I recently built a bike just like this, but with a few small modifications to make the ride more enjoyable: the front brake lever is underneath the seat, the horn button is inside of the exhaust pipe, and the tachometer is actually an old chicken mcnugget inside the glove box of my grandmother's 1994 Cadillac Deville.

I'm 73 and have been on different bikes....that is the dumbest bike in the world. Before you sell it please set it up to factory stock. That is not a safe bike at all.

Look at it this way. The bike had built in theft protection.

when Srkcycles puts full gear on to test ride a bike at 15 mph in what is basically a parking lot, you know the bike wants to kill you.

Did the bike come with a free coffin?

my main reason for riding my bike is that immediately release of stress and utter relaxation! This bike would cause more stress then it would relieve haha! like he said having the APE bars without the shifter or the shifter without the bars would make it a lot more practical! This is just to much lol!

Sorry, that is a stupid bike. Even if you ride all the time, you would fuck up when you need full control. I don't get why it was done. "Just sayin" Anti theft maybe?

Wow I've seen some dumb set ups but that takes the cake.

The original owner of this bike or who ever did this, is definitely a stereotyped Harley owner. The guy that makes fun of metric bikes, but never rides his and owes almost twenty grand on the bike. Meanwhile it sits in the garage, because it is such a major pain in the ass to ride. Iv'e met plenty of people that acted like this.

if there's one thing about the bike i like; it's the exhaust note.

that bike must be fun in traffic

Unless that bike gets converted back to a traditional format, it's dangerous and a pain in the ass to operate. Some people just do stupid shit to their bikes. Imagine trying to dodge a deer in the road with thing. Imagine being on a high speed corner on a mountain and having to downshift at 75mph while there are semi's next to you. Be careful riding that thing. It's dangerous for sure.

If they moved the clutch to the left foot, it would be a lot better. This is the first time I've seen the clutch on the suicide shifter before. Looks like a massive pain in the ass.

Super uncomfortable and super dangerous, but atleast all the mouth breathers will think youre cool..

Coming to an emergency stop on this thing would be an absolute nightmare.

That`s right up there with a 5 foot swing arm on a Busa when it comes to ruining a perfectly good bike.

He kept smacking his mouth 😤

I am a cable maker and brake line maker and am always warnig my costomers about the ride they will get. They dont care.Then others come to shorten ther cables.Live and learn i guess.

Don't know how you acquired that bike but it needs to be rearranged. The clutch should not be on the suicide shifter and should be a left foot clutch so you can shift right; clutch in by left foot and reach down to shift with left hand thereby always returning your left hand to the handlebars. As of now you are trying to maneuver the bike with only one right hand. It is not the apes that are the problem but the location of your clutch. Also, apes are great except yours are way to high for your arms. They should not be so high that you have to reach for them.

I love riding motorcycles because of how easy it is. Shifting gears with the smallest movement of my fingers and toes. Driving cars feels so clunky because of how much you move your arms and left leg. This takes away all that is satisfying about motorcycles. Each to their own though. I still wanna have a try of this setup haha.

Had a buddy who lost his left leg, years before, when his bike was broadsided by a red light runner. His bike after he lost the leg had a Shifter almost exactly like the one shown (he couldn't shift with his prosthetic foot), he had beach bars on his bike so the reach was much shorter and more natural. I do have apes on my bike BUT they are much shorter than those on this bike, below the level of my shoulders while seated. I have tried riding a bike with "skyscraper" bars that raised my hands well above shoulder height. My shoulders and arms fell asleep almost immediately and like the poster said control was severely compromised. Can you learn to control and ride a bike like this? Sure, but never as effectively as a bike with more ergonomic controls.

You are a brave man i wouldnt even think about riding something with those tool bars on what a waste of a good bike i bet the guy who sold it was glad to get rid of it .

This isn't "The Truth about Ape Hangers". This is "What happens when your Ape Hangers are too tall for you and you install a suicide shifter on the same bike."

Yup might as well change out the shifter if that thing is to sell.

Man that looks super uncomfortable. I'm with you those bars are way too high.

Those bars are Tim Alan Wild Hogs cringe worthy.

7'12"! Exile Cycles sells an "automatic" clutch. I think its centrifugal and it allows you to sit at idle in first gear. What cam are you using? The sound is perfect.

I love apes but 16 inches is my comfort limit...and adding a suicide shift to it for an everday ride is out of the question for me...hats off to you for gearing up and running it that far brother be safe and God bless

does the blood in your hands drain out since your arms are elevated like that? shouldnt your hands be getting tingly after like 10 minutes of that?

Depending on your state it is illegal to have the handlebars a certain distance above the seat. In Washington state it's 30 inches above the seat and I do know that it is higher than most other states.

I like how you default to calling it "driving" instead of "riding" because of how much work goes into it.

You deserve a medal . You have taken a Harley which is a very awkward bike and made it 90 percent more awkward and hard to handle. Would you write something about the mental defects in your brain that would cause a person to do this! My goodness those pieces of shit are bad enough with footboards, forward controls etc with out adding that suicide shifter and high bars!

You had me laughing until you mentioned giant segway. Now I'm jelly.

Of course you know a real suicide clutch is an on or foot pedal clutch with the shift handle doing directly to the transmission tab. We have always called them jockey shifters because your left hand goes back and under your left thigh to shift like you are swatting a horse. That is what I built and rode cause it gets rid of a lot of stuff. Jockey shifter for the past fifty years. No suicide yet. Does it make sense? NO! But who gives a shit. Put a stock old rocker type clutch pedal and it's easier then a hand clutch! In gear push your foot down trans stays in gear clutch disengaged, get off the bike. It stays that way running until you get on engage the clutch with your foot drive away. This stuff with the hand clutch on the forward mounted shifter handle, that's new and belongs on Biker build off not on a real Harley. I ride only choppers and that is a total waste. Just to be different I guess. I suggest you not sell it to anyone like that. Put a regular jockey on it. Everybody sells them. Any apes should be below your shoulders, that's where mine are. Ski high apes have been around since the fifties, but very have always been used just to flip out the squares!!

That ending with these boots Eric church… wow dog that really is an awesome song and thank you man.

The trick is to ride it Segway-style and shift by banging the lever with your knee. You should only be using the clutch from a stop anyway.

Ridiculous. What a way to make a dangerous hobby more dangerous.

It's a gorgeous bike but with those apes.....wth. How do you steer that thing. Somebody had too much money and spent too much time customizing rather than riding.... accident waiting to happen on such a nice bike

Often wondered if ape hangers are similar to working under a car where after a while your hands and arms go numb from a lack of circulation. Each to their own but not a mod I'd do.

Man seeing you take off in that thing just looked like you were gonna crash

I would drop that thing so quick lol

shifter looks shit and no doubt shit to use.who'd spend money to fuck their bike up?

"Chuck Norris, we have your bike"

"I'm reaching as far as I possible can to get to this thing" And that right there is dangerous.

haha 7ft 12

taking a marginal bike,and making it ridiculous.

I'm planning to put ape hangers on my first cruiser with a height not higher than my shoulder. I've sat on one that has it, and it felt comfortable for cruising. That will also make it easier for me to mount a windshield between the bars.

As a rider myself, I was always under the impression that you needed 2 hands to ride any bike? I’m not sure what you meant by that, are there 1-handed riders?

The person that did this to that bike deserves to be punched in the face.

I Have Drag Bars On My Bike

I almost killed my self riding a low rider bicycle with ape hangers. This motorcycle will kill you with a quickness

Starting at 4:44 wouldn't be so tough if you were seven twelve ( 8feet) . I like the videos Paisano keep up the good work. Do you ride alot? You should vlog....

7ft 12 had me laughing bro. I love your videos. I like how you use your platform for the Lord. Ride on!

Glad to know everything I've always thought about ape hangers is completely true 😂

I think a six inch diameter Crome 1/4 welded chain link steering wheel would work better.

4 minutes in, and you’re in pain. 4 and a half minutes in and you go full Segway mode. 😂

What is the point of this bike? Smh

i ride that bike right to the junkyard where it belongs

What needs to be done is move the clutch to the front brake location and join the front and rear brakes together. That config is sketchy too but more practical than clutch on the shifter.

Most states that are illegal to have handlebars like that hoorah

If the Ape Hangers are such a great up upgrade, then why don't any of the major manufacturers offer them on their models? When will Harley Davidson sell a model with factory Ape Hangers?

it seems pretty much un rideable ! I would think someone was a poser ! if they came past on one

Great video, But I'm calling this bike the LSD CROUTH ROCKET ..... LOL

I think if you'd like to keep the set up put a foot clutch on it so you can still have both hands on the bar when your stopped and starting or you could sell it I'd love to have that set up I have 20 inch apes on mine and I love them

Clearly you should have named this video anything other than "The truth about Ape Hangers". A more appropriate title should have been, "Trying to ride a bike with oversized ape hangers and a ridiculous suicide shifter". I own a Harley with 16" apes that are safe, appropriately sized for my physical frame, and way more comfortable than standard bars that cause me to bend forward too far. Apes can be safe, fun, choice that can make your bike look awesome if that's your choice.

It is IDIOTIC....

A quick point I didn't see anybody else make. That is a jockey shifter. A suicide shifter has no linkage and typically requires a foot clutch.

Apes are nothing more than just pure show off. As a truck driver ,,it’s like a kid with an 18 speed shifter that reaches to the roof of the cab. Looks stupid. Keep up the great work Sean!!!

crap like that needs to be made illegal. riding that bike you are a danger to yourself and everyone around you.

stupid dangerous, poor risk to reward ratio.

Some idiot ruined a perfectly good bike.

Seems scary to ride with Ape Handlebars plus suicide shifter

that is a crime against motorcycles!!

for the same guy with chrome skulls plastered on his bike and rockstar wheels on his truck.

let's try to make this as difficult as possible and very unenjoyable in order to look cool!

I have a 79 super glide with 18" apes foot clutch suicide shifter. They have to be set up absolutely correct or they are extremely hard to ride. Most shops can't set them up. The used to be a great shop here in Minnesota that knew how to do it perfectly. But they're gone now. You always as you're coming to a stop click it in to Neutral. It must be set up so if your foot slips off the clutch the Engine stalls. But they are very fun to ride once you are experienced on them. The best part is pulling into a parking lot full of expensive custom Bikes. And your ride an old 79 shovel and everybody's lookin at you. Standing around at my shop one day I offered to let some one percenter ride my motorcycle. They were young half my age pretty good humor watching them try to ride it. My 28 year old son came out jumped on the bike and rode it all over with no problems. So they can be read and you just had got a have really good control and know what you're doing in an emergency

If I had this bike I'd wear a t-shirt (sleeveless of course) that said I'm with stupid with an arrow pointing at me.

"I'm surprised i haven't wrecked the bike already"

I made a suicide shifter for my vtx 1300c, my bars are nowhere near that high. It starts conversations and draws so much attention....like I said I made mine, pretty much looks like what is on that bike, but I designed it and made it from scratch. It took some getting used to, but is easy now.

You should probably have a foot clutch it will be more compatible with the jockey shifter

What a stupid looking bike.

It screams I'm with Stupid

i tried tried this for like 15 minutes... HATED IT! went with a foot clutch

I've always wanted to ride a giant Segway.

stupid dangerous bike

🙄 bike belongs to someone from the blue oyster bar in leather chaps , hat with moustache that's into bondage with his mates . bring out the gimp indeed.....makes me want a metric bike just to stay STRAIGHT. 👀 wtf were they thinking with ape hangers. 🤔 mmm gay

What in Tarnation?

Without the Ape hangers the suicide shifter seems like it would be nice in a different kind of way if you pair it with one of those auto clutches so you don't have to keep your hand on it when your slowing down or taking off from a stop

No good

Everyone who is complaining about this setup, grow some hair on your balls. This bike looks, operates & by default turns it's rider into a stone cold badass. I have 3 bikes that are just like this one. no joke. and I can ride em both at the same time. ya know why?? Cuz I'm a stone cold badass.

It's not about being comfortable, it's about looking cool

i will say this, my dad use to teach motorcycle safety and if your arms raise above your shoulders you have less control over the bike espicaly at low speeds like in a parking lot. i have drag bars on my bike and find it comfortable but im also short at 5'8". ad as to the suicide shifter i like the look but dont think id ever want that kind of shifter. its called a "suicide shifter" for a reason. some have a hand clutch like the one you are showing, but i think the safer style would be a foot clutch. way safer cuz you can keep 2 hands on the bars for control.

That is seriously the stupidest modifications someone could do to their bike.

Why wouldnt you simply. Make your left foot do the clutch and. Hand do the gears.... would work 1000 times better

Careful Sean u make great videos !! But that bike is wonky as bro ...should be called wonky shonky shifter or a semi- truck shifter bro !

I have 20s on my Road King and love it. To each his own.

1. Jockey shifted bikes usually utilize a foot operated clutch 2. Apes, just like any other bars, need to be adjusted to the riders reach. IE: loosen the clamps and pull them back until they are reachable. This is BASIC motorcycle setup 101 for ANY style bike. SRK you should know this or are trying to make your video more dramatic!

gotta have that foot clutch!!!!

Might be better with a lever on the bars to shift connected to a cable going down to the gearbox With a lever on it the bars could also do with being slightly shorter too I suppose

suicide shifter is called such because the clutch linkage was touching ground on a turn when disengaged with foot.