Drilling Handlebars
Thread Starter
|
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,484
Likes: 2
From: Sarasota, Florida
Drilling Handlebars
Last year I put the Khromewerks 300505 +2 Sweepers on and I like them alot. I done it all right; upgraded to 1 piece bar clamp, poly bushings and +3 clutch cable. I also done the job myself saving alot of money. Now, since I can't ride anyway (cold & snowy in Chicago), I'm thinking about pulling the bars off and drilling them so I can run the wires inside them. I'm not having any problems other than idle time and looking for another project. I'm sure many of you have drilled your own bars but I would like to hear about the pros & cons of doing it yourself. Thanks!
Banned
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,551
Likes: 6
The wiring holes need to be elongated, not simply round holes.....They also need to be at least 1" long at each bar end, but about 1.5" long under the center between the risers.....
Absolute best way to drill the bars to get those elongated holes shaped properly is to first drill the end of each elongation, then cut the sides to connect the holes with a dremmel using little cutoff wheels......From there debur the holes with the dremmel using little cone shaped grinding stones.
On the bar ends, you need to properly locate the holes....Before you remove the lever clamps wrap a piece of masking tape around the bars where the inside (toward riser) of the lever clamp ends on the bar. Then mark the tape where the lever clamps meet on the bottom.......Once the bars are off, turn them upside down measure outwards from the edge of the tape the exact width of the clamps and again apply tape around the bar there.....Now you can layout the hole locations.
The idea is for that the wiring holes to end up centered under the switch housings and not the lever clamps.....The holes must also be "clocked" properly so that your levers can be installed without tilting either up or down.
Absolute best way to drill the bars to get those elongated holes shaped properly is to first drill the end of each elongation, then cut the sides to connect the holes with a dremmel using little cutoff wheels......From there debur the holes with the dremmel using little cone shaped grinding stones.
On the bar ends, you need to properly locate the holes....Before you remove the lever clamps wrap a piece of masking tape around the bars where the inside (toward riser) of the lever clamp ends on the bar. Then mark the tape where the lever clamps meet on the bottom.......Once the bars are off, turn them upside down measure outwards from the edge of the tape the exact width of the clamps and again apply tape around the bar there.....Now you can layout the hole locations.
The idea is for that the wiring holes to end up centered under the switch housings and not the lever clamps.....The holes must also be "clocked" properly so that your levers can be installed without tilting either up or down.
Thread Starter
|
Road Warrior
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,484
Likes: 2
From: Sarasota, Florida
Thanks for the tips Oinker. I'm on the fence with this but since I'm going to pull the radio & guages anyway to get backlighting done, I thought I would do this too. Why can't I just leave well enough alone?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 11,471
Likes: 2,998
From: Charleston, SC
Don't the new sweepers have the holes already for internal wiring?
Since they cost like 60-70 bucks it's an option to just buy the new bars...
lp
Since they cost like 60-70 bucks it's an option to just buy the new bars...
lp
Trending Topics
Banned
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,551
Likes: 6
They should already be dimpled underneath, so all he needs to do is establish proper position of holes in relation to bar ends.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
harley0711
Touring Models
3
Aug 18, 2009 01:46 AM
