While my step dad was visiting this past weekend, I took the opportunity to get his help installing the buttons in the controls and routing the wires through the bars. It always seems like you need one more hand than you have when working with something like this so his help was definitely welcome.
The only trouble we had with the harness was trying to route it through the handlebars. The bars I now have on the bike came from a late model Sportster, I believe. They're short enough that routing the wire through the bars doesn't really gain much. Still, I wanted to go that route even if it only was for a few inches to avoid using zip ties.
The issue we had was that the holes already in the bars were a little too small to fit the diameter of the bundle from each side. (Yes I know now, keep reading....) No problem, we enlarged them slightly using a step drill being careful to enlarge them just enough to fit the bundle but no more. That way we didn't compromise the structural integrity of the bars too much. We also were careful to chamfer/debur the holes so it wouldn't scrape the insulation or cause a wear point in the future.
We eventually got them routed through and the controls buttoned up. Everything looked nice and I was happy with the job we did.
It wasn't until the next day that I saw a late model Sportster with the same bars. It was then I realized why the holes were so small. They're not for routing the wire bundle, they are for a tab on a zip cable which holds the bundle to the outside of the bars! Oops.
Oh well, I actually think it looks considerably better the way we did it. Having an exposed cable bundle like the stock configuration just looks unfinished to me.
I didn't get any pictures during our work nor did I get a decent after picture. Here's one that sort of shows one side....
I'd hoped we would be able to get it all wired in as well but I also didn't want to put him to work his entire visit. So this is where we stopped. The bars are remounted, wires run, and controls back together. It looks like a mess but there is order in this chaos.
Before removing the old wires to the controls, I labeled where they were connected to existing wires that would remain. The next opportunity I get to work on this it should just be a matter of making the connections into the headlight bucket, the rotary switch on the tank, and the few wires that pass through the frame.
No comments:
Post a Comment