Okay so funny story… on Saturday, 2 days before my birthday, we’re going on a ride down to Indianola to the Route 65 Harley open house. I back my bike out of the garage, pull the choke out to warm it up… everyone’s standing around waiting for me as usual. Once the Picky Bitch is warmed up, we saddle up and Steve, Kristin and Hollie and I all head out. I notice that my bike felt kind of funny - different, but not sure how… when I turned that corner off the side street, it felt like my arms were “going wide” to make the turn. And then going down Holcomb St. toward 2nd Ave., my arms felt like they were in a different position. One more turn onto 2nd Ave. and I know something’s different, but still don’t know just what. So as I’m heading down 2nd Ave., I notice my arms are actually sitting higher… and my hands are actually parallel to the ground instead of at an angle… I’VE GOT NEW HANDLEBARS!
Yep, Steve had bought and installed new ape hanger handlebars for my birthday, and it took me THREE BLOCKS to figure it out!! LOL Since I was in the lead I took everyone into a parking lot where I stopped and got off the bike and gave Steve a big hug and kiss… I hope he knows how much I really like them, they are really comfortable! Now all I need to go with them are the Kuryakyn ISO Grips (with Throttle Boss, of course)… and maybe a chrome belt guard… oh! and today up at Big Barn HD we saw a neat seat - the Reach Solo Seat for Sportster… yeah, kinda like getting new drapes - now the living room furniture doesn’t match!
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September 18th, 2007 at 10:44 am
The look on your face when you finally figured it out was priceless, I am glad Steve made us wait for you to figure it out on your own.
September 18th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
The funny thing was, I could tell something was different when I made the first corner out of the driveway and onto Holcomb St… just didn’t know exactly WHAT was wrong! I can’t believe I didn’t just SEE THEM and realize they were different! Sure made it a fun day, though - thanks for sharing it with us!!
~ J.
September 19th, 2007 at 9:46 am
That is just incredibly funny.
And what a wonderful gift…happy belated birthday!
Will you do a review of them sometime after you’ve ridden a few hundred miles? I never thought ape hangers looked that comfy so it would be good to hear a comparison.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Linda, thanks for the birthday wishes - a review is a good idea! My initial reaction is that I really like them - my arms sit higher, but they are just stretched out at shoulder height so it’s not a real extreme position. I’ll make a note to report back after I get some miles on them! ~ Janet
September 19th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
I recently purchased the reach seat for my Softail deluxe. I rode on it for about 25 miles so far. It is a bit harder than I am used to. It really helps pull you in and forward on the bike. Now my feet reach the highway bars more comfortably than before. Congrats on the new handlebars and the way you learned about them was great!
March 3rd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
[...] my wonderful husband purchased and installed Ape Hanger handlebars for me (you might remember the story about how I didn’t seem to notice!). I noticed after a little riding that my shoulder blades were kind of aching, so we talked about [...]