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The price paid for handle bar comfort

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BER18 100

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R18 Anniversary Edition
I bought the R18 with BMW's 6.5 inch mini apes. They didn't reach back very far, so I bought BMW's 16 inch King apes.

What I didn't know is the King apes are 40 inches wide at the extreme. I am 5'8" in shoes and just could not navigate my R18 with those big bars.

So I bought stock ape hangers from an old R1200c. After careful measurements and drilling, they were just about perfect. I would have left them on the R18, except I switched to a "weekender" seat which moved me forward almost 2 inches.

Now the R1200c apes were too far back. So I returned to the 6.5" apes but added a 2" extension to the riser. Alas, I'm in my comfort zone!

Changing bars requires max patience.
1) Each set of bars requires a different length set of hydraulic lines.
2) Naturally you have to drain and refill the left and right reservoirs each time.
3) BMW has hidden screws in remote locations so removing the grips and switches takes a while.

One little note worth mentioning. BMW uses a smaller bore hole in the clutch line than the brake line. The reason for this is the clutch pull is easier due to pressure = force/area.
The smaller area in the clutch line makes for an easier pull.

And sure enough, when I used 3rd party lines where the bore hole is the same for both, my clutch pull requires a stronger grip. BMW thinks of everything.

R18 100.jpeg
 
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Viking Power,
If you decide to get the mini apes from BMW, spend an extra $64 to get the 2 inch riser extension from AliExpress. That 2" chrome extension makes a lot of difference.

Other required purchases:
1) Buy a pair of longer wire harnesses from BMW.
2) Buy a pair of 11" hydraulic lines from Goodridge. These lines were $23 each. They don't come with banjo fittings.
3) Buy four (4) banjo fittings from Goodridge. Get the ones with a 30 degree bend. They are a bit pricey and take a bit longer to get here from UK. The hydraulic lines arrived 3 or 4 days after ordering.

This job requires, no demands patience as the tank has to come off. There are very nice instructions with illustrations from BMW. I just set my laptop on the workbench and followed the directions.
 
For your final setup (as in the photo) what size brake and clutch hoses did you go for and what length harnesses did you need? I'm thinking of putting the same setup on my R18 classic.
 
I bought a brake and clutch line from the local Kawasaki dealer. They were 11 inches long. Total cost was $45.
The vendor was Goodridge (UK). They arrived 4 days later.
You will need four (4) banjo fittings with 30 degree bend. They took longer to get here. Use white thread tape before threading on securely.

BMW makes two different length wire harnesses for the grip switches.
The long ones (used on the BMW king apes) will guarantee you have enough length.
In hindsight, I’m thinking the stock harness might be long enough for bar extensions. The reason is the wires don’t need to thread in behind the riser. Mine are on the tank side.
 
I would think BMW offers the hydraulic lines as required parts for the different handlebars that they offer; you could probably purchase the hydraulic lines separately that closely match the custom bars that are getting installed and get everything straight out of the bag (correct diameter, length and banjo fittings and crush rings..)

My Beachbars did come with the hydraulic lines, and I was grateful it was labelled; because, I had no idea of the clutch line being of a smaller diameter... Good to note..!!!
 
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I too was surprised to observe narrower diameter on clutch side. But BMW thinks of everything. I guess they want the clutch pull to be easy and it is (pressure = force/area, so small area required less force).
My HD touring bike calls for an iron grip.
 
I tried using a 2” spacer with the mini-apes. Wasn’t enough so did the nuclear option.
Bought handlebars off an R1200c, cut out a two inch section, inserted a steel sleeve, drilled and bolted the halves together. Got it right now.
 
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