Bought a set of Biltwell Keystones for my 09 Fat Bob. Read alot of posts on here about internal wiring, figured I'd give it a shot. The main thing I read was patience patience patience which I have plenty of. I got everything pulled apart wires out of the connectors, old bars off, wires out of them. Then to wire the new bars which just wasn't going to happen. Taped them up nice and tight fed a pull wire through and there is just no way they will make the bends in these bars. I think it has alot to do with the pins on the end of the wire they just won't make the turns. I tried doing one wire at a time which after the first wire decided that wasn't going to work either so when pulling it back of course the wire broke on me. So now I have about a foot of wire with the metal pin on it which is probably jammed in one of the turns. Tried to get that out for hours but won't happen. No this is not a rant I actually have a question, well maybe two. Any ideas on how to get the broken wire out of the bars and if I can actually get the wire out should I remove the pins from all of the wires and try pulling it that way and then put new pins on? I also do not have the turn signal wires going back into the bars since I will be relocating them. Here's a link to the bars they are the keystones on the page, I hate to give up on them but I am having the stock ones powder coated black just in case. Oh and if I do remove the pins do I have to buy new ones from the dealer or can I get them elsewhere.


http://www.biltwellinc.com/bars.php



Thanks Kevin

 

That web site shows a pic of two diff bikes neither of which have control switches/wireing. Did the bars come drilled for internal wireing?

 

Two things, first, you really need to stagger the ends if you are leaving the pins on.
Second, do not tape the entire length, use as little tape as possible.
You really must push and pull the wire.
You can get new pins from Dennis Kirk or J&P among others, just make sure you order the correct ones.
The wire that is stuck in the bars might be able to be removed with a mouse of plastic.
If you can get a string through the bars, tie a small wad of plastic baggie in the middle so you can push and pull and try to pull that through to dislodge the wire.

BTW, this is why I usually cut and solder unless the bars are sweeping bends.

 

I drilled the bars, they came with the indentations but were not drilled. When I bought them the guy at Biltwell said they could be internally wired.

 

Here is the way I did it with my z-bars.
Plan on pulling the wires through one at a time.
First feed some fishing line through. Using a vacuum cleaner helps suck the fishing line through.
Next tape a long reel of weedeater line to the fishing line and feed it through. Do not cut the weedeater line throughout the entire process, leave it running off the spool.
Next one wire at a time, tape the wire to the weedeater line, and feed it through. untape it, and connect the next wire the same as the first one.

I struggled with mine for hours until I did it this way. Once I got this process down it went easy as pie even around the sharp bends in the zbars.

 

Excellent idea with the weedeater line jstreet
You can also tie a small nut on the fishing line and drop it through the bars if you don't have a vacuum with a hose.

 

I've used weed eater string with a little duct tape also and it works great. +1 on the push and pull method, its the only wa to do it with out skinning the wire inside the bars with those types of bends.

 

This sounds like a great way to do this! To me it seems that the thicker weed eater line would flex around the bends allowing a natural flow through the pipe. I will have to try this when I do my bars.

 

z bars are the worst I love the look but would never go through the head ache of doing it

 

Excellent suggestions / ideas here. I will be doing this project in the next week or so. I appreciate the information - I would not have thought of a vacuum cleaner and fishing line to get it started.

OP - Best of luck on your project!