'98 Valkyrie Risers

[Visseroth]

Good grief there is a LOT of old information on handlebar risers and it seems risers are harder to find these days.
Anyhow, I wanted to get some suggestions.
I can't seem to find the spacers to bring the bars up but I'd prefer to bring the bars up and back.
I'm 5'11" and as of late I've been having upper back problems which is pinching the nerve to my right arm which in turn is causing inflammation of the nerve, pain in my forearm and causing my whole arm to tingle when I try to ride, so I'm needing to find a more comfortable position for my handlebars.
Unfortunately I haven't had much success finding something that will work.
I tried ordering some spacers that were labeled for the Honda Valkyrie but what I didn't realize at the time is that they were for 7/8" bars, needless to say they didn't work.
I then ordered something like these...
https://www.newegg.com/krator/p/0HV-00TM-00DE1

Well what I didn't realize is that the bike handlebar risers are set in round holes. Square pegs don't fit in ROUND HOLES!!!! Good grief!

So I'm back to trying to find something that works and I have ordered these...
https://www.denniskirk.com/v-factor/chrome-deuce-style-handlebar-risers-41050.p5902875.prd/5902875.sku

Hopefully they fit but I wanted to get some more suggestions, input, ect.
I need my wrists in a better wresting position, my elbows bent back a bit more and less stress on my shoulders and back.

I'd prefer to not have to swap out cables, but if I have to I will.

I also likely should do something about my seat though that's not in the budget right now as I don't have $600 for a new seat laying around. I only say that because I still have the stock seat.

[Jess from VA]

Those Deuce risers should more than do the trick for you.  They are 5.5" total length, to the 3 1/8" stock risers.

I have them on one of my bikes:

There are three issues:

1)  You will need to run your throttle cables inside the triple tree to avoid problems at full (or near) lock handlebar turns.  You don't say what bike you have, but the Interstate handlebar throttle clamp comes out the bottom more than the std/tourer, so the Interstate has a wee bit more slack, but my interstate still has the throttle cables inside the tree.

2)  You will need to grind or sand the domes off the bottom of each riser to flat (as they are designed for a dimpled Harley tree).  At least I think so (I can't see from your pic, but they all used to need the domes ground flat)

3)  Since they are Harley risers they take SAE hardware (riser bolts) of 1/2 inch which is just a few thousandths too large to fit through the existing 10mm Valk tree riser holes.  There are two ways to fix this:

a) Stick a half inch drill bit in the riser holes and shave off a few thousandths of material (minimal material is removed)).  This does not damage the bike at all, and you could always go back to proper metric hardware/risers any time with no loss of strength, and no wobble (torqued down properly), or

b)  Buy some of these SAE to Metric conversion bolts and then you don't need to use the drill.  These are fully plug and play with the Deuce risers and the existing metric holes in the tree.
https://www.jpcycles.com/product/zz50005/baron-custom-accessories-riser-adapter

NEVER FORGET TO PAD YOUR TANK for riser work, or dent your tank.  

A sheepskin driver's seat cover will help, and so will an Airhawk seat cushion which are both cheaper than a new seat.  Both will sit you a bit higher.  Only inflate the Airhawk cushion about half or a bit less full.  Completely full and you will wobble around and maybe go up on the tank in hard braking (though they do not slip on the seat)  https://airhawk.net/product-category/seat-cushions/

BTW, those 3 1/2 inch risers should have bolted right up; the square riser sits on top a flat triple tree, and only the holes and bolts are round.  But they would have only given you an additional 3/8" rise, and hardly with the trouble.  

[Visseroth]

Sorry, I completely forgot to mention exactly which model I have.
I have the '98 Standard. Currently the throttle cables are running in front of the triple tree so I guess I'd have to move them to the back of the tripple tree.

Thanks for the link to the bolts, I'd be digging for hours trying to find the right bolts! So I went ahead and ordered them up and I'll grind the risers down to get them to fit correctly, but I'm glad that I FINALLY found something that'll fit.

I assume since you have them as well that they work for you?

I usually put a big towel over my tank, I could easily put a few on there to be sure I don't scratch or dent it.

Thanks for all the links and information! I'm glad to know I'm finally on the right track.

As for the square risers, I got a couple of them, one 3.5" the other 4.5" because I wasn't sure which would be the best height but being they are square or rectangular I figured they like weren't going to mount up correctly to the triple tree.
So You are saying that they will cover what's there and fit just fine?

I will look at those seat covers, being raised up a small bit might be a good thing.

[Jess from VA]

I assume since you have them as well that they work for you?

Yes.  I can kick back against my seat backrest, legs up on highway pegs and still have easy reach to the bars.  No shoulder problem like with OE risers.  The only issue I have on occasion is my wrists (at an angle), but that is more the shape of the bars than the risers.  When doing slow (or fast) sharp turns with the bars near the lock, the low side handlebar comes back nearer to your thigh (but no contact).

As for the square risers, I got a couple of them, one 3.5" the other 4.5" because I wasn't sure which would be the best height but being they are square or rectangular I figured they like weren't going to mount up correctly to the triple tree.  So You are saying that they will cover what's there and fit just fine?

I've had no experience with them, but they are listed for Honda and I believe the square bottoms would sit flat on the tree and cover the round hole completely.  The 4.5" might have been fine (but you now have 5.5").  Some cheaper risers are not as strong as they should be (metallurgy).  The Deuce risers are somewhat slim, but I know them to be strong (13 years) and have never heard of a problem with them. Though dozens of places sell them all over the web as Harley Davidson knockoffs, I have no idea if they are all made by the same Mfr, or if it is the same Mfr as HD.  

BTW, I said you had to cut or grind off the domes on the bottom.  Well, it's not exactly a dome, but you can see what has to be cut off.


The top of these bolts have a dry thread locker on them, but the rest of the bolts/threads should have a little copper anti-seize put on them.  (along with any other bolt you ever pull off the bike)







  

[dpcarson]

I am going to keep watching this for ideas.  I had the same issues you are talking about with the back and arm and just had surgery two weeks ago.  On my standard I have 4.5" pullback risers.  I will have to go look to see which ones they are.  It definitely made a difference but as soon as this back heals up and I start riding again I may have to look at making a change.  The 4.5" I got I think were from JP cycles and I got them at a rally.  Brand may be drag specialties.  No mods needed anywhere. 

[MarkT]

I think these are the same as Jess posted.  After a lot of fork and triple tree work before the shield went back on.  IS tank under the towels that's why it's so high.

[..]

I read a long time ago that it is ideal to have the grips placed so that when riding there is a flat plane from the back of the hand through the wrist to the forearm.

I accomplished that on my '98s by loosening the bars and rotating them to the desired position. I'm 5' 11"

[MarkT]

I have neuropathy in my hands (and feet) due to hypothyroidism, diabetes, and decades as a computer geek causing carpal tunnel.  When this first showed up I was flying hang gliders and flew with numb hands aggravated by the pressure on my palms from the control bar as I would fly at minimum sink rate, pushing out on the control bar.  I quit hang gliding for a couple reasons, among them some friends were killed flying my favorite site (Williams Peak in the Front Range just East of the Eagle Mountains Wilderness, a dozen miles S of Kremmeling) and they were higher rated - more skilled - pilots than me.  Sold my glider and returned to a safe sport - motorcycles.  On the Valkyrie I was getting the numb hands again.  I discovered if I set up the bars so my wrists were straight, and rode with minimal pressure on the bars, numb hands went away.  

In the above pic, with the bars moved back closer to me, I can rotate them down and my wrists are straightened.  Very rarely have numb hands now.  The bars clear the tank a couple inches; if I turn full lock I move my leg out of the way.  Doesn't take long at all to get used to that - and worth it to not have numb hands.

[gordonv]

I very much want to try different risers on my IS. I always find myself leaning forward, and sometimes I get the numb hands too, but not as often anymore.

But when I look, I don't see what is recommended, and I don't know if it will work for what I want.

[Bagger John - #3785]

Show Chrome made chrome Valkyrie risers that were 1/2" taller than stock, and moved the bars 1/2" further back. You could use the stock cable routing with them.

1/2" may not sound like a lot but when Blondie had the Tourer I'm currently riding, we set it up with those for her and it made a big difference WRT wrist and back pain on a long ride.

[Forge]

I had used the OEM risers from a Honda VTX 1800C on my 97. They raise and take the bars back. Using the OEM Valk bars, the placement of the grips gave the bike a more “chopper” feel. I did have to re-route the cables. The risers are rectangular and don’t match the Valk top clamp’s rounded corners. It didn’t bother me, but someone more energetic could grind and polish the corners to match. I removed the VTX risers when I sold that bike and still have the VTX risers if someone is interested.