 3rd bike I'm putting them on. They happen to fall almost exactly where I'd ideally like them
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,181
Likes: 488
From: Central California
I have beach bars on my Deluxe. They are 39" wide, and wrap around the tank nicely at full lock. My hands fall right there where the grip are. I love 'em, except for one big thing.
The position they put you in. Statically, it's very comfortable. But, you end up being a sail. The wind hits very hard above 50mph, so it's nearly impossible to ride at freeway speeds without a windshield.
Lately, I've been thinking of replacing them with stock, or stockish bars.
And when it comes down to it, the only one who really knows or cares, is you.
And I can't emphasize that last thing enough. No one else cares. So I say, why not go for comfort?
The position they put you in. Statically, it's very comfortable. But, you end up being a sail. The wind hits very hard above 50mph, so it's nearly impossible to ride at freeway speeds without a windshield.
Lately, I've been thinking of replacing them with stock, or stockish bars.
And when it comes down to it, the only one who really knows or cares, is you.
And I can't emphasize that last thing enough. No one else cares. So I say, why not go for comfort?
Thread Starter
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2nd Gear
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: Ohio
Thats good info Mike. Thanks for the feedback. Think I may stick with the stock bars for now and upgrade all the hand controls to chrome. They are very comfortable. I like the old school look of the beach bars but will hold off until I get a chance to put my hands on some in person. Take care man
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,181
Likes: 488
From: Central California
That’s good info Mike. Thanks for the feedback. Think I may stick with the stock bars for now and upgrade all the hand controls to chrome. They are very comfortable. I like the old school look of the beach bars but will hold off until I get a chance to put my hands on some in person. Take care man
I'm with ya. I love the look too.
Recently I've been trying to find a good balance of comfort, helmet buffeting, visibility, as well as appearance. The wide bars are making achieving some of these things difficult.
For example...
No windscreen....very enjoyable ride, zero helmet buffeting regardless of whether its full face or 3/4. Up to 50mph. So for general cruising around...awesome. Any length of time above 55mph, and it just wears me out quickly trying to counter-balance against the wind force using my legs.
Giant windshield (20" above headlight housing) not much buffeting, but just takes the joy out of riding. The view is completely through the windshield. Too tall to look over the top. If I were trying to simply get from point A to point B down the interstate, then yeah. It would do.
Short 16" recurve windshield - severe helmet buffeting. Pretty much un-ridable above 40mph
Cut-down windshield (16" WS cut down to 10" above headlight housing, and 2 inches off each side) - A fair compromise with the full face helmet with minimal buffeting. Fairly severe wind in the face with the 3/4. Using a clear face shield with the 3/4 helmet, it shakes the face shield pretty severely above 50mph, disrupting vision.
I just bought the 3/4 helmet and I'd love to use it all the time because the view is MUCH better with some wind in your face feeling. I have a 18" recurve to try with the 3/4 that was only "barely acceptable" with the full face. About the same helmet buffeting as the really short shield, with the top of the screen right in the line of vision.
So anyway, those have been my experiences trying to hang with the beach bars. If I can't come up with a suitable compromise, I'll put a set of stock bars on, and begin these exercises again. The thing is, I see people riding softails with no windshield at 80mph down the freeway, and I'm always asking how can they do that
Last edited by Mike Lawless; May 14, 2020 at 11:16 AM.
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From: Southconsin
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