Last night my Brother & I picked up his new to him 1998 Police Road King. Bike is in great shape but he needs to change the bars, The previous owner put on a set that is too narrow & too short for him. As always any advise would be great. He just joined the forum as Poseidon1.

 

Nice looking scooter. I've got a 98 RKC and I put the HD extended reach bars on it. They felt really awkward for awhile but I like them now. They are still a little funky when making tight turns in parking lots though. I think they cost me about $40.

Get yourself the HD service and parts manuals and enjoy it.

 

cool!!

I love my RK Beach bars....but bars are suited differently for each.
My stock cables/brake lines barely fit with the change....something to keep in mind.

 

Heritage bars are a huge help. Mine has them and they're very comfortable, but I'm a little long in the arm and will be switching to 16" apes right away.

 

Congrats!

 

Nice!

 

Sweet and congrats!

 

Bars are somewhat like boots, in that what works well for one person may not work so well for another.
My recommendation would be to get the right seat to start with - something that's comfortable and puts the rider in a good position.
Then, with the bike sitting upright (a buddy, or brother is helpful here) have the rider sit on the bike and get into a natural riding position. Extend the arms to where the grips should be. Then take some measurements and do some research.

Makes sense to take the time up front, as changing bars can get expensive.

 

Nice scoot!!! Enjoy!!

 

Cool bike.
+1 that it's better to measure twice and cut once with bars.
I would really sit on that thing with a measuring tape and try to visualize what he wants in a bar and then draw out the dimensions and try to match it to some existing bars.
Popular choices are Heritage bars (they come standard on cop RK's now I think), and the Wild 1 508's and 518's that are stickied at the top of this forum.