It's really personal preference, I know guys that ride all day with apes without issues, some guys don't have proper blood circulation and get numb, what works for one guy doesn't work for another. My current shovel I cut apart a set of 18 inch big burlies and made a set of bars that fit me comfortably.
All about how tall the bars are, and whether your hands are above the level of your heart. Riding for a long time can cause problems, especially if you have circulation issues. Numb arms and hands is not good in an emergency situation..... ..... but damn they look cool.....
Photoshop: the vanishing points are all over the place, the white balance doesn't match, etc. But at a classic car show about 30 years ago I did see a BMX that someone had cut up enough to insert a CBX engine, and then rattle-canned gold. I've tended to associate drag bars with people who know a thing or two, and apes with Johnny-come-lately poseurs on new full dressers with open pipes. It is entirely possible that my associations are unfair. Edit: While we're on the subject of unfair associations, one thing I could never understand is the spread-eagle riding position: wide apes and wide forward pegs which leave the rider looking like da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, and as flat as the paper it's drawn on when seen side-on; and a facial expression which says, Just you dare say I look silly! I've desired slash-cut clubmans ever since I saw them on my friend's CB450 Black Bomber c. 1980. Those would be like yours, only the middle part is tilted forwards to bring the grips forwards and down, and the end bits are tilted down slightly to get the grips even lower.
A funny story about how I came to owning those 18 inch burly apes. I have a friend that dabbles in both old cars and bikes, only having one car or possibly one bike with it at a time. He calls me up looking for a 600 cfm Holley, I told him I had one and that I was looking for some kind of bars for my shovel I was redoing, if he knew of any. We were both going to the same upcoming swap meet so I told him I'd bring the carb. I run into him and we walk out to my truck and grab the carb, then he said he brought a pair of bars. We walk to his car and he pulls out these giant thick apes, I thought damn those are tall and wide, but I didn't have a use for that carb so we did the trade. So I trade a $50 dollar carb for a pair of $250 dollar bars, my friends thought I was crazy to cut them up but to me they were only worth a 600 cfm Holley that I was never going to use. Although they are super comfortable for me I always wonder what could look better on the bike.
Both of my Shovels have late Roadking bars . Are they the coolest , hell no! Are the comfortable, hell yes !
Hello, Wow, at first glance, I thought it was the same custom motorcycle that we took photos of, sitting on a cliff top in Santa Cruz, California. We saw this young guy and his custom motorcycle in a section of the Oakland Roadster Show months earlier. In talking with him, he wanted someone to take photos of his build. So, we were right there, but he had to remain in the show until the end of the display time. So, we told him that we may be coming up to San Francisco again in two weeks for another photo shoot. Another old car and a custom bike were already lined up. It would be easy as pie to shoot over to Santa Cruz on the way up the coast, going to “The City.” Upon arrival, the custom motorcycle was as beautiful as it was in the show. So, we chose an open background ocean view from a cliff top location. Blue skies and a custom motorcycle was all we needed. Jnaki Since the two weeks of riding around, his perfectly chrome header pipes at the Oakland Roadster Show, were now tinted with some exhaust bluing. But, for a Pearl White primary color and the fabulous detailed color scallops, the bluing gave a good contrast to the overall photo. We talked about the bluing and we both used our own choice of blue removal from the chrome. We used Simichrome. He used Flitz and stuff our mom used on her silver household items, Brasso. YRMV
This is the Honda TL125 my son rode as a kid. Now it sits, he rides a Harley. Gonna sell it in the spring.
Bought this new in late 2005, attempted to eliminate it’s new bike look with an S&S air cleaner, spoked rear wheel, and some rowdy pipes. Had thought about converting it to a custom built foot clutch but never got around to it. Can’t believe it’s almost 20 years old already. My cousin has been around a lot of bikes and she claims it’s the best sounding motorcycle she’s ever heard. She said it sounds like sex, but I think it sounds like pent up anger if you ride it right, just gotta get the rpm’s where they need to be.
Going up for auction today. If it were mine I’d put new tires on it, fix any mechanical issues, and ride it as is.
The Jalopy Journal
