I don't mind the height of the buckhorn bars, it's the grip angle. They bend in too much. This makes me feel like my elbows hit my ribs when I turn the bars.
On my 81 I rebuilt the bars. Starting at the riser, come out past the first bend then half way up the straight section. Cut the bars off. Your cuts may not come out exactly the same so keep the left on the left, right on the right. If not the bars won't be the same height.
I then took one end of the bars with me to hardware store. Look through the ready rod stuff, All Thread to some. The couplers are what to look at. Find one that is a snug fit in the bars or a bit too big, you can grind the corners off the coupler to get the right fit. Buy two.
Once you fit the coupler to the inside of the bars weld them into the lower part of the bars. Slip the upper part on the couplers. Set on bike, move the bars around till they feel good. Tack one side. Remove from bike. Finish weld the bar. Now set the bars on a bench so the center sets flat on the bench. Let the end of the welded bar set on the bench. While these parts set on bench let the unwelded end set on bench. hold in place and weld the other bar end in place. Holding the bars this way help ensure they will be the straight.
Put back on bike. These will be quite wide at this point, I took 1.5 inches off both sides.
I got a pair of bars off Ebay thinking they would be better angled but they turned out to be the same as the stock bars. One set I welded, the other set I brazed. The brazed set leaves a thin ring of brass around the joint. The welded bars didn't.
I have a thread on here somewhere with pics showing the way they look.
They look like what some call mini apes. A bar I find very comfortable. These keep you in a more upright position, where the stock buck horns let you slouch. This slouch is more pain full on my back after longer rides.
I just need to find a 7/8 inch mini apes, most are 1 inch.
I like the bars on my Harley, They are not mini apes but not a straight as a drag bar. Ones like that in a 7/8 bar would be nice too. I think they would be like the stock standard bars. I can't say for sure, I don't have a set of the standard bars.
Leo