MEASURE TWICE....CUT ONCE ! Remember that old adage ?
Well I completed the job over the hols. It was fun actually but I’m starting all over again. I screwed up the position of the center holes, tried to recover, but am just not happy with the result. It is off center and not neat enough now.
So I order a new set of bars (from Brent) and I’m going to re-do but apply a lot of lessons learnt along the way.
I found a very nice (IMO) SS flexible, coil tubing I’m going to use to cover the wires from bars to headlight. It’s actually the kind of coiled tubing used for shower hose but it’s sold for the spray faucet thing in the kitchen sink. It looks very cool. It’s solid SS not braid. You have to run two lengths but that works well, one for each ‘loom’ from either side. I cut it to length with a Dremel and put a piece of heat shrink over each end and a grommet into the holes in the bars – very clean. Problem is as I said I did not measure twice, cut once. Perhaps it was the scotch I was using to keep me warm but I somehow drilled the holes off-center.
I also recommend using 18 gauge wire not 16. The stock wires are a mixture of 18 and 20 and using 18 makes the ‘looms’ a little thinner, easier to get through the bars and easier to get through the SS flex hose. Another lesson learnt - keep the initial joins in the bars. I made a few too long. Also, give your self plenty of wire for the extension – at least 14 – 16 inches (Speedmaster). You can always shorten it up when you get back into the headlight. I made a few a bit too short and it was tricky re-joining in the headlight.
Invest $13 in a ‘helping hands’ from Radioshack. Soldering all the joins would have been a pain in the ****** without it and it is a cool little tool.
When I re-do I think I’ll run the clutch wires into a separate hole of its own. That way it will be even less obtrusive. This time round I looped both the clutch wires and brakes wires back into the control unit and through the same holes as all the other wires. Looks OK, is the best option for the brake wires but I think another small hole and grommet will be the answer for the clutch wire.
I did find I needed to go buy some better bits (titanium) because what I had wasn’t working. Ended up a worthwhile investment as it gave a nice clean hole. Dremel grind and sand to make sure they are as clean as possible. I drilled 2 holes clutch side and joined them into an oval to give me more room.
The re-do shouldn’t take long as all the wiring is done (with the exception of re-joining in the headlight of course. Just need to re-drill – CARFEFULLY and re-route the wires.
I’ll keep you posted and put some pics up once I get the new bars and finish up. Now if I can only remember how to wire those turn signals up again ?????
