On long rides I want my feet up and the back rest solidly into my lower back so I'm not leaning forward at the shoulders. To do that, the bars need both rise and pullback---but for me, the rise is the overriding concern, since with enough rise, I can tilt the bars back toward me. I had one set of bars where I didn't get enough rise, and when tilted back far enough, they got too low (I made them work by pushing my back rest all the way forward, but I learned: get enough rise).
When I was measuring for my new bars, I put the bike in the wheel chock so it was straight up, put my feet on the highway pegs, got my back where I wanted it, and put my arms out in space with the right amount of elbow bend, wrist angle, and height. Then I had a buddy measure the height, pullback, and width that would put the bars right where I wanted them (using the Wild One measurement system as the basis).
I went with the 502 bars. The 502 come up 4" higher than the 517, so there's more tilt available to get the right height and distance. The 502 is wide and has a relaxed wrist angle, so my hands are in a natural straight line with my forearms, not twisted outward like some bars will have you.
I ended up with bars that let me ride all day with no shoulder, back, or wrist issues; as a bonus, from the side view, the bars are on a straight line with the front forks, so it looks good. I know this sounds like overkill, but the cost of bars, labor and wear and tear of pulling the wires through the bars make it worthwhile to do just once. Hope this helps.
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Topic: Chubby w0517 (Read 1783 times)