Stop your Ape Hangers from moving

Found something that actually worked to stop my Apes on the Harley Fatboy from moving on me.

[@redbone6940]

Can never go wrong with spending the money on good quality risers.

[@Mikeityourself]

Thanks for the feedback Red. That was one of the things I had just started looking into; probably could have used them to address my handlebar swap out I did in a later video. Thank you for your support.

[@d-xterminatormotovlog]

Thanks Mike. For 5 bucks and an hour of my time I was able to use this method on my apes and so far so good!!

[@Mikeityourself]

Glad it helped!

[@reb1136]

I tried it and it seems to be working! I haven’t had the nerve to really tug on it yet. I missed which gauge of strip you used but Lowe’s only had 28. I took the aluminum strips out, which had finally held my 14” Tods bars in place but my risers were noticeably looser, which I wasn’t happy about. I tried 2 strips top and bottom and still had slippage. I tried one more and pulled the helical partly out. So I cut new strips tapped them into the risers from side to side, put in a new helical bolted them back on and they feel good and my risers are tight again as before putting the bars in. That’s why I’m not jerking on them but after a few rides I’ll tighten them if needed. I’m very happy with them right now. I put all my trouble on here to help anyone else that’s going to try it and save them from my mistakes. Thanks!

[@Mikeityourself]

I really appreciate the feedback reb. Having your bars slip like that is so frustrating and yeah dangerous too right. Im glad you got it worked out, hope to hear how it goes after a few rides. When i bought the tape, i did check to see if there was a different gauge. Ill check it out next time im in the garage and drop a message.

[@user-hj8dl7pw9p]

Dude..take two small strips of emory cloth and put them underneath the top of the riser clamps on top of the bars, then chinch 'em down, old school. If they're still not tight enough, then take two more strips and put 'em underneath the bars.

[@Mikeityourself]

That's how I grew up doing it too but didn't work for this bike. That's for the feedback. I think my risers were just not that great.

[@user-hj8dl7pw9p]

@@Mikeityourself Roger that.

[@moefugger]

Hi again Mike. On my 02 Springer , i have 6" risers and 16" bars. Because its a springer , theres seperate clamps and not the style you have. So yes i had plenty of movement. I tried quite a few different techniques like you just did , but eventually , they came loose. Heres what i did. With the clamp removed , i used a centerpunch and put a hole right through the handlebar so that there was a very small hole in the bar. Then i cut off a self tapping screw to about 1/4" long and put it through the hole in the bar. Made it short as theres wiring in there. The head is a typical 5/16 bolt head. Then i drilled out the clamp enough to allow the bolt head to sit in a recess. Now it cant move. I saw this idea somewhere and it definately works. You might be trying this yet ! :)

[@Mikeityourself]

Sounds like a solid fix. How does that work if you need to adjust the bars at some point? like if you change seats or something.

[@moefugger]

@@Mikeityourself . In my case , put a screw in the other riser cap i guess. Kinda funny you ask that , im going to change my seat in the spring , might just be doing that !

[@1Splat]

Extra holes in your bars for pinnning are not good for structural integrity. Beer can pulls, shims, sandpaper, grip tape, etc.. won't last if you ride enough. Been there and when the bars slip I wish I didn't. Same with buddies of mine. Some guys claim it works well. I hope it holds after going thru a nice rain squall. All you need is a tack weld in two spots. I tack my 16" apes at the bottom of my riser where there's already a window there for running wires. I tack the bar at the left and right ends of that window. Never slips and no one sees the tacks. If you have cast risers then this won't work. I use Biltwell Thunder risers which is a one piece design. Easy to weld to.

[@Mikeityourself]

Yup, found stuff wasnt lasting long. The Pipe hanger did until I ended up replacing the bars. The new bars had a really good knurl to them which I think made a huge difference. That and they were only 12's instead of the 16's, so the leverage wasnt as bad. At some point welding will become a tool of mine but not just yet. Thanks for the feedback and your support.

[@JohnDoe-ls1vd]

Back in the day(70s) we had knurled spacers ta go from 7/8 to 1" (Triumph to H-D) handlebars. Also, if you spend a little more on risers they have some with 3 set screws..it's what I have now..and they look Great! ✌

[@Mikeityourself]

Knurled spacers, i like that idea. Thanks for the support.

[@reb1136]

I may try this on my Springer with 14” Todd’s Cycle bars. I’ve been using the Mr. Grip strips. They start out coarse but smooth out once the bar is tightened down. They have worked reasonably well but they will slip on occasion and I have to add more. The knurl centers the hole in the risers, so the metal is smooth on smooth. Had a shop install them so I’m not sure they are even the correct bars. If I do I’ll comment back on how it worked for me.

[@Mikeityourself]

Thanks for the feedback Reb. For fun, I tried putting my 16's on my road king but did it without the hanging tape to see if the risers would make any difference. They slipped right away, like butter. The strips I used really worked well. I had the same thought too, wondering if I had the wrong bars but when I went with the tape all was good. Good luck, hope it works out and looking forward to hearing back from you.

[@kevinwoody5247]

U can also take the upper plate to a machine shop and have them take 20 or 30 thousands of the flat surface then u won't need any spacers.

[@Mikeityourself]

Thats a pretty good idea. If this fails, might be my back up plan. Thanks for the support.

[@Ifixmyownstuff]

It did move. Then you moved it back

[@Mikeityourself]

Huh?

[@Frankie.Capone]

Just get new riser when you pushed on they moved

[@michelmiege]

hello, did you wrapped it all over your handlebar or just put it inside clamp ?

[@Mikeityourself]

I wrapped it around the bar. Tried doing a half in the clamp and didnt work for me.

[@bad.dad101lol2]

Ok so I just got some 16s installed. I’m new to ape hangers. They don’t move, but are flimsy. So I’m guessing that’s normal because of the leverage ?

[@GreasyHog69]

Yes. Idk what brand you have but apes espeically 16's are gonna have a small amount of flex to them due to leverage/force but as long as they are not physically moving in your bar clamp you should be fine. Apes are more for style more than anything. Performance wise they kinda suck. Thats why most people these days have t bars on there harleys.

[@Mikeityourself]

You might have some flex for a few reasons. Yep, some of it can be due to the leverage but it really shouldn't me much at all. Sometimes the flex comes from the risers (depending on your bike) if they mount to a rubber base then some flex will be there. Another reason could be the quality of metal. If they seem to be flexing a lot, I would get them looked at. Thanks for watching, hope this helps.

[@glennsibley5347]

The movement is caused by two smooth surfaces against. Or touching each other You don't to remove any metal but add welded lines horizontal to the bars the wel the same but inches away on the clamp so they lock between each other but still allow for readjustments if you need. The using a flick hood latch or spring clamp with a pin of a car to finally hold it in place on the bars at the right setting point and in place. Then is not going anywhere a little fiddly but years of safe riding for it AFFA angels never die nffn HMS council

[@Mikeityourself]

Good method, I like that you can still adjust them too. I've got to learn to weld. Ride safe and thanks for your support.

[@buckhornz2184]

G,day Mike, those muck metal risers (clamps) are shit, they were never meant for 16 inch ape hangers, I've seen the top bow when people keep trying to tighten them down. I've got an old panhead - shovelhead style steel clamp with the split bars for my 16 inch apes on my shovel and they haven't budged since the day I bolted them down. I think you can still get repo.ones from V twin or cycle warehouse and get a flashy cover or get it chromed. I also have solid bushings (more positive feel) as I don't think you need the rubbers with16 inch bars as I've found the bars absorb the vibration even on my old shovelhead. Anyways that's my two cents worth and keep the greasy side down, cheers from the deep south of New Zealand.

[@Mikeityourself]

Thanks for your support Buck. Makes lots of sense the older stuff held together better. Looking back at all the older choppers and other HD's I wondered how they got by. Appreciate you watching. Cheers!

[@TheBlueBikeDoyle]

Pipe hangers what I call it . Good fix

[@Mikeityourself]

guy at the home depot called it plumbers tape but to me thats the white Teflon tape for pipe threads. Wish i could take the credit but another guy had this with some other options. Least liked idea was to drill a pin hole through the bars.

[@sanderpena]

That's called a plumber strap.

[@djkfrmdubuque4762]

Your bike is so Chrome out it's hard to see it

[@Mikeityourself]

😂

[@HouseWashingRick]

Does anyone know a good set of 16 inch ape hangers for a 2006 Sportster 1200 Low

[@Mikeityourself]

Hi Rick, any specific style you looking for? Factory 47, dominator are a few names, Hill Country Customs also has some pretty cool bars.

[@HouseWashingRick]

@@Mikeityourself not really sure Mike , I just got the bike 3 days ago. I guess what I’m looking for is ince Ana half to 2 inch riser with 16 inch ape hangers I have seen the Dominator one. Would that style I’m looking for be ok . I’m 200 pounds 5/11 tall

[@HouseWashingRick]

@@Mikeityourself meat hangers

[@Mikeityourself]

Awesome, congrats on the bike bro. At 5/11, I think 16's would fit you pretty good. Im 5'7" and they were just a little too tall for me. I tried 12's and they were a little lower than i wanted so the sweet spot for me is 14. Weight shouldnt be an issue, so no worries there. Check out these two links, the Hill Country guys have a better selection for Sportsters (including Meat Hook Style apes) but LA Choppers has a few cool bars. the LA site isnt as user friendly so you might have to call. hillcountrycustomcycles.com/motorcycle-handlebars/sportster.html?height=70 lachoppers.com/collections/ape-hangers

[@HouseWashingRick]

@@Mikeityourself wow brother thank you very much for the links . I can’t thank you enough Mike. Big cheers 🥂 to you from Cookeville Tennessee

[@-MrRichBiker1967]

Bro thank you for the video but please do all the prepping off screen or edit that, don't make the viewers sit for that. BTW please get to the point! That "securing the bars "was about 20 minutes right there

[@Mikeityourself]

@@-MrRichBiker1967 thanks for the feedback and watching