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Apes are cool on a Road King, for long trips chest to shoulder high is the most comfortable. Also, you should buy them at a shop where you can feel the angle of where your hands will set. Different MGF"s make the pull back / angle your hands set at in different degrees. Your hands should be in a natural position, i always hated the stock H-D "Buck Horns", but had a buddy that loved them. Width is also important too, and can range between 32" to 42" wide. That is a big range depending on your stature. It is a bit of an expense as you will need longer clutch, throttle & idle and brake lines. That said, you want it to be right the 1st time and ensure you are going to be in a comfortable riding position.
I'll add one more thing. When I got my SG, it felt cramped, even coming from a sportster. I added highway pegs and that helped. But, since I put the 10" Yaffes on it, I hardly feel the need to use the highway pegs ....it just doesn't feel as cramped as it did before.
Best explanation I've heard for the origin was that they first showed up on the post WWII choppers as kind of an aid to suspension on the old rigid frames. They gave people some leverage to lift themselves up a bit when hitting railroad tracks or pot holes.
That's what I've always heard, coupled with running 8psi in the rear tire made those old hardtails as plush as a Caddie.
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.
