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I bought my 2nd HD not to long ago 04' fatboy. Coming over from a sportster it was a much needed upgrade however my lower back has been bothering me more now that im getting older and i noticed that i slouch forward with the current handle bars. Now this was a used bike with next to no miles but the handle bars seem stock but it has a 5" riser with about 1" of pullback. So the other riders from work all swear that ape hanger bars along with research will help straighten my back up when riding so im getting a set. My question comes what tho im 5.11" I made up with wire mock bars and 10-12 will be right about level with my shoulders and i can already tell i sit back and straighter but i see everywhere "wish i would of went just a little taller" Should i go with 14"? I was thinking since i have the risers if 14 is too high i can just remove my 5" and put 3" risers on effectively lowering the bars 2".
Im ordering hill county custom bars with wiring pre wired in the bars and all new stainless steel cables so with the price tag of 800$ with all the add-ons i wanna make sure i order right and figured if i went 14 and had to shorten the risers 2" extra cable isnt much to hide or leave loose.
I recently installed 14" Wild One Chubby bars with the Stainless Hill Country Cables on stock risers. At 5' 9" my hands are shoulder height and my back has been thanking me every since. I think you are correct 14" bars with the ability manage the height with the risers. However, I think the 5" risers will look ridiculous, with your height I would go with a 2" riser and more than likely 16" bars. Just a personal opinion...
the risers were installed when i got it so i accounted for them when ordering the length of all new cables and if it feel like i dont like them or the look ill probly step them down. I dont think the extra cable will be an issue or too loose going from a 5inch riser to 3 or 2inch. I made some mock bars up to check an 12 in bar would of been just right i feel but i went 14 so i can still drop 2in on the risers and still be just ever so slightly above shoulder height
Arm length and pullback also come into play with apes. I had 16” chubbies on my Deluxe and they had too much pullback and I felt cramped on low speed turns. I sold that bike years ago but have since bought a Heritage Softail and just put 12” apes on this one. I specifically chose these bars because they have a lot less pullback and I also wanted to avoid going too high and getting pulled over. You can see from these pics the difference in pullback and how it will affect arm position and even arm height.
I went with 14" Khrome Werks, like Strat mentioned, the pullback and width on the Chubby 14 was to wide and pb was uncomfortable, plus the wrist angle was to much.
The Khrome Werks were a perfect fit, I had the 12 on my Dyna and already knew going in what to expect. I ordered the 14 Wild 1, along with the KW in 14, loved the look of the W1 but not the feel.
5'7". Bike lowered 2.5" between the custom seat and ride height.
Sits right at my shoulders for position and all day comfort.
10" bars and a new seat worked for me, I'm 6'-2".
I used to feel slouched over with the stock bars and the stock seat sucked too. I got the seat first, then I sat fairly straight up(and comfortable) with the seat installed and put my arms pretty straight out from there and this is what I came up with. Works for me, I can ride all day, no aches and pains like their used to be, the seat made as much of a difference as the bars did on mine.
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First time ape hanger
