Sore after installing apes
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 4,295
Likes: 22
From: Fort Pierce, Florida
2012 flhx... Stock seat.
Im 6'1" with 32 inseam
Stock bars were ok and never was sore or felt like arms or back hurt just was feeling a little cramped.
Installed wild 1 576 i think... 12.5 inches.
Everyone raves on comfort.
First 2 rides.. Each about 50 miles, I noiced my back, hands and arms feeling tired and sore.
Anyone else had this issue and did you get use to it after a certain time. Would suck to go back to stock and waste a bunch of money thAt Ijust put into wild 1's.
Thoughts..
Im 6'1" with 32 inseam
Stock bars were ok and never was sore or felt like arms or back hurt just was feeling a little cramped.
Installed wild 1 576 i think... 12.5 inches.
Everyone raves on comfort.
First 2 rides.. Each about 50 miles, I noiced my back, hands and arms feeling tired and sore.
Anyone else had this issue and did you get use to it after a certain time. Would suck to go back to stock and waste a bunch of money thAt Ijust put into wild 1's.
Thoughts..
Sorry, but I have to disagree. Every bike I had with stock bars hurt my shoulders and back. When I switched to apes all that stopped. I have never had sore or numb arms or hands. And I ride about 300-400+ miles at a time.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 938
Likes: 0
From: Seattle WA area
I have the 12.5 WO on my SG. Put them on after having Wild 1 14" on my RK. So far I am not as pleased with the 12.5s as I was the RK setup. If anything I should have gone 14". Even though they don't fit me as well as the 14" did, it is still a night and day improvement over stock. By the way, I am 6' and ride with a backrest.
Put a detachable backrest on before doing a 1500 mile Iron Butt on my RK and have been sold ever since. And yes, I did have apes on the IB ride. Nothing but comfort!
Put a detachable backrest on before doing a 1500 mile Iron Butt on my RK and have been sold ever since. And yes, I did have apes on the IB ride. Nothing but comfort!
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,507
Likes: 23
From: Orange County Texas
I noticed my back, hands and arms feeling tired and sore.
Posture is very important to motorcycle comfort. You should very setting pretty much straight up. If your leaning forward, lower back pain. If your leaning back mid back pain.
Another factor is wrist angle and bar width.
Wrist angle will effect your fore arms and bar width will be felt between the shoulder blades.
When riding are your arms straight, (elbow not bent) if they are you my need to pull the bars back some.
Another factor that effect everything is foot position. Do you feel like your wrapping your legs around the tank. If so this will put pressure on your hips and lower back.
Floor board relocaters may help, I have a 32" inseam and plus 1" out Plus 1" fwd helped my comfort a lot.
It took me a while to get mine dialed in. Mine is like going down the road in a lazy boy.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 3,824
Likes: 603
From: Myrtle Beach SC
I have the 12.5 inch 577Bs on my SG. It's not a reach, arms are slightly below shoulder level. I make a point of keeping my back straight and don't grip the grips too hard, relax the hands. 600 mile days are comfortable.
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 417
Likes: 6
From: Fargo ND
Bullshit. I've done 1500 miles in 23 hrs the night my sig pic was taken. Bars need to be tilted and a backrest will help a ton. I'm 6', bars are 16". Good luck
Cruiser
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 195
Likes: 0
From: Mesa, AZ
Put my Santee 11" bars on 4 months ago. Took about a month to get used to the new wrist angle and not bending my back to reach done to the stock bars. Just using muscles you haven't used before. Now I would never go back. I am 5'8 and my arms are level now with my shoulders and my back is straight. Give it a little time. Plus it was like adding power steering and coming up off the jiffy stand is so much easier. My 2 cents
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 377
Likes: 1
From: Pittsburgh
I have an FLHR but put 16s on mine and all the pain went away, much more comfortable now. A new seat or backrest may also help.
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Road Master
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 855
Likes: 1
From: Puyallup, WA
Another thing to keep in mind is the width of the bars. I have 16" carlini's on mine and they measuere almost 42" wide. Since I have pretty broad shoulders the fit is nice. My budy put a set of 16" bars on his bike and they only measure like 24" wide. Works for him but too narrow for me. Gives me a cramp between my shoulder blades. Another thing I learned is everything feels a little different at first. Get a few hundred miles on it first. That way when you adjust them you will be comparing them to the way they are now, not to the old bars you had on before.
Installed 11" bars this winter. First couple rides my arms got sore after about 20 miles. Also feel like I have a pinched nerve inbetween my spine and right shoulder blade. Nothing severe, more annoying than anything. After several rides my arms are good, back still a little sore. I am 6'1" 268 34 inseam. I have a decent bend in my elbows. I feel it is a time issue, getting used to the position.
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