HANDLEBAR WIDTH: UNDERSTANDING TOTAL UPPER WIDTH AND LOWER WIDTH

When people talk about motorcycle handlebar dimensions, height or rise is usually the first measurement mentioned. Pullback is another important consideration, as we covered in our previous article.

But width is every bit as important.

And when we're designing a custom set of handlebars at Fortress Motorcycle, there isn't just one width measurement to consider.

Two of the important dimensions are total upper width and lower width.

They affect the proportions of the handlebars, their relationship with the motorcycle's front end and, importantly, the position of the rider.

As with almost everything in custom handlebar design, one size does not fit all.

WHAT IS TOTAL UPPER WIDTH?

At Fortress Motorcycle, total upper width means exactly what it sounds like:

The complete width of the handlebars from the outside end of one grip section to the outside end of the opposite grip section.

It is an end-to-end measurement.

This is important because sometimes handlebar width can be misunderstood as the distance between bends, uprights or other points on the bar.

When we're discussing total upper width, we're talking about the complete overall width across the top of the handlebars.

WHY DO WE GENERALLY USE A 36" TOTAL UPPER WIDTH?

Many standard Harley-Davidson handlebars are around 33" in overall width.

Through our experience designing, fabricating and riding custom handlebars, we've found that approximately 36" total upper width provides a particularly comfortable riding position on Softail and Touring models when using ape-hanger-style handlebars.

Those additional few inches aren't there simply to make the bars look bigger.

Width changes the position of the rider's arms and hands.

Combined correctly with rise, pullback and grip angle, the wider stance can provide a natural, relaxed riding position while also giving the motorcycle the substantial proportions associated with Fortress handlebars.

But that doesn't mean we simply make everything 36" wide.

SMALLER MOTORCYCLES REQUIRE DIFFERENT PROPORTIONS

A dimension that works beautifully on a large Touring motorcycle isn't automatically going to work on a smaller machine.

On motorcycles such as Sportsters, we generally reduce the total upper width of our ape-hanger designs, including our Radius handlebar models.

Why?

Proportion.

A narrower motorcycle and front end can require a correspondingly different handlebar geometry.

Simply putting the same dimensions onto every motorcycle would defeat one of the main purposes of building custom handlebars in the first place.

The bars should work with the motorcycle rather than looking as though they were designed for something else.

WHAT IS LOWER WIDTH?

This is where things become considerably more interesting.

The lower width is the width across the lower portion of the handlebars.

At Fortress Motorcycle, this isn't a dimension we simply select from a standard list.

It is determined in relation to the total fork width of the motorcycle.

And motorcycle front ends vary considerably.

Even within the Harley-Davidson range, motorcycles such as Sportsters, Softail Breakouts, Fat Boys and Touring models can require very different lower handlebar dimensions.

Different generations can vary too.

Consequently, knowing that somebody owns a "Harley Softail", for example, doesn't necessarily give us all the information required to properly specify the bars.

THE YEAR AND MODEL MATTER

Motorcycle manufacturers change things.

Front ends evolve. Fork dimensions change. Risers change. Triple trees change.

Even motorcycles belonging to the same model family can have dimensional differences between generations.

One of the other measurements we have to consider is riser clamp spacing.

Older Harley-Davidson Softails, for example, don't necessarily share the same riser dimensions as newer Milwaukee-Eight Softails.

And certain models within the newer range can be different again.

That's why the exact model, year and front-end configuration are important when we're specifying a custom set of handlebars.

AND THAT'S JUST HARLEY-DAVIDSON

Harley-Davidson provides a good example because of the sheer number of models and generations available.

But exactly the same principle applies elsewhere.

Different motorcycle manufacturers use different fork widths, riser arrangements, front-end designs and mounting systems.

Indian motorcycles and other custom applications introduce their own considerations.

So there's no meaningful universal measurement that can simply be labelled:

"Motorcycle lower handlebar width."

It depends on the motorcycle.

WHY WE DON'T PUBLISH A DIMENSION CHART

We could fill this article with individual motorcycle models, years and dimensions.

But that's not really the purpose of Knowledge From The Fort.

Our aim is to help riders understand what these measurements mean and why they matter, rather than publish the specifications and calculations we've developed through years of fabrication.

The precise relationship we use between fork width, lower handlebar width and the other elements of our handlebar geometry remains part of the Fortress fabrication process.

What matters to the customer is understanding that these measurements aren't arbitrary.

There's a reason behind them.

WIDTH CAN'T BE CONSIDERED ON ITS OWN

This is probably the most important point.

You could have the correct upper width and still end up with a poor set of handlebars if everything else is wrong.

The same applies to lower width.

A properly designed custom handlebar is a combination of:

Rise.
Pullback.
Total upper width.
Lower width.
Grip angle.
Riser spacing.
Motorcycle geometry.
Rider position.

Each measurement influences the finished result.

That's why discussing custom handlebars purely in terms of "I want 16-inch apes" only tells part of the story.

The 16 inches describes the height.

It doesn't tell you whether the finished handlebars are actually going to be properly proportioned for the motorcycle — or comfortable for the person riding it.

BUILT FOR THE MOTORCYCLE. BUILT FOR THE RIDER.

At Fortress Motorcycle, we've never believed that custom means simply making a standard handlebar in a different height.

The motorcycle matters.

The model matters.
The year matters.
The front end matters.
And the rider matters.

That's why we consider the complete geometry when designing a set of Fortress handlebars.

Because when upper width, lower width, rise and pullback all work together, the result isn't simply a set of bars that fits.

It's a set of handlebars that looks like it belongs on the motorcycle.

Handcrafted. Personal specification. Built different. Built Fortress.