Just put 14" Apes on my 07 RKC last week and they are great so far.
My decision for apes was made by posting on this site for recomendations and by talking to people that had them. It took me probably 6 months to finally make my mind up ( alot of $$ to spend if you get it wrong). One guy gave me a great bit of advice... He simply asked me where I put my hands on the steering wheel in the car... my reply was that I always have them at the top of the wheel. With that he said "well I guess you answered your question". So I went with the Apes. I rode aprox. 300 miles over the weekend and no stabbing pain between my shoulders. An added (unexpected) benefit is now I have a panoramic view of everything behind me, since I don't block 1/4 of the mirrors with my arm. I do have to admit though, it did feel a bit wierd at first but by the time I got home from the shop I was feeling very use to them.

 

...at 6'6", my 16" apes are extremely comfortable and provide much better handling than the slammers that were on my '05 softail before...

 

.....

 

I'm 5'8" tall. My seat is custom made, slammed as low as possible, and pushed back as far as possible before hitting my fender.

The apehangers are very comfortable. My brother is 5'5" and handles my bike better than me, with his old lady on the back. He weights 185# and she weighs 215#.

I have to admit though, my brother looks like he can barely reach my bars but he loves the COOL factor.

Get some 16" apehangers you won't be dissapointed!

 

I have 16" on my RKC and they are great. Excellent for long trips. My pipes are illegal too. So WTF.

 

That's an old wives tale about "hands should not be above the heart for extended periods." Heck, I keep my head above my heart for extended periods quite a bit and I think blood to my brain is more critical than blood to my hands.

scg1953. I would like to see a pic of your RKC with the 14"ers. I'm thinking about those for my RK.

 

No bike looks cooler than a RK with apes. Put Chubby 518's with braided cables on last winter. Very comfortable. It's either a big bore kit or apes this winter.

 

TXFXSTRIDER,
I don't have a pic. yet , but if you look on this forum for
" 06ultrabig", his Raod King has the exact same bars (he currently has a post in the "Size of Apes" thread). I'll work on gittin' a pic posted of mine.

 

. . .yeh, 16s may be a little high for a 5'8" guy. I'm 6'3" with 16s and couldn't imagine being much shorter and still being comfortable with them.
All depends on your seat positioning and your particular torso/arm length.
That's why I always say to try them before buying.

My 16s (Wild1) are like a friggin Lazyboy now. Absolute comfort.

As far as the "arms above the heart" statement (which I've never heard) this link may be of use for some. Typically the rule is to not have the hands above the shoulders. . .

http://university.apehangers.org/hbarlaw.php

 

Im 5' 7" and ran 16" apes for years, making several cross country trips. I thought they were both cool and functional. Id like to put some on my Roadglide, but I dont think a fairing bike looks good with them.