Pics here
You would have no real control in emergencies.
Nonsense. In an emergency, you’d just do a pull-up to hoist yourself up to control level and then use your power of charisma to steer.
Handlebars that high aren’t legal in a lot of states, apparently. I found this site (by googling “legality ape hangers” without quotes), and you can click on each state to find out their law. Most states appear to have a law that the handlebars have to be near, at, or below your shoulders, or be a maximum number of inches above the seat. Some states apparently don’t restrict handlebar height at all, though. But you very likely couldn’t legally ride that motorcycle in a cross-country trip without running afoul of troopers in several different states.
It may or may not be strictly enforced in every state, though handlebars as large as the picture in your OP are clearly the very outside edge of an adult’s reach, and would exceed the height law in any state that has one on the books. I don’t know for sure how strongly this law is enforced, since I don’t ride a motorcycle myself and IANAL.
I hate those loud annoying piece of shit motorcycles. Why someone has to be such an attention whore they have to announce to the nearest two blocks they’re driving a motorcycle so shitty it’s not even tuned up I’ll never know. Oh sorry, “Loud pipes save lives” they say. False. Loud pipes are irritating as shit.
I used to live down the street from a biker bar, and two or three times a week they’d all drive by my house in a pack like girls at the mall, all blasting their pipes and rattling the windows. This was at noon when I was trying to sleep. I wanted to murder them all after a few months.
Plus your arms would be hurtin’ like fuck, man.
You really don’t use the handle bars much at all to control a motorcycle. You use balance and speed, but even then that example is a little extreme. It looks uncomfortable as hell, too.
I have only been riding again for 6 years at this point but disagree with you. At normal motorcycle speeds you use the handlebars to countersteer into turns.
That’s just dumb.
I don’t know what that guy is going for, but if he’s trying to look foolish he has succeeded.
That’s an “art bike”. While it’s drivable, it’s meant to be shown off, not actually ridden. Yes, there’s a picture of him riding it on the freeway. He probably did that for five minutes.
What are you even commenting on? Or do you drag this into any motorcycle thread?
(I hate loud pipes as much as the next guy, but we don’t need to hear about it all the time)
As for the legality, it’s very possibly they’re not legal. Just because something isn’t legal, doesn’t mean people won’t do it.
I have seen this picutre before. I like Monkeyhanger bars but come on - only a nut-job would ride a bike like that on anything but a straight road.
The sign in the background gives directions to the Missouri Department of Transportation District Office. The brief description your link provides about Missouri’s handlebar laws is “Maximum of 15” above seat - Required by inspection regulations."
So, the bike appears to be in violation.
Yeah it strikes me like too-dark window tint. It’s definitely illegal in my state, but the degree of what’s allowed varies from place to place, and cops don’t really run into it all that often. So a lot of potential violations slip through the cracks.
I do it because it annoys the shit out of you.
Sorry to continue this hijack, but you can’t seriously believe that thousands of V-twin owners are lax about maintenance or clueless about the engines of the vehicles they are driving. I am not defending amplified exhaust systems, but the long lope when the bike is idling and the crackling sounds when the bike accelerates are due to the engine configuration, and not because the motor isn’t properly maintained. This is from a brief HowStuffWorks article about the V-twin exhaust note:
"… the Harley engine is that the crankshaft has only one pin, and both piston rods connect to it. This design, combined with the V arrangement of the cylinders, means that the pistons cannot fire at even intervals. Instead of one piston firing every 360 degrees, a Harley engine goes like this:
•A piston fires.
•The next piston fires at 315 degrees.
•There is a 405-degree gap.
•A piston fires.
•The next piston fires at 315 degrees.
•There is a 405-degree gap. "
Yes, many V-twin owners choose the bike based on the character of the distinctive exhaust note, which, believe it or not, was not designed to irritate you any more than the throaty rumble of a 70’s muscle car. I’m not a fan of the sound, but I have no problem understanding the appeal for Harley fans.
To address the OP, excessively tall ape hangers are impractical and not road-worthy, but enthusiasts consider the mods as art as well as an homage to Easy Rider (IMDB) and the rebellious sentiment expressed in the film.
I can definitely believe that. I used to be one of those that had no idea how to do anything on my motorcycle (although not a V-twin) and may have been a little bit lax about taking it in and having someone else do stuff to it.
I got better.
I’m willing to wager there is a higher percentage of mechanically inclined Harley owners vs conventional bike owners, if for no other reason than the vigilance that must be paid to the firing system. There is a tendency for carbon build-up on the spark plugs and riders are frequently familiar with the process of cleaning and re-gapping fouled plugs and/or ensuring the timing is correct.
I always get a laugh when I see a rumble of motorcycles go by. All those tough, rugged individualists all dressed alike, riding from bar to bar to drink and then drive. Then on Monday, it’s back to the coat and tie and selling insurance again. What a joke.
+100