It could have been simpler…
…and I made some mistakes along the way.
It looked simple enough until I realized the Clubman bars weren’t pre-drilled or slotted. This makes sense. It would be virtually impossible to manufacture bars that accommodate for all makes and models of motorcycles.
So I had two choices: route the wires on the outside of the bars (messy looking) or route them through the bars (clean).
I wanted a clean look and decided to route through the bars. Since the bars didn’t have any holes or slots, I had to drill them myself.
A fresh set of Clubman Ace Bars. Not as low as clip ons but they look cool and feel great.
First I had to mock them up to figure out were the control assemblies was going to be and mark were I need to start drilling. Notice that this set of Clubmans has the sharp corner weld. Its nearly a 90 degree angle and pulling wire through them was miserable.
So the two points I decided to drill where near the control assembly and about an inch and half from the corner weld. A few incremental drill bits later and I had four nice sized slots to feed and pull wire. I also used my dremel tool to clean up the edges. I didn’t want the sharp inner rim to cut or strip the wires.
I wrapped the exposed portion of the wires with masking tape, and in true MacGuyver style I fashioned some string from a shoelace and tied one end to the wrapped wires.
I spent all morning pulling wire for both sides.
Things I learned:
1. Some type of lubricant is required. I used liquid soap.
2. Never route through the bars. Its not worth it. I spent all morning doing it. Granted, it looks super clean, its just not worth the trouble I went through.
3. My stock control assemblies had little metal tabs that fit into pre-drilled holes in the stock bars. These tabs prevented the controls from sliding. I tore these metal tabs off thinking I wouldn’t need them and as a result my controls are sliding. I’ll figure out how to stop that later.
Here are is a before and after photo.
From 70′s japanese stock to 60′s London cool in one morning.
i like the bars. i just got the same bars for mine. i have a 77 honda cb550 super sport F. it looks like a pain to run the wires through the bars. bike looks good.
I was just looking at those bars and realized I have a 15-20 year old version of those on my ’76 CB550F only mine are Upside-Down!(and backwards, of course!) I don’t have to lean down like this, so they’re staying like they are, but another LMFAO moment.
I just went through the same bullshit yesterday. I used a ball chain to fish down the bars but I couldn’t get the wires through. Someone recommended rearset forsets to me. Do you know what they are? I think it may give more room when you turn the bars to the right or left so they don’t hit the tank. thanks for the info dude. nice bike, and have fun, Brooklyn, in the house.
Rearset forsets? Never heard of them. I don’t know much about anything though… just flying by the seat of my pants here. Thanks for the comments, I appreciate all of them.
After adding the clubmans have you had a problem with the bars hitting the tank? Have they cut down a lot on your steering radius when parking?
Looks great!
I’ll take some photos to show you, but I think I lost about an 1/8th of an inch of steering radius on both sides. I’ll post soon.
Dave,
Did you mean rearsets, as in rear mounted foot controls (clutch and brake pedal)? Rear sets will not affect the handle bars in any way, but they will change your body position on the machine, causing you to lean forward on the bars much like modern sport bikes, especially when combined with clip on or clubman style bars. I have a set for my CB 550 (made by RAASK) which I have already test fit and they look cool, but unfortunately cool comes with a price tag, they were pretty pricey. I bought them because I am 6’2″ tall and I thought it might help me stretch out on the bike after I install the clubman bars. Here is a link to the guy I purchased them from, a real cool and knowledgeable fellow. http://www.omarsdtr.com
What kind of mirrors are you going to use? (if any)
I’m not a big fan of bar end mirrors, but I may have to find a decent set.
One more comment on the bars. I did not loose much turning radius with drag bars, but the controls did hit the tank. So to keep from damaging the tank, I am going to build up the steering stops with JB Weld to keep that from happening. I can remove that later if I go back stock.
I am getting ready to put some new clubman handlebars on my CB550. If I were to run the wires outside, would I need new control switches? I am also considering putting on Norman Hyde M bars. Anyway, thanks for posting this. My stress level goes through the roof when mechanical issues like this occur. I have to remind myself that it is fun… when I am riding of course.
No need for new controls, you can easily run the wires outside. I suspect this is the method most people use. I was just being kind of picky by running my wires internally.