For the two tops to be used as-is, yes they both need the risers. Otherwise they would not fit the truck, seal at the leading edge, or be able to be used at all without some kind of new attachment protocol, such as a bunch of snaps drilled into your windshield frame, or a custom bracket of some kind.
Only Kayline, STC and now Rampage use the drop bracket for the wiper motor. It's sole purpose was so that they could get away with a shorter riser and still use the factory wiper motor without it sticking up through the top material.
Precisely so that you did not need a taller riser.
Don't remember for sure, but it was probably so Kayline could keep their shorter existing riser after '69 when Ford when to electric wipers. As opposed to designing the riser around the wiper motor that already existed.
I think Kayline had a Bronco top before the advent of electric wiper motors sticking way up inside the taller hard top.
Bestop probably designed theirs with the taller riser from the beginning, precisely to avoid the motor drop bracket that Kayline was using.
I don't remember what the first available tops looked like, or what kind of windshield attachment they had.
It's only about 2" on a Rampage and about 3" on a Bestop I would guess. Don't have any in front of me to measure, but at a guess I'd say those numbers are close.
But their reason for being is so you don't have to drill twenty holes (only two) in your windshield frame, or so they don't have to come up with a new type of channel to lock in the top. Apparently neither company has wanted to reinvent the wheel lately.
And do do without the riser completely, you'd need to drop the wiper motor on the '69 and later EB's so far it'd be in your face (well, the passengers face mostly;D) more than the designers felt prudent doing. That or remove it completely.
Or install the individual aftermarket wipers for an additional cost.
None of those options sounded very good to most companies I'm guessing.
Many that have made their own custom bikini tops have done just what you're suggesting though. Done without the riser entirely for that super slick low-profile look. But they had to ditch the wipers entirely.
Not something most of us would put up with.
As someone mentioned already, it's the bar across the tailgate area that the back flap attaches to instead of the tailgate. Lets you open up the tailgate without unzipping first.
Both schools of thought are legit I think. The Bestop bar makes it so you don't have to drill as many holes into your tailgate for the snaps (something lots of people hate doing) and also lets you open up the tailgate much easier/quicker.
The Rampage is a bit more secure perhaps, by making someone go to more work to open the tailgate. And it's more convenient because you don't have to deal with the cross bar when the back is open.
I think there's a relatively quick release on the bar to get it out of the way, but never messed much with them myself and don't remember how exactly it's set up.
Still running my original Gray colored Kayline from '92-ish.
Paul
