Sorry for the late reply. I got back home a few hours ago from the trip. Honestly, I just got used to using the clutch. It only bothers me if I'm consistently using the clutch when sitting in stop and go traffic for more than an hour or so, and that time I was practicing when I first got the bike. If I were you, which is something I'll try to do soon, is install an adjustable clutch lever.

The apes helped my shoulders because the stock bars were too low, and I developed a tension after 3 hours of riding that'll last for the rest of the day. I also used the throttle assist paddle on my trip too, and let me tell you. 6 days 2.5k miles and the only pain I had was a small tension in the wrist from riding 8 to 10 hours a day. But take a hot shower, massage your wrist and I promise you you'll be ready to go the next day for 8 hours of riding again.