Okay so I bought some tbars, and internally wired them, fun project. Tested everything and it worked so I bolted up the controls and fought with the service loop for awhile and got it stuffed back in there. Turn on the key and the breaker trips. Rechecked all and located the problem. Pinched the wires at the clutch and front brake clamp. I found both wires and fixed them but I can not get either side to tighten up, the hole is not long enough to conceal the wires and there's no dimple. What is the right way to make this work? Can I dimple the outside edges Without mangling the bars? Dremel with a grinding wheel? The steel is thick and it's not exactly the easiest place to work on. Looking for some ideas, I don't understand why they didn't just notch another 1/4" in the hole for the wires

Also any tips on getting this harness back in the frame enough to get the plug back on would be helpful. It never had one when I bought it and the harness has been falling out since. I can't seem to get it in enough to get the plug or cover on right.

 

Get some decent bars, they ain't ever gonna work but if you dremel anything then do the bars as you don't want to stuff your switch gear.


Getting the harness back in is a mission because the harness goes into the frame like a parachute, it's kinda flaked in and once it has been allowed to decompress its almost impossible.


However, here is what I do...I get a big blunted flat head screwdriver and force the harness back into the frame and also as far up and down in the space behind the headstock as I can manage and then use the screwdriver to force the switch blocks in and tilt the blocks so they flip over and jam against the opening so they wont come out again.


It is different for every bike and always a PITA but you'll get there in the end...maybe...

 

What do you mean "they ain't ever going to work?". You don't think the clamps are going to fit if I enlarge the holes? I think they need about 1/4" on the outside edge of the oval hole.

 

The bars should have dimples to allow the wires to fit in the clamps....end of story....grinding out the clamps is butchery and should be avoided at all costs.


But it's your bike and I have seen other people do it...remember, a lot of my work is on other people's bikes and there are things you just don't do as a professional wrench...so I tell people not to do them...

 

No I hear what you're saying. I've never seen holes for internal wiring with dimples on tbars. I bought these from a Harley dealer it just seems like my controls want to be slightly to the side of the hole which makes the perch clamp on the wire instead of directly over the hole. I'm thinking of just increasing the hole size slightly as its just the perch clamp corner. I'm surprised no one else has run into this with drilled bars. I don't want to cut the perch or housing. Actually cutting the housing wouldn't fix it. I'd have to hack the perch up which seems like a worse idea. I wonder if the dyna forum guys ever run into this. A lot of them run those tall straight tbars.

 

I've seen plenty of T Bars with dimples....if it was me I would increase the length of the holes in the bars...and I wouldn't ask anybody anything on the Dyna forum, they have no manners on there and like to make people feel small.

 

Mark your bars where you need them dimpled, put them into a vice, and smack them bitches with a big center punch until you get the job done.

 

DON'T!!!!!!!! They would have to be in a perfect fitting mould or former to do that without running the risk of fecking up the bars...you butcher tman!!!!


I need to go to bed now...have a good day y'all....

 

If you go this route make sure you don't leave any angles as vibration from the bike will cause the bars to crack in the corner of the angle.

 

I'm not going to try and dimple them read you need a special tool to do it properly plus I'd have to repull the harness out and basically start all over. I'm thinking of trying with the dremel and a round grinding wheel. I have to look to see what they have. I think a cutoff disc would work but I think it might hack it up too much. I don't know how well the dremel will work.