Hey Kelly,
I responded to your making this point on another thread, but as long as I am here.....
I think the designer(s) of the Empulse made a good decision in releasing the prototype with as race inspiring a setup as possible for two reasons: 1) it keeps the silhouette cleaner, which is great visually, and bikes often sell on looks alone (after all, all of us pre-ordering are buying based on a photo, a few specs, and Brammo's reputation, right?). 2) Like it or not, sport-oriented bikes outperform more 'standard' models on the sales floor. I've seen models come and go that were incredible bikes but lacked consumer appeal because most sales were driven by young men wanting to pose as racers, or mid-life-crisis-feeding guys who need a Harley or equivalent to re-establish a sense of manhood. So the great bike that does it all but doesn't look the part just doesn't sell.
In truth it would surprise me if Brammo didn't offer it will the lower handlebars. You run a big risk changing major design elements like that when people have pre-ordered with an expectation of getting what they originally saw in photos. That might change if enough people ordering listed a desire for a higher bar, but I think that might only lead to the high bar as an option. Of course, that would work for you.
But I wouldn't worry too much about it. If Brammo doesn't offer a higher bar option, the aftermarket will. You can already find bar risers online. You may also have to swap out the brake line and add an extension to the throttle cabling, but that's what the aftermarket is for: filling a need.
So to answer your question about as to how high an upright riding position can be achieved, the answer is, assuming a throttle cable extension can be easily acquired (the bars and brake cable are standard aftermarket fare these days) you can have any riding position you want.
