I want to change the handlebars on the CVO Road King but am kicking around going a different direction. All of my previous bikes (softails) have had drag bars with pullback risers, which I really liked.

Would doing this be a big mistake on the RK? Should I forget that idea and go with 12" or so apes and be done with it?

I've tried raising and lowering the stock bars and just cannot find a comfortable position.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

What year is your Road King? If it's a newer model with throttle by wire, I'm not sure how you could run that wire with risers.

The simple fix that I did doesn't require you to extend any of the cables or brake lines to work and brings the bar closer to you for the comfort you are looking for. The Heritage style bars. They have the notch required for the throttle by wire and not too hard to install yourself.

http://www.harley-davidson.com/store...-09-5690208--1

If you like apes, go for it, but you will probably also require extensions and/or new for your cables and lines.

 

I would go 14" apes. I sat on a 2016 Road King the other day with apes and it felt great. The bike was actually pretty balanced . I traded my 2014 CVO Road KIng in because it felt pretty top heavy and unbalanced. Kinda wish i would have tried ape hangers first. Although it could be that the King was just a regular Road King and my CVO being set up different with 19" wheels and a ton of other stuff really made that much of a difference. But id go 14" to 16" apes if i had a King again.

 

So much personal prefference.

I hated the stock bars on my Rushmore King. Grip angle was the worst part. Also too low for my height and stock police seat.





I went with 14" apes. Probably could or should have gone with 16s.

For me, apes just feel right. My hands are well below my shoulders, so its not all about the height, just how natural grip position feels.

YMMV

 

As everyone has eluded to, it depends on your arm/hand position as you sit on the King, if that will cause issues on the longer rides.

You might be sitting lower on a Softail, and with the drag bars with risers, it could be the same as what you have now on the King.

The stock bars on my King weren't good for me and I replaced it with a fat Heritage-style bars for internal wiring. That's the other thing you'll need to consider as well.

 

Don't own a RK but I'm a fan . IMHO apes up to about 12" - 14" look good on a King but taller ?? The tall apes I've seen on RK's just don't visually match the rugged front end on that "magnificent" machine. Tall apes better suit the spindly front ends of Dyna's and Breakouts, etc. but thats just me. Form should follow function, I know, but within reason, I think one's mind and body simply adapt to new positions quite readily, so long as requirements aren't overly extreme.

My avatar pic is me on my BO with 14" apes. Were I on a RK, I'd pick 12" apes. Two inches for the sake of looks is SFA to get used to IMHO.

 

I have 14" apes, had several other bikes and this is the first with apes. Love them. Was worried my fingers would go numb on long rides but at least for me it doesn't happen, and with cruise you can always just drop a hand once in a while for a change-up. I was fortunate that the bike I bought had this done already, so I didn't have to put out the $, but now that I know what it feels like I won't be without it on any future bike.

 

on mine. They're about 2 1/2 inches higher than stock and you can adjust the angles for your wrists.

 

I tried a few different bars on my 2010FLHR before finding the best IMHO, KromeWerks 1.25 Heritage.

 

OP -

I have a '14 RK. I'm 6'0 tall. The new, higher stock bars on the '14 RK are good for me, even with a saddle change that put me 1" lower and 2" back from stock seat position. I was able to find the best angle for the bars/grips/controls. I sat on a stock '13 RK, and those bars were too short for me, but the newer stock bars on the '14 RK (Rushmore updates) are good for me...grip angle is fine as well...no problems with week-long 300-400 mile/day trips. I read somewhere that these newer bars are similar to Heritage bar dimension...but I can't speak to that.

If you are of similar height, the stock '14 or later bars might work for you...and you may be able to find them second-hand from someone who changed them for aftermarket bars.

Good luck.