Handlebars

[roadking2]

Do you guys still have the stock bars on your trike? If not, what did you replace them with and why did you switch?

 

[Peter A.]

I went with 11" Santee bars -much more comfortable for me + I have more adjustable
range that I dial in if peed be. I was truly undecided about height - if I could do-over I
would have went even taller (but that's a personel thing and CALIFORNIA too). When I
rode my Wife's trike (stock bars) I feel like
i'm on a crotch rocket or go-kart - leaning
foward/down.
Just my opinions,

 

[MontgomeryLittle]

Wife is the trike rider, 2011 Tri Glide. Put the H-D 2 inch pull backs on it to fit her year model TG. Also got the extended clutch cable and brake lines for same. They say they are required. I put the same handlebars on my 2008 FLHTP and used the clutch cable but the brake lines are still stock, had plenty of room. All other wires and TBW worked fine on both rides. Some people do not like the wrist angle of these particular bars, but they have been fine for her and myself.

Reason we put them on she is 5'1". She sat right on top of the motor and this got her off the top of all the heat and overall comfort for her has been night and day. My mom made me a backrest extension, from my drawing that also helped her. I did also have her seat done by Russell Day long but this was after the handlebars and backrest. We did the seat over this last winter. She was really liking it before the seat mod but now she thinks I'm a motorcycle god or something. I'm far from that, just a hill billy.

I'm 6' and I put the same bars on my bike, the Cop Glide, to set me back in the Police solo seat a tad more. I have no complaints about the wrist angle on mine either. I could see where some folks may but for us it's been a non issue. The most we may do in a day is 500 miles. And our average is around 120 on local Saturdays and Sundays.

There are many bars to choose from, go to dealers, friends bikes whatever. Sit on them and see what you like or don't like. Don't just settle for an opinion or two.

Good luck.........

 

[roadking2]

I have a Roadking that I converted. The bars I had were fine when it still had 2 wheels, but they seem to wide now that it's in trike mode. They are the Wild1 518s and they are pretty wide and flat. Almost beach bar like. I was just trying to get some idea of the general type of bars guys like. Stock bars on the Harley trikes are a lot narrower than what I now have. I was just trying to see if the narrowness of the stockers was a issue or if bars generally that narrow but maybe a different configuration were preferred. Maybe I should have asked if guys prefer wide or narrow for their trike bars. I like the look and feel of the Heritage bars, but I was curious if they to would feel wide on a trike. Normal riding is fine now, but very sharp cornering is not comfortable because my hands are so wide spread with my current set up. The heritage bars are narrower, but I wondered if I should be looking even narrower yet.

 

[RickDeVon]

I have a Roadking that I converted. The bars I had were fine when it still had 2 wheels, but they seem to wide now that it's in trike mode. They are the Wild1 518s and they are pretty wide and flat. Almost beach bar like. I was just trying to get some idea of the general type of bars guys like. Stock bars on the Harley trikes are a lot narrower than what I now have. I was just trying to see if the narrowness of the stockers was a issue or if bars generally that narrow but maybe a different configuration were preferred. Maybe I should have asked if guys prefer wide or narrow for their trike bars. I like the look and feel of the Heritage bars, but I was curious if they to would feel wide on a trike. Normal riding is fine now, but very sharp cornering is not comfortable because my hands are so wide spread with my current set up. The heritage bars are narrower, but I wondered if I should be looking even narrower yet.

Think about the 12" Wild One Outlaws...

 

[Casper]

Think I'm going with LA Choppers 10" Twin Peaks

Need them up and back a little.

 

[Livin2Ride]

The stock TriGlide bars fit me just fine, never gave any thought to changing them. For what it's worth, I'm 6' with a 32" inseam and weigh 185 and have what I would call average length arms ie; I don't have problems buying clothes sized for regular. I also run the Road Zep seat which may play into the fit situation as it moved me up a little.

 

[GARYD]

The stock TriGlide bars fit me just fine, never gave any thought to changing them. For what it's worth, I'm 6' with a 32" inseam and weigh 185 and have what I would call average length arms ie; I don't have problems buying clothes sized for regular. I also run the Road Zep seat which may play into the fit situation as it moved me up a little.

I fit the above to a "T" except I'm 5'-11".

I also am satisfied with he stock grips, but on my way home from a long trip last weekend, I got to thinking how would it feel if I had bars a couple inches up and back? I would be able to lean back and relax a little more, but I'm not spending almost $1000 to find out and if I'm wrong I'm really up the creek.
I just have to find someone with that setup and try first.

 

[trikermutha]

If your budget allows it go for the extended reach bars..Instead of leaning forward when turning and having to reach for the bars when driving your arms will be more relaxed. In my case I think a 2 inch up and 2 inch back handles would work fine..epper:

I have done this on my ultra conversion and was amazed how much more comfortable I was driving.

 

[tom w]

I fit the above to a "T" except I'm 5'-11".

I also am satisfied with he stock grips, but on my way home from a long trip last weekend, I got to thinking how would it feel if I had bars a couple inches up and back? I would be able to lean back and relax a little more, but I'm not spending almost $1000 to find out and if I'm wrong I'm really up the creek.
I just have to find someone with that setup and try first.

I too have considered up and back some. I am 6' 1" and with the stock bars from my 08 ultra find I have to reach down. I had a soft tail custom with mini apes on it stock that were a lot more comfortable. just don't know what all I would have to change . ( and the money involved)

 

[eighty80]

Still stock. Seems to be OK for me.....

 

[roadking2]

So far, all you guys are using or wanting bars that have a lot less spread between the grips than my current bars have. That's pretty much the direction I was thinking. Narrower and not nearly as wide as my current bars. They are very comfortable, but as I said, very sharp turning is difficult because my arms are so spread out. This comes into play when I want to do something where I need to turn it lock to lock or close to it. A u turn for example. I appreciate the input that I've received so far.

 

[Strohkr]

Do you guys still have the stock bars on your trike? If not, what did you replace them with and why did you switch?

Stock bars were killing me - tried HD's 2" pullbacks - worse yet.

Went with Paul Yaffe 14" Classic Bagger Apes (pulled back a bit) and have never looked back!epper:

Absolutely perfect (IMHO), much easier to turn, a very relaxing feel, and good wrist angle. Yup, had to change out the cables but overall it was well worth it.

Throw on my AirHawk Seat Pad and I can ride all day :GL1800:- comfortable!

 

[grimm]

I'm running 16" gimp hangers from Nash Motorcycle on my rig.

 

[grimm]

 

[GARYD]

I don't want the spread to be any different, just the pull back and height - even though I'm concerned about being higher because that puts my hands in the wind and not protected behind the fairing. That would be a concern for me since I ride all winter here in the Chicago area. They get cold enough behind the fairing.

 

[EnjoyingTheRyde]

Stock bars were killing me - tried HD's 2" pullbacks - worse yet.
Went with Paul Yaffe 14" Classic Bagger Apes (pulled back a bit) and have never looked back!epper:
Absolutely perfect (IMHO), much easier to turn, a very relaxing feel, and good wrist angle. Yup, had to change out the cables but overall it was well worth it.
Throw on my AirHawk Seat Pad and I can ride all day :GL1800:- comfortable!

Do you have a couple of pictures of this set up?

 

[GARYD]

Stock bars were killing me - tried HD's 2" pullbacks - worse yet.

Went with Paul Yaffe 14" Classic Bagger Apes (pulled back a bit) and have never looked back!epper:

Absolutely perfect (IMHO), much easier to turn, a very relaxing feel, and good wrist angle. Yup, had to change out the cables but overall it was well worth it.

Throw on my AirHawk Seat Pad and I can ride all day :GL1800:- comfortable!

And what was the cost of this setup? How did you know you'd like that setup before plunking down a lot of $$$$$? That's my problem - what if I cough up $1000 + or - and then find out I don't like the setup.......I'm out a large chunk of change for nothing. It's not worth it to me. My stock bars are fine - I was just looking to see if something might be a bit more comfortable.

 

[Krautster]

I also don't like my bars, am heading to Bremen Ga. in the morning to a company called KST Kustoms.. They make handlebars and I contacted them about making me a custom set to my likeing..
They will measure me up and custom make a set for me,,
check them out at KSTKUSTOMS.COM

 

[Fusionfool]

I also went with LA Chopper Twin Peak 10". I am 6' and long arms, it took the pressure off my shoulders by raising a bit, and for me, I went forward as far as I could.

 

[GARYD]

Do any of you get to test the bars after installation to make sure it's to your liking before paying for them??? Will they rework the bars until you get what you want - if so at no additional cost?

I hate to pay for something I'm not sure will make me happy. the same with seats. That's why I bought the Air Zepplin seat - if I don't like the sitting position at first I can change it with a push of a button.

I don't mind the stock bars, but would like to see if there is a more comfortable position available, but will not spend $1000+or- for something I'm not sure of. Too bad it's so involved/costly to try different bars.

 

[grimm]

I've never heard of any mechanic installing custom bars (or doing any other work for that matter) and allowing you to try them on without any sort of payment. Once they are on, you own them and aside from loosening the risers and adjusting for pullback, I don't see what else you could do. I have always sat on various bikes (after getting owner permission of course) to get an idea for what is comfortable. I'm not saying nobody will do it, I'm just saying I've never come across one with that much spare time to do hours of work for free. Good luck.

 

[Strohkr]

And what was the cost of this setup? How did you know you'd like that setup before plunking down a lot of $$$$$? That's my problem - what if I cough up $1000 + or - and then find out I don't like the setup.......I'm out a large chunk of change for nothing. It's not worth it to me. My stock bars are fine - I was just looking to see if something might be a bit more comfortable.

No pics - but I can take some and see if I can figure out how to put 'em on the forum. Cost - yes, kinda spendy especially since I had the HD 2" pullbacks put on first. Bars were in the neighborhood of $125, installation was $600, the cables and other goodies that I decided to add increased it even more (heated grips):clapping:but all-in-all it was well worth it. Why 14" apes? Well, I'm kinda short and I was hating leaning forward and turns were killing me. I had 14" Wild Ones on my SERK and thought they might just work on the Tri-Glide as well. However, I didn't care for the grip angle on the Wild Ones (the ones that would fit my Tri-Glide) so I went with Paul Yaffe 14" Custom Bagger Apes (black) instead. Yes, they are tall but I have them pulled back a bit and they just fit fantastic! Yes, hands are above the fairing but with heated grips and decent gloves - no problem (yet anyway).
It's amazing the difference they make in turns - it's MUCH easier to turn and now I can even take the twisties faster than before (if I'm in that kinda mood)!

I agree that it's unfortunate that you can't try 'em before you buy 'em b/c I'm out quite a few $$$$ with the HD 2" pullbacks/installation. For whatever reason Apes just work great for me - just super comfortable!

 

[GARYD]

I've never heard of any mechanic installing custom bars (or doing any other work for that matter) and allowing you to try them on without any sort of payment. Once they are on, you own them and aside from loosening the risers and adjusting for pullback, I don't see what else you could do. I have always sat on various bikes (after getting owner permission of course) to get an idea for what is comfortable. I'm not saying nobody will do it, I'm just saying I've never come across one with that much spare time to do hours of work for free. Good luck.

I agree with you on custom bars. I was thinking about local dealers that have many different bars that would let you come in and sit on the bike while they attached different bars. That way it wouldn't take much time to pick the right one. That wouldn't work for bars bought on line though.

I remember when I bought a new bike, the dealer would always let me come in during set up and let me sit on the bike and set the stock bars where I wanted them. That's about all you can do. You're right about sitting on someone else's bike that has the bars you want, but unfortunately there's not many TG owners that have different bars I could test.

I'm not going to spend close to $1K on something that may or may not be to my liking. Especially since the stock bars are not that bad.

Non fairing bars would be pretty simple to test compared to bikes with fairings.

 

[Fusionfool]

My dealer would not even order the bar until I sat on another bike with the bars I wanted, or very similar. I was lucky that I had talked to a guy that had the same bars, sat on his trike, and could tell right away that was what I wanted. Did not ride it, but was sitting on it for a while as we talked.
Then my dealer had me come in and fit the bars before completing the job.
As for other things like slip on exhaust or seats, they put them on and if you do not like them they will take back off, and let you try others.
Bars have too much labor involved to go with try it out.

 

[Sloufoot]

My dealer would not even order the bar until I sat on another bike with the bars I wanted, or very similar. I was lucky that I had talked to a guy that had the same bars, sat on his trike, and could tell right away that was what I wanted. Did not ride it, but was sitting on it for a while as we talked.
Then my dealer had me come in and fit the bars before completing the job.
As for other things like slip on exhaust or seats, they put them on and if you do not like them they will take back off, and let you try others.
Bars have too much labor involved to go with try it out.

Here in Idaho there is a dealer across the state from me that has the right idea as far as bars & seats for initial try out. They have a dummy bike that you can sit on & try out the different bars they have in stock, all Harley, but he has most of them. Along with the bars you can try out Harley seats. Mix or match. Get the bars right then you can do a try on the seats on your bike with demos with windshields.
Should be a requirement to have a dealership !

 

[GARYD]

Most dealers have demo seats and windshields, but not mufflers or bars.

I like Fusionfool's and Sloufoot's dealers ideas. ThumbUp

Anyone in the Chicago or western suburbs area that has pull back bars on their TG??