Triumphrat

dardoonk · 02-25-2006, 03:30 PM

I am mounting drag bars that have holes for hiding the wiring. What the heck is the best way to do this?
Should I cut each wire and solder them all back together when I get them thru the bars, or should I remove each connection from the plastic plug in the headlight and try to put them all back together when I finish?

Then, how do I get the wires past the bend in the bars?

johnyC · 02-25-2006, 07:30 PM

I've never gone to the trouble of hiding all the wires in the bars, but I had to thread the wires for the heated grips through when I fitted Renthal bars to my Tiger.

I removed and later re-attached the connector ends of the heater wires, you would have to do the same, or cut the wires and fit in-line connectors or solder them once you've got them through the bars.

You need to install a 'fish' to haul the wires through first. Feed a length of wire back up the bars through the exit hole and attach the switch wires to it. If you have trouble getting it out of the entry hole, use a wire hook to pull it out. I used the head of a bicycle spoke. Another method I used when fitting heated grips to a BMW, was to attach a thread to a small nut and drop it down through the bars, you'd have to take the bars off the bike though.

Because I had no way of cleaning the inside edge of the drilled holes, I also inserted some plastic tubing to act as a conduit, to prevent chaffing of the wires.

Caffeinated · 02-25-2006, 10:27 PM

I hid all the wiring when I changed out the handlebars on my Harley. It's easy.

If you can use the same wire and put the quick disconnect plugs back together that's probably best. I cut and soldered mine back together, but my new bars were shaped differently from old ones so I had to add wire.

Use a small file on the holes to make sure they are smooth and won't wear through the wire. To get the wire through I pulled a strong but light string through as a guide. Then I tied the wires to the string and pulled them through. I taped all the holes except the entry and exit holes and used a vacuum cleaner to suck the string through the bars. Works like a charm.

This will really clean up the look of your bike. Good luck.

Steve