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View Full Version : please explain apehangers to me



FROSTY
14th July 2004, 23:51
Im not taking the piss here . I just wonder what the point of apehanger or s bend type bars is.

Bob
15th July 2004, 00:06
Im not taking the piss here . I just wonder what the point of apehanger or s bend type bars is.

You mean like http://www.bobpickett.co.uk/bkit/xv2502.jpg these?

I wondered before I rode this bike - they help it to handle like a dream. Just a slight tug on the bars gets it going where you want it to.

No idea of the physics behind it, but they seem to work really well.

FROSTY
15th July 2004, 00:21
nope -those look ok--I mean where the arms are more or less vertical above you.

White trash
15th July 2004, 07:45
I believe "Ape hangers" were originally knocked up for choppers. If you imagine an inexpensive way to make a front end look longer and more raked than it actually is, it will take off.

The bars used to continue on the same line as the forks, giving a really long impression.

They are uncomfortable as all hell to ride with but in the right application, can really set a bike off.

However, chuck a set of 18inch "apes" on an XL883, pointing straight up and down, I'm sorry, that's just poor form.

Motu
15th July 2004, 07:47
Let's face it - a motorcycle is 90% image,not for anyone on this forum of course,we are obviously more mature than that.But I'm sure a cruiser rider wonders what's the point of clip ons,seems a strange thing to do,cut off circulation to the hands,get a sore neck etc.I've had bikes with ape hangers,ridden bikes with ape hangers,had bikes with clip ons,ridden bikes with clip ons,I ride with dirt bars all the time,each bike's different,they are fun - go on,expand your universe,there's more to bikes than what you are doing.

toads
15th July 2004, 07:57
the apehangers should be on the same angle as the slope of the front forks to give the bike a nice flowing look, they assist in the comfort of the rider keeping your arms at a natural angle, not stretching forward with your arms wide apart, and lastly they suit the style of the bike. and lastly as cruisers have a larger front wheel it makes it handle much better in corners.

toads
15th July 2004, 08:02
Let's face it - a motorcycle is 90% image,not for anyone on this forum of course,we are obviously more mature than that.But I'm sure a cruiser rider wonders what's the point of clip ons,seems a strange thing to do,cut off circulation to the hands,get a sore neck etc.I've had bikes with ape hangers,ridden bikes with ape hangers,had bikes with clip ons,ridden bikes with clip ons,I ride with dirt bars all the time,each bike's different,they are fun - go on,expand your universe,there's more to bikes than what you are doing.

I agree with you Motu, the bit about bikes all being different, I can appreciate them all, I can't afford most of the ones I really like, but enjoy what we do have, I like bike my son's sports bike to look at, but found it hellishingly uncomfortable to ride, he on the other hand never ceases to throw off about our "wheel barrows", I just couldn't give a shit about image to be honest, it's all about having fun and appreciate the concept of each bike with it's glorious differences. variety is the spice of life

Motu
15th July 2004, 09:09
Before you could get ape hangers over here - no one made them,you had to find a tube bender who could do it for you - guys would run ''westerns'' with twin long mirrors,from a distance it would look like they had really high bars.In the 70s the thing to do was to nick a supermarket trolley,the bottom rails made a perfect set of six bends,chrome plated already! They put big stresses on the bar mounts and often you would see ape hangers crushed where the clamps were,specially if they were just U bolt clamps like a Triumph,rubber bushes just collapsed.I never had any problem handling wise with ape hangers,but did clout some chick standing at the curb as I went around a corner.

Urban legend - riders would put a wine skin up their arm with a tube to the mouth,by bending their arm it would squit wine into their mouths,an early form of Camelback?

Jackrat
15th July 2004, 09:21
It's mainly about looks but some modrem MC clubs have a ban on certain designs because of their imagined origins.
The clubs both my younger brothers ride with have a ban on real high bars and call them Angel bars.A small club I had some contact with in OZ call em' "Get fucked bars"They also refer to high T bars as Kiwi bars because most of their Kiwi members have them.
I put 6 bends on a Triumph years ago,they lasted one day!!
My sportster came with what's called buck horns,they didn't even last that long.

6Chris6
15th July 2004, 09:25
Im not taking the piss here . I just wonder what the point of apehanger or s bend type bars is.

I thought it was to have your arms above your head to try and get as much blood to the head as possible.
Some of these guys need it! :kick:

Mongoose
15th July 2004, 09:58
Ape-Hangers were alos used by the so called 1%ers to show they were *dufferent* to the other 99%.
Me thinks its to make up for poor under arm deodorant :rolleyes:

FROSTY
15th July 2004, 10:23
Let's face it - a motorcycle is 90% image,not for anyone on this forum of course,we are obviously more mature than that.But I'm sure a cruiser rider wonders what's the point of clip ons,seems a strange thing to do,cut off circulation to the hands,get a sore neck etc.I've had bikes with ape hangers,ridden bikes with ape hangers,had bikes with clip ons,ridden bikes with clip ons,I ride with dirt bars all the time,each bike's different,they are fun - go on,expand your universe,there's more to bikes than what you are doing.
Thanks motu that explains it.ive seen some awsome looking scoots at custom bike shows.
Don't get me wrong i AIN'T critiquing people with high bars. I really couldn't figure out what they are for.

PZR
15th July 2004, 12:06
I followed a guy on a Harley once with huge ape hangers so high his hands were level or higher than his ears. It looked uncomfortable (but so are clip ons and rearsets ) but what really got me was he must have been a friendly chap as, if seen out of the corner of my eye, he always looked like he was waving to everyone he passed


:not: :spudwave: :spudwave: :spudwave: :not:

Deano
15th July 2004, 12:12
Ive seen some bars on a Triumph that came back parallel (and only about 20cm apart) from the head set to a position much like that of a steering wheel on a car (in front of the riders chest) Didn't look like much control but who knows.....?

merv
15th July 2004, 12:40
Im not taking the piss here . I just wonder what the point of apehanger or s bend type bars is.

If you are an ape, you just gotta hang.

Whatever's comfortable.

Seriously I can't see they would be very comfortable long distance in the wind with that drag on your arms all the time. You'd really need to be a gorilla to hang on like that.

Deano
15th July 2004, 13:07
If you are an ape, you just gotta hang.

You'd really need to be a gorilla to hang on like that.

Judging by some of the gang members Ive seen with apehangers on their bikes, your description is probably pretty accurate Merv.

scumdog
15th July 2004, 22:11
the apehangers should be on the same angle as the slope of the front forks to give the bike a nice flowing look, they assist in the comfort of the rider keeping your arms at a natural angle, not stretching forward with your arms wide apart, and lastly they suit the style of the bike. and lastly as cruisers have a larger front wheel it makes it handle much better in corners.

Yep, nothing worse than a set of apes that don't line up with the forks, you see a lot pushed forwards on heavily raked front ends, looks like crap. :argh:

scumdog
15th July 2004, 22:17
Ive seen some bars on a Triumph that came back parallel (and only about 20cm apart) from the head set to a position much like that of a steering wheel on a car (in front of the riders chest) Didn't look like much control but who knows.....?

Likewise, saw the "ultimate" in ape-hangers once, the bars were so high the dude couldn'y hang on with both hands at the same time!!!!! :blink:

FROSTY
15th July 2004, 22:38
what made me ask was theres a local guy with this set of really high bars on his harley.
he's a fairly big guy but his arms are at full stretch to reach the bars

Skyryder
15th July 2004, 22:55
Likewise, saw the "ultimate" in ape-hangers once, the bars were so high the dude couldn'y hang on with both hands at the same time!!!!! :blink:

Yea and his cuz was hanging on with his feet off the footpegs. Bit like the Bat bike where the rider was the cape. :done:

Sksyryder

fastford111
16th July 2004, 16:18
me thinks it is a cheap under arm deodorant or arm pit dryers :bleh:

Mongoose
16th July 2004, 16:30
me thinks it is a cheap under arm deodorant or arm pit dryers :bleh:


ECHO ECHo ECho Echo echo :yeah:

dangerous
16th July 2004, 19:02
The type of riders that are in as Jack Rat puts it 'clubs' I think that he might mean 'gangs' that use apehangers that are higher than the riders head simply crack me up.
If I'm out driving/riding and see this I cant contain myself talk about LOL..... they have to be the most stupidest dumb looking things you could ever put on a bike :killingme :killingme :killingme :beer:

moko
18th July 2004, 00:47
I ride with dirt bars all the time,each bike's different,they are fun - go on,expand your universe,there's more to bikes than what you are doing.

It`s very common in the U.K. to see road bikes fitted with Renthal dirt bars Motu,especially Bandits,Hornets and the like.I prefer them myself,trail-type bikes "fit" me better anyway,not only do I feel less cramped but great fun lugging on those wide bars around the country lanes.I`ve only ever ridden one cruiser,the much-maligned Suzuki Savage and after 5 minutes acclimatisation found it very comfortable,it was that bike got me hooked on big singles as well."Ace Bars" were really popular back in the 70`s,basically clip-on look-alikes that bolted on in place of your stock bars.Had them on my RD400 but no way these days,dont think my back could take it apart from anything else.Also big here a while back were Streetfighters,where the renthal craze started out.These are/were big sports bikes with the fairing binned,twin headlights up front and straight or dirt bars on,the bike of choice with the shades and black open-face helmet brigade.Who cares about convention,bloke in Plymouth rides an XL500 with CBR600 mag wheels and an underseat exhaust,only thing that pisses me off about that one is that it was for sale,I didnt bother, now I see it all the time and want it.

Motu
18th July 2004, 09:53
Putting on ape hangers or any sort of bar is a way to personalise your bike,say it's mine,this is what I ride,I like it.We see less and less of this now,riders just buy the lastest thing off the floor,ride it then trade up to the next one.Cruisers are a development of choppers,bikes built by the owner,a bit of personal expresion,sports bikes come from cafe racers,a bike built to look like a race bike,each one was different.Trail bikes are off road bikes on the road,I rode motocrossers on the street,same thing I suppose.

Big Dog
19th July 2004, 17:38
My 2c.
Just a theory but how about this.....
Most customisation styles are derived from a desire to take a practical consideration to the extreme. eg more horse power serves to make a bike more flexible so lets give it more power than the chassis can possibly deliver to the ground.
The chopper was designed with Yankee roads in mind.
Bear in mind two factors;
Corners were outlawed in the early 20s (or so it seems looking at their maps, movies etc) and the need to cope with local weather.
So the primary function of the bars would be to provide straight line stability. The secondary function especially in places like fresno and califoria would be the need to deal with searing heat in the deserts. Which would be cooler, arms at full stretch or tucked in out of the wind blast?

Is this were the notion of biker's being "cooler" than cagers come from?

gav
22nd July 2004, 10:55
http://images.traderonline.com/img/5/dealer/1490606/66236382_1.jpg
:ride:

Mongoose
22nd July 2004, 11:02
Quick way to rugry a Guzzi :argh: :brick:

dangerous
22nd July 2004, 18:33
FFS........ now I've seen it all, Gav that photo should be sencered :bash: :shit: :crybaby: :puke: :thud:
man, that realy does nothing for the Massey Fergason reputation for Guzzi

Jackrat
23rd July 2004, 00:04
Way cool,love it.
I'd rake them bars foward a bit an bend them fish tails up to at lest seat hight.It needs a high sissy bar,Fat sixteen rear,skinny twenty one up front,and a flame job just for a real taste of class.
Oh yeah way cool :yes:

scumdog
23rd July 2004, 23:01
http://images.traderonline.com/img/5/dealer/1490606/66236382_1.jpg
:ride:

Hey, not too bad,- lengthen the frame, take of the exhaust bandages, put on a bigger back tyre etc and it would look o.k. :cool2:

Holy Roller
24th July 2004, 08:32
Maybe fit one of those new rams horn bars they look way cool :D

NC
26th August 2004, 17:25
Im not taking the piss here . I just wonder what the point of apehanger or s bend type bars is.


Come to Jesus bars, are fucken mint!

HDSpringer
19th September 2004, 20:11
Having tried various designs of Apes my self I have worked out the formula for a comfortable ride, personally, is 16" bars with a 1" riser combination, it kept the hands just below the shoulder line, the same bars with 4" risers latest 60km before I took them off ($800.00 poorer) looks are a consideration, but on any ride, comfort wins through. the main advantage of the wide westerns or Apes is these bars are wider than stock, which gives you a whole bunch more counter steering with a whole lot less effort. I have yet to fit after market bars to the current bike, but I feel 12" apes with the stock 4 inch rises, with a 36" width will give me the look and comfort that I desire. Just have to wait for the warranty to run out before I hack into the bike and replace the clutch cable and lengthen the wiring loom.

TwoSeven
19th September 2004, 20:41
Im not taking the piss here . I just wonder what the point of apehanger or s bend type bars is.

Ok, imagine a stock 750 bonnie in english setup with the flat bars.

http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/Bike%20Directories/Triumph%20Bikes/images/Triumph%20Bonnie%201958_jpg.jpg


Then there is the 750 bonnie with the low riser bars (for the us market)

http://www.vintagebike.co.uk/Bike%20Directories/Triumph%20Bikes/images/Triumph%20Bonny%203.jpg
We had one of these but with slightly higher bars, and a flame painted chopper tank (same shape as the bsa below). Also had the chopper seat. My brother sold it after road trip to paris for my 21st.

And finally the 750 bonnie with the ape-hangers for the easy rider brigade.

http://www.nucleus.com/%7Eagingles/bsa.jpg
(this is a bsa).

Mongoose
19th September 2004, 20:49
Cool chop tiggerz, what did happen to all the chopped bikes, its a bit like hot rods, they just all get taken away by the aliens

muppitt
20th September 2004, 05:28
Im with springer on this one. But because sportys seat hight to steering head is less I found 14" bars on 6" risers spot on for me .You have less wind resistance with your upper arms away from your body.You also have to learn a whole new riding style and no it is nothing like a sports tourer but thats half the fun,corners at legal speeds are that much more fun and you get to keep you licence.Plus my tinks they look cool