When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Just picked up my new 2014 Ultra CVO a last month. I live in Kansas City, and we experience all 4 seasons. So my thoughts are to keep the bars around 10 or 12 where the faring will still keep the wind off my hands in cold weather. The stock bars are way too low and actually hurt my elbows on longer rides. So I'm planning to do something pretty soon. I've heard some say they wouldn't go below 14. This is an expensive project and I don't want to have regrets. I'm open and debating the 14,s, been riding my heritage for years in the cold with no faring so I'd survive, but then this is a luxury bike... Hard to decide.
I have 12" KST six bend kickers on my FLHX (same fairing). My knuckles are right at the upper limit of the fairing and at 30°, I don't feel the wind coming off the fairing. Any higher and my knuckles would be in the breeze. I love 'em. They are the single best upgrade I've made on that bike.
I have 12" KST bars on my CVO Road King and they're great for me at 6'2" tall. Proper handlebar height is tough to determine because it varies by each bike, rider size and posture as well as preference for comfort. Best thing to do would be to sit on your bike and put your hands where you want them when you ride and have another person measure so you can pick bars close to that measurement. I did this and measured my hands by myself ( I don't have any friends lol) and was able to get a good fit.
For what its worth I do recommend dealing with KST Customs as well. They list measurements on their website for each bar style so it'll be easy to find the right one. Worst case scenario just call and talk to Ret and he'll help you. When I got the bars for my Road King there was some hoops to jump through and long story short Ret actually made a set specifically for me since they don't stock what I needed. If you do call and talk to Ret tell him the guy from PA with the CVO Road King sent you, I'd bet he remembers me.
I had a 2008 Street Glide and it had 10” Wild 1 apes model # WO 578. I’m only 5’10” and they were very comfortable. The stock mirrors will be blocked however. Your hands will catch some wind, if you can roll the bars back a bit, might help. The fit and finish is excellent as they are a high quality bar. Night and day difference in handling and comfort especially on long rides.
The WO578’s were one of the most comfortable bars I ever had. Traded and went with Yaffe’s 10” monkey bars and like them. Decided about six months later to change to 12 inch. I am 6’1” tall and perfect for me. The 10 inch are just at the top of the fairing and the 12 inch are above.
Here are KST Maymen Baggers on a 2014. I really like the height, and I am 6' 3". These might be just above the fairing, but I have no trouble on cold mornings.
I'm 6'1", and run Yaffe 14" on my last five bikes. They were a few inches over the fairing on my CVO Street glide, they are over the fairing on my CVO road Glide and I also have them on my CVO King. My hands are about an inch below my shoulders. These are very comfortable for me, I have done several Iron butt rides with them. I do lots of 600 mile days.
On both of my bikes I had 10in la chopper twin peaks bars. I prefer the clean look and wind/debris blocking factor of keeping it behind the fairing. Im 5'8" but have short legs and long torso I can easily ride 16"s but prefer it behind the fairing. If you have them all the way forward like I do the are just at the top of the fairing if you like some pull back you may be able to run a 12 and still have it just below. 10"s do block the mirrors so I opted to use the fairing plugs and put mirrors on the bars.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
What size apes?
