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I have a 2018 Ultra Limited, and I'm planning on changing out the handlebars. I am looking for recommendations for handlebar height.
I'm 6'1" tall. If it makes a difference, I have a Mustang Super Deluxe Touring seat that puts me about 1.75" back from the original seat.
Someone recommended 14", however, most of the things I see on places like youtube, that are dealers talking about this subject, tend to
imply that 16" is their most popular seller. And, I have heard more than a few riders who say they wish they had gone up a size.
Any help and input is appreciated. Thank you.
You need to find the "pull back" position first. If you ride long distances just be aware that even though your hands are sort of "at rest" on the grips with your arms extended out at say a 90* angle from your body, a lot of that tension is transferred to your shoulders. So, my advice would be to find the most comfortable pull back so that your arms are not fully extended with forearms at about a 30* angle from your upper arm. Once you do that, you have also established the height. It's all geometry. It has been years since I replaced the stock bars (which were a terrible fit) on my '05 FXSTD for a set of Ness Lo Fly bars. I developed a spread sheet with a variety of stock and aftermarket handlebar specs; length, rise, pullback, etc. then visited one of the local dealerships, grabbed the bars on display and sat on the bike with the bars situated as best I could to simulate the actual fitment. That narrowed down the field significantly. From that trial/error session, I settled on the dimensions I needed and started looking for a set of bars close to those dimensions which led me to the Ness bars.
I know that sounds like a lot of work, took a long time, which it did; however, I can tell you that if you get it wrong, it won't take long for your body to let you know. JMHO but bar location and fitment to the rider is as important to seat selection; the go hand in hand. Good luck with your search.
I'm the same height as you and I've has 16's, 14's and 12's on various Harleys. I use a hammock seat that also seats you back a bit vs the stock seats. To me 16" apes look fine on a road king but to me look a little goofy on an Ultra. I was very happy with Yaffe 14" apes on street glides and road glides till I tried khromewerks 12" bars on a 2022 RGL which were perfect. I'm currently debating between 14" or 12" KST bars on my RKS. Any bar can be adjusted forward and back to suit your arm length however the width on one-piece bars is what it is and can affect wrist angle and elbow position. That's why I'm leaning towards the 3 piece kst bars since they can be adjusted to fit the rider a whole lot more. good luck with your search 12" KW bars 10" HD rotated forward
Originally Posted by Jesse64
I have a 2018 Ultra Limited, and I'm planning on changing out the handlebars. I am looking for recommendations for handlebar height.
I'm 6'1" tall. If it makes a difference, I have a Mustang Super Deluxe Touring seat that puts me about 1.75" back from the original seat.
Someone recommended 14", however, most of the things I see on places like youtube, that are dealers talking about this subject, tend to
imply that 16" is their most popular seller. And, I have heard more than a few riders who say they wish they had gone up a size.
Any help and input is appreciated. Thank you.
I am also 6’1” tall with a 32 inch inseam. I’ve changed handle bars on four bikes over the last 10 years. At first I was afraid to go too tall, and with bat wings I was trying to keep win protection so 10 to 12 inch was my choice.
Each time I wish I had gone taller. Currently on my 21 SGS I have 14 inch bars, and on my 22 RG I have 16 inch.
A lot depends on the handlebar and the manufacturer, as not all bars are measured the same.
If you have some dealers in your area with a good selection of used bikes I would suggest checking out as many as you can. Sit on them and see what feels good.
A couple of tips / tricks I have learned along the way. Don’t add wiring extensions. Namz makes a complete replacement wiring set in the length you need for around $50 bucks. I’ve found mine from Dennis Kirk and Revzilla when needed. I would not be surprised to learn that they make these for HD. They look identical and this way you have new wiring, the correct length without introducing additional connections. If running heated grips you will be fine with the stock wires. They have always been plenty long enough for all my setups.
Definitely replace your clutch cable, the upper section or all. I replaced my entire cables on both bikes with Magnum cables and could not be happier. Far better than stock. I do not subscribe to the rerouted cables to make the shorter ones work.
Best of luck to you. I hope you find the right setup the first time.
Yeah, I was going to mention that in the OP. I guess I just thought that it was a given to be taken into consideration. Doesn't make sense to get new bars that I have to reach out for.
Thanks, djl
I'm the same height as you and I've has 16's, 14's and 12's on various Harleys. I use a hammock seat that also seats you back a bit vs the stock seats. To me 16" apes look fine on a road king but to me look a little goofy on an Ultra. I was very happy with Yaffe 14" apes on street glides and road glides till I tried khromewerks 12" bars on a 2022 RGL which were perfect. I'm currently debating between 14" or 12" KST bars on my RKS. Any bar can be adjusted forward and back to suit your arm length however the width on one-piece bars is what it is and can affect wrist angle and elbow position. That's why I'm leaning towards the 3 piece kst bars since they can be adjusted to fit the rider a whole lot more. good luck with your search 12" KW bars 10" HD rotated forward
I am also 61 tall with a 32 inch inseam. Ive changed handle bars on four bikes over the last 10 years. At first I was afraid to go too tall, and with bat wings I was trying to keep win protection so 10 to 12 inch was my choice.
Each time I wish I had gone taller. Currently on my 21 SGS I have 14 inch bars, and on my 22 RG I have 16 inch.
A lot depends on the handlebar and the manufacturer, as not all bars are measured the same.
If you have some dealers in your area with a good selection of used bikes I would suggest checking out as many as you can. Sit on them and see what feels good.
A couple of tips / tricks I have learned along the way. Dont add wiring extensions. Namz makes a complete replacement wiring set in the length you need for around $50 bucks. Ive found mine from Dennis Kirk and Revzilla when needed. I would not be surprised to learn that they make these for HD. They look identical and this way you have new wiring, the correct length without introducing additional connections. If running heated grips you will be fine with the stock wires. They have always been plenty long enough for all my setups.
Definitely replace your clutch cable, the upper section or all. I replaced my entire cables on both bikes with Magnum cables and could not be happier. Far better than stock. I do not subscribe to the rerouted cables to make the shorter ones work.
Best of luck to you. I hope you find the right setup the first time.
Thanks, Razor. I really appreciate that. Especially about the clutch cable. I've been looking at the line of bars from Dominator Industries. My neighbor had them on his last 3 bikes and loved them. Though, I realize, as someone on this thread said, paraphrasing, 'One man's just is another man's nightmare' (I wish someone had told me that about my first wife)
I too am about your size, 6 feet tall, I have 32-33" inseam and long torso and arms. I have a '21 Ultra Limited CVO and it has a La Pera Maverick seat that moves me down and back a bit. I put on Factory 47 Assault bars, 14-inch height, and they are just right for me. I had considered 12-inch but as I was sitting on a SG at the dealership equipped with 12-inchers, one of the old head employees there looked at me and told me I should do 14s. The only drawback is cold weather because your hands aren't covered by the fairing.
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Handlebar height
