So I'm not really a fan of the mini-apes on my '09 Crossbones, but kind of get the feeling that I may find beach bars to be too low for my taste. I'm trying to find something in the in-between of the two, not too high, not too short.

My understanding is that regular bars won't fit on the springer front end due to the risers being spaced differently than on the conventional triple trees. Anyone have any suggestions on makes that would look good and put my bar height somewhere between beach/mini-apes with a decent amount of pullback?

 

ive never heard that the riser spacing is different ill have to check that..i was under the impression that the xbones mini apes are just heritage softail bars that are pc'd black

 

I suppose it's possible I've been misled then. I didn't actually measure to compare. You'll note that in the HD parts catalogue though they indicate that certain handlebars won't fit FLSTSB for some unknown reason.

Actually, if you do a model specific search on the HD motor accessories page the only options they give you for handlebars are wide or narrow beach bars. This could be just HD trying to drive Crossbones owners toward specific upgrades though.

Maybe I'll try and grab a pair of Fatboy or Road King take-offs on the cheap just to see how they fit. If they don't work out at least I'm not out a ton of cash.

 

This is true....your selection of true springer bars is very limited...but of course the aftermarket comes to the rescue ...you can buy a simple adapter so any non springer bars will fit.

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/produc...utm_medium=cse

 

Thanks for the link, I'm gonna try to hopefully find a pair that will fit on without the adapter, but in the event that plan A doesn't pan out it's definitely good to know the adaptor is an option.

Is the spacing issue really only a concern for where the knurling is on the centre of the bars? If I was to get bars without any knurling would that potentially eliminate this problem, or is there more at play that I'm not considering?

 

The knurling is spaced differently. If you get 1" bars with no knurling, you would be good, provided they weren't a bar with a real narrow center section. Also, with no knurling, you run the risk of the bars slipping, but it doesn't sound like you are looking for higher bars. Take a look at the Wild 1 bad boy bars.

 

no, they aren't. the center to center of the knurling is like 4 1/2" or something. On the hydraulic fronts, it is like 3 1/2" The risers set further apart on a Springer

 

I switched to 16" Apes from Wild 1's, the knurling on them is very aggressive and gave me problems with slippage, but the taller bars account for that. However, the Cross Bones risers are made of a soft metal that seems to be prone to this with after market bars. IMHO any handle bar swap should take this into account and changing the risers should be considered.

 

I have a 03 FLSTS and I changed over to a 12 inch apes and switched to a FX springer risers to get a little more rise out of them. They make me set up straighter for long rides. Regular bar will not work because of the spacing of the knurling.

 

Springer spacer knurling is 4.25 and regular bars knurling and spacing is 3.5".

Drew