Drag Specialties 1in. Handlebars – 12.5in. Ape Hanger Wide
Product:
Drag Specialties part #06010569.
These not too high and not too small Ape hangers are a perfect match for the width of a VT750's tree giving them the look of being almost factory installed. Most other options scream custom with their extreme shape and narrow nature. I combined these with shorter risers from an ACE 750 and these installed perfectly on my VT75DC spirit. The bars feel solid and do not wobble. These bars are 1 inch so they will work on any VT750 model. If your model has short risers then you are good to go. In my case, the stock wiring was long enough to reach without having to be cut and extended which was great, it made installation a breeze as I just had to replace the brake line and cable. I did invest in significantly longer throttle, clutch, and brake lines. I also taped and covered any exposed wire that was not covered near the headlight wiring hole as I did pull it out exposing some wires.
Cable lengths I used:
I chose to go with a 10 inch over stock length clutch cable and 8 inch over stock throttle and steel braided brake line. I found that 8 inches over on the clutch cable pulled too tight for my comfort when turning the bars all the way to the right or left. I chose black cables because every stainless steel cable I have purchased ultimately turned yellow then brown in the sun. Otherwise these cables work well and give plenty of room to turn the handlebars all the way to either side.
Removing the Handlebar Grips:
Any time you are changing handlebars you need to pull the stock grip on the clutch side. Trying to simply use blunt force may just make you angry. If you are replacing the grips with aftermarket and have no intention of keeping the stock grips you can use a razor and carefully cut the old grip off being especially careful not to damage the plastic throttle sleeve.
Otherwise you will need break the old glue seal by first removing the handlebar grip end caps with a flat head screwdriver they have two tabs which lock them in place. Take your time and be careful not to damage them they are just plastic. Once the end caps are off all you need is a thin small flat head screw driver to carefully insert between the grip and the handlebar on the clutch side once inserted you want to slide the small flat head all the way around 360 degrees to break the bond of any glue used. To make quick removal of the grips a squirt of WD-40 with the tube in between the bar or sleeve and the grip makes sliding them off a breeze. Note that you do not have to remove the throttle grip to move to new bars if you are keeping your stock grips, but if you are going to aftermarket grips then you will need to do the same procedure but gently and carefully inserting the thin flat head screwdriver between the grip and the throttle sleeve to break the seal and get some WD-40 in there. Remember the throttle sleeve is plastic and easily damaged.
Once off you will need to glue your grips onto the bars. Some folks use nothing but hair spray. I used some 3M Super 77 spray tack because that’s what I had laying around. I have heard of folks using rubber cement, and of course there is actual handlebar grip glue you can purchase. Remember the stronger your glue/tack the less you need for it to work. You might want to remove these grips again one day. So when you are ready lightly spray one side or section of the bar end and then quickly slide the handlebar grip into place and twist 1/4 turn, let it dry and you are ready to go.
A note about Riding:
Making the transition from tall drag bars to small apes didn't take as long as I thought to get used to, although I had handlebar risers previously increasing the height of my stock bars. The width makes hand position very comfortable to ride with stock ace risers everything feels the same as stock just taller. Note that I have 2 inch fork extension on my ride so at 5'6" if I slouch when I ride it gives the appearance that my hands are higher than my shoulders (they are not if I sit up straight). If you are a taller rider you may want taller bars, however, these are a great first step into riding with Ape Hangers. These ultimately are only a few inches higher than where my hands were on my stock bars but they look a whole lot cooler. Riding is fun, they do take a little bit of getting used to as these bars feel less responsive than drag bars but once you have cornered and ridden every which way I have found that I love apes and they havn't slowed me down a bit except for highway riding because there is a lot more wind when you are riding in this position I find keeping it under the 75mph speed limits here on long rides to be the most comfortable on long rides. Ape hangers are not for everyone as they change the way the bike handles and in some opinions not in a good way. But for me, I love them, I have found that I prefer them to drag bars, and I doubt I will ever go back.