We found they are surprisingly good for urban slow-speed manoeuvring because you have close hand/eye co-ordination.Īpe hangers are also usually associated with raked-out forks that provide high-speed stability because it makes them “slower” to turn. We have ridden several motorcycles with “mini ape hangers” around shoulder level, such as the Harley-Davidson Street Bob, and a couple of custom choppers with bars set around eye height.
Whether ape hanger bars are safe or not is debatable. South Dakota, which hosts the famous annual Sturgis Rally, became the most recent state to repeal its shoulder-level law. Clair says many of these states are repealing restrictions under motorcycle club pressure while 18 states impose no limits. “Law enforcement pulled people over for high bars as a tool for probable cause an excuse to stop motorcyclists.”Ĭurrently, 30 American states have various handlebar restrictions and as you ride across some state borders there are signs warning that handlebars have to be below a certain height or no higher than the rider’s shoulders. “There is no history of accidents caused by high bars. “I have never heard the height of handlebars presented as a safety issue,” he says. Laconia Motorcycle Week Association spokesman Charlie St. New Hampshire Democrat Senator Andrew Hosmer introduced legislation to repeal the state statute restricting the height of handlebars. (By the way, in Australia the rules vary from state to state, but they are generally that the lowest part of the hand grip must not be higher than 380mm above the rider’s seat or bar connection point and/or the bars must extend not less than 250mm nor more than450 mm on each side of the centreline of the bike.) The ape hanger rules are strangely reminiscent of the current Australian profiling laws which allow police to check for tattoos and other “outlaw” club insignia. Thompson’s book, Hell’s Angels, and the 1969 cult film Easy Rider. Remember, this was during the height of media hype and public fear about bikies/bikers after the 1966 release of Hunter S. The American was on the pretext of safety, but was more likely introduced so police had reason to pull over and search riders believed to be members of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
High-set ape hanger bars were banned in 30 American states in the 1960s. The safety of ape hanger handlebars is back in the news with one American state considering axing a three-decade ban and other states closely watching the outcome.
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