hey all im just curious ... i have a 2011 fatboy and am looking at getting some new 14 or 16 apes little more or less is fine .... my question is how tall on the stock cables can i go before i need to swap out the brake or clutch lines ?

 

You wont get anything out the stock cables. Even with baby 14's you'll need to swap ALL the cables. It's 400 - 500 doing it yourself, but easy and worth the savings.

 

Heritage bars or 10".

 

You can get 10's on easy, 12's if your willing to spend the time rerouting everything. Maybe even popping the top triple tree clamp to get ALL the slack. I have seen guys get very narrow 14's on, but the bikes look ridiculous with the banjo string cables. Real apes, not a chance with the stock stuff.

For the effort involved, getting the proper length cables and wires is well worth it. Its just not that tough to do, and not that expensive if you find a worthwhile shop. If your foolish enough to have a stealership do it, then you'll pay a big pile of cash for the privilege. Indy's can do it reasonably if your not willing or able to do it yourself.

 

Pre-2009 Heritage Softail Classic bars. IIRC, in 2009, they went from 10" to 12". But like KumaRide said 10" is about it. Once you start moving into the 12"-16" range, you'll have to increase cable and brake line lengths.

I included a link to the Magnum Shielding website. At the top of the page, if you do a search by bike, it will give you an idea of how long cables need to be for apes. For my 12.5" apes, I needed +6" on the clutch, throttle and idle cables. And the brake line was 50".

http://www.magnumshielding.com/

 

something to also consider,
not sure how high your risers are....but if you swap to shorter risers, (obviously) youll pick up some inches in cable slack that way also

 

Did 12.5's on my low with shorter risers, had to swap all cables. HD gave me their wiring kit that was supposed to fit...well had to cut and extend all wires. Did it myself tho, with no experience. no prob.

 

Did 12.5's on my low with shorter risers, had to swap all cables. HD gave me their wiring kit that was supposed to fit...well had to cut and extend all wires. Did it myself tho, with no experience. no prob.

 

perfect .. thanks all thats what i needed to know ...whats involved in chancing out the cables and brake lines ?

.. lastly ... i know its personal pref but what height are you all usin on a fatboy im 5 10....lookin for a more comfortable ride on long dist rides

 

The best thing to do is try one that has the bars you want, but that is very hard to do. Not all people that are 5'10" have the same torso height. It can vary a few inches from person to person. To keep it legal sit on the bike with a buddy holding a tube or level on your shoulder and then measure from the tree to the tube and then subtract the riser height and you will have the highest that are legal. or just hold your hands up where they feel right and measure form there