please explain apehangers to me

[FROSTY:Me]

Im not taking the piss here . I just wonder what the point of apehanger or s bend type bars is.

[Bob]

Im not taking the piss here . I just wonder what the point of apehanger or s bend type bars is.

You mean like 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:Me]

nope -those look ok--I mean where the arms are more or less vertical above you.

[White trash]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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!

[Mongoose]

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

[FROSTY:Me]

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]

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


:spudwave: :spudwave: :spudwave:

[Deano]

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]

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.