I am about to buy a Softail Slim and this may be somewhere on here but I had no luck finding it.

I am 5'5" 200 lbs (not Sloppy) I have short arms and legs. the Slim Seat height is perfect but the stock Hollywood bars are about an inch to far forward.

My question is, should I go with a 1-2" riser and move the stock bars back, or go with a mini Ape ?

I like the look of the ape but I would like an experienced opinion.


Thanks

 

I am considering risers on my Slim, (I like the Hollywood bars too much to change them) and asked Jam436 about the risers he runs on his bike.

Jam messaged me recently, but might be tied up with some important family issues right now.

Here's what he said:

I went with the H-D SoftailŽ Slim Pullback Riser Kit p/n 55900023.
I got them mainly to sit me more upright.
With the stock setup I was leaning too far forward (not good for a bad back...), but these risers made just enough of a difference to allow me to sit upright...

Specs are as follows:
Bar Diameter: 1.0"
Tip to Tip: 31.75"
Pullback: 1.3"
Rise: 4.5"

 

What SoCal relayed is dead-on. JAM had the exact issue you are stating - just a little too far of a reach to get to the bars comfortably, and leaning a touch downward, too, I believe. For me at 6'2, it was worse. In JAM's case, he swapped the risers, and was good to go without any further issue (his cables and bushings were fine). His bike is sweet the way he has it set up - one of the more inspiring Slims on here (and SoCal's is another that's downright bitchin').

I opted to go a more extreme route, keeping the stock risers, but putting 16" apes on. MUCH more drastic of a change, a lot more costly, and 8 hours rather than half an hour or less. The mini-apes would be somewhere in between height-wise, and I don't know if the cables and whatnot would still work or if they'd be too short and have to be swapped out.

Here's a shot of mine after the install:

 

Hey juggerpops, I'm 5' 8" and installed the risers mentioned above.

My first step was a mustang solo seat which moves you forward a bit, maybe an inch. After adding the risers I was in the perfect riding position. The next thing was a 2 in tank lift, which made the gauge easier to see especially when wearing a full face.

Still may install some apes down the road, but those three changes help my comfort immensely.

Good Luck,
Andy