I found the reach to the bars on my ultra to create pain between my shoulders after an extended ride. I installed Khrome Werks +2 narrow sweepers and found them to be perfect for me. They have the same rise as stock (keep the hands behind the fairing) but provide a reduced reach to the bars and a comfortable wrist agnle. FWIW I'm 5'7" with 32" sleeve.

 

I have buckhorn bars on my '97 springer softail and they are the most comfortable bars of my three bikes.

 

I got a buddy just went back a couple inches and said it helped with the soreness you can get in shoulder blades. If you stay an inch or two some cables/wires you can keep. I zero desire for the ape craze, my hands would go numb. And I bought a fairinged bike some my hands would be behind fairing. But times I do think a little more pullback would be nice.

 

Yes it is.

 

Huh. Thanks!

 

I figured I couldn't be the only one. Just wish it hadn't taken two years to get around to it. lol

 

I have the 2+2 narrow sweepers on mine and they are wonderful. Mine are pushed up to where they're maybe 1/4" from the fairing at the closest point and they still provide a nice riding position that puts the bars toward me. My hands are still behind the fairing as well, replacing my previous 13" apes that put my hands above the fairing installed by the PO. I'm 5'5" with a 31" sleeve and they are perfect for me, even more than I expected before I installed them.

 

Buckhorns for Street Glide seem to be nearly impossible to find - most Harley buckhorns are for non-fairing bikes with much narrower mounting areas and/or 1" bars. After doing more research I took some pictures of about what I'm looking for in terms of seating position and handgrip placement, which appear below. Also did some measuring and it seems like I'm looking for about 17" of "Rise", and given how wide the SG bars are to start with, the front view makes it look like the new bars could just come straight back (no additional width), then the right angle on the handgrips does it. This would look a lot like apes do, except most apes curve the handgrip back out straight for some reason, where I want to it stay at that comfortable angle.

I've looked at BR Customs's Big Daddy's rounded top & bottom , Khrome Werks 16" Ape, and Handlebar Lee's Watermelon Bar. I couldn't find 1.5" Flanders bars.

Of those three, the KW Ape & HL Watermelon look more promising, as the KW doesn't straighten out the grips like most apes, and the Watermelon really looks kind of like a buckhorn. Sadly the image on HL's web site is literally the only one I've found, and it's not that great for figuring out how it would look on the bike. I was really hoping to find images on bikes but so far I've failed to see anything I'd call usable, which could easily my search foo is weak today.

Its seems like either of those handlebars could do if mounted low, pulling the handgrips back toward me, instead high up like most do. I may not have that classic "buckhorn rise" from the handgrip, but the reality is I'm not looking for that, I'm looking to improve my riding position. Both of them are likely to produce a wider bar than I want, and if that puts my hands outside the fairing I won't really like it. The KW Ape at least says it's 34.5", which is roughly the width of the stock bar, maybe a little wider.

Perhap I'll give BR Custom a try and see what they say. I'm not convinced a COTS handlebar is going to fit the bill, but I'm going to order something soon. I need lead time for manufacture and I've never changed a bike's handlebars before, so it'll take me four times longer to do that job. Spring Is Coming...

 

Three different supposedly custom bar places failed to reply to queries about buckhorn style bars.

I did look very seriously at the 2+2 narrow sweepers, which claim to work on a Street Glide, but the bling won out. My wallet is still struggling in its death throes.

Finally pulled the trigger:
- Handlebar Lee Y2-See bars in 16" - mainly for the narrower grips but they're also not what one sees every day
- Magnum extension kit (haven't decided black or silver); most important very few of these kits are for dual caliper, rather dramatically limiting the field
- HD Streamliner heated grips - matches current grip

Also need a clutch cover gasket. Not a single "complete" extension kit includes this, but the HD service manual says quite clearly to replace this when the cover is removed, which must be done to replace the cable. Seems a bit off, but there it is; enough people probably get away with it that no one cares. (shrug)

Hoping I can run the wiring internal so she looks a little cleaner, but I'm not married to that. I also looked at wiring & cables separate but that quickly become as expensive as a kit.

I'm expecting the bars to take three weeks & I'll check for President's Day sales on the extension kit/grip & order then. Meantime I'll prep Glytr for new parts ... I have never managed to get any exhaust parts off this bike and that same HD service manual says the right side needs to be removed to do the clutch cable. I'll be very very happy to find out that's wrong. lol

 

Everything is enroute and I'm taking the old handlebars off. I'm supposed to stick a bit of cardboard somewhere to protect a switch assembly, but in the top image a couple of posts back, just below the master cylinder, the brake lever has a wide tab on it where the manual seems to show the switch protection inserted. The only diagram I've found in the manual shows the handgrip side of the assembly, not the lever side, so it's not really clear where it goes. Could someone enlighten me where this protection goes?

I really should buy a lottery ticket; I actually found a YT video that was informative without wasting 20 minutes to get there. \o/ If HD had just included an image of the lever side it would have made all the difference. I captured an image of it and added it to my manual for later, when I've forgotten. lol

I also discovered, despite numerous hours searching, that an SG actually does have 1" bars. So much for being clever enough to put a caliper on the darned thing to be sure. <facepalm/> Oh well, if that's the worst problem I have on this journey I'll go buy a lottery ticket. lol

Thanks!...