I have an 03 heritage that i have been riding for a little over a year and have developed mid to low back pain and was curious if a handlebar change could help at all.

 

Definitely a bar change or reposition would probably help. Everyone's different height and build. I had 16" apes on a fatboy and was worried they would aggravate my 3 crushed lumbars and make pain worse. To my suprise they didn't bother my lower back but made my workout injured shoulder ache so damn bad I went softail bars.

Honestly, I'd try to borrow a bike from someone you know with bars as close to as your considering buying, and ride it for an hour if possible.

 

most people I know with back pain swears by them...

 

+1 on mini-apes

 

ok i was thinking about 14 inch bars and i am gonna try to find a clean looking backrest also.

 

My back is not great and I am running mini apes with no issues. I had back and shoulder problems with beach bars on a RK--main reason me and the RK parted ways

 

I have 16" Chubbies and a Grasshopper backrest on my Heritage; works for me.

 

I have to use taller than stock bars or my back and shoulders bother me. The bars I'm using are an old set of rams horn bars that were originally on an iron head Sportster. They are narrower than Softail bars and about 10" tall. They're the most comfortable bars I've ever ridden with.

Calling 12"-14" bars 'ape hangers' to me seems like calling a 2" stretch fender a street sweeper.

 

I bought a used 05 Heritage with the stock seat and lower beach bars. My right shoulder used to go numb and would spread into the entire arm unless I twisted and turned it every 20-30 minutes. I have severe back pain from arthritis in the entire lumbar section and some in the mid section and neck. When I wanted to change lanes I had to spin my head around which caused me pain. I figured this pain and numbness was just me getting old and figured that meant I was going to have pain the rest of my life.
Funny enough I decided to get apes because I have bifocals and with the lower bars I couldn't see in my mirrors. They were in the reading section of the glasses so everything was just a blur!
I changed the bars for 16" Chubby's and was glad I did, I was finally able to see behind me. With the arthritis in the back and neck the turning around was no more! I didn't really realize that the pain in my shoulder and back had gone away until someone who usually followed me in the group asked what I did that I wasn't twisting my arm around anymore. He thought I saw a Chiropractor, but it was then that I realized my shoulder wasn't sore and most the back pain was gone.
I got a Mustang seat with a back rest last spring and the first time riding that I decided I could go cross country and not be sore. So in July I rode from the Virginia coast to Denver and never had back or arm pain the entire trip, in fact my but was only sore from sitting not riding!!!!

 

papawolf, that's interesting to hear. I thought I was the only guy in the world who had problems with beach bars.