Hey guys,
I'm thinking of getting apes on my nightster. What are my height choices? What do you guys recommend for a rider who has never had apes? Should i go with drag bars instead? Which of the two do you guys prefer and why? thanks.

 

Ape hangers generally startat 15" to 16" and can go as high as 20" or more.Anything less than 15" in my opinion isn't an ape hanger.If your hands aren't above your shoulders they are really not ape hangersThesehandlebars(under 15")are in the same style and are called mini apes ranging anywhere from 10",12",13",14'.

I have a pair of 16" on my '90 Sporty and love 'em.Some say they look uncomfortable and hard to ride with but they're really not.I'll never have a bike without 'em.The higher ones may be illegal where you live,they are by me[sm=smiley4.gif]
I say drag bars look really uncomfortable butwhat do I know

 

I have seen a few nightsters with apes..........they look bad a$$
They were all on the roll, so I didn't get a very long look though.

I seen one with a very tall sissy bar, thing must have been 30" high.
I don't think it had a padon it for a passenger. I don't even think it had a passenger seat. There again, it was on the roll. ButI thought it was kinda neat (I think). I'll have to think about it some more to be sure. It made the bike look bigger.

 

I've had both mini apes (10") and drag bars on my 1200..if you like reacing forward a little for your bars, then drags are the best way to go...if you like your arms bent and being able to sit straight up, go with the apes. 16" apes are about as big as you can go on a Sporty before it starts looking silly in my opinion. (I tried)

 

I have apes on my FXR, drags on my XL. The apes feel great for long rides / freeway and look real cool. The drags make the xl feel more like a fun toy and are better for the canyons. I can't decide which ones I like more, but if you go with the apes, go for it (i.e., get the tallest ones you can control).

 

I have mini apes on mine. Not sure how tall they are....about 12 inches I think. I'll go measure tomorrow. You can play with them as to the degree they are leaning to you or away from you and it makes a big difference in handling and ride comfort. In my pic I had the bars pulled toward me a little more than I usually do because I was in the hill country and wanted a little more control when taking the curves at speed.

 

I just put some 12" mini-apes on my Nightster. They look awesome and the ride is great!!! They are perfect in my opinion. You will probably need cables like I did. You can use the cables from a Dyna Wide Glyde. All the cables work. Here are the part numbers:

Throttle Cable: 56356-96A
Idle Cable: 56355-96A
Brake Line: 45112-96
Clutch Cable: 38789-06A

In total they cost around $145.00

GMolina89

 

Put 16" on my Nightster last week and think it makes the bike look great. They are much more comfortable than they look like they would be. I have always loved the look of drag bars, and then I bought a bike and rode around leaning forward awhile and began to appreciate the "laid back" look. Hill Country Customs, on EBAY, puts the whole package together for $420 to your door and you can chose between black or braided stainless cables. All you do is give them your bike, riser height, and what size bars you want. Took about Eight hours total to complete. You do have to extend the wiring harness yourself, not a big deal if you own a soldering iron and a few tools.