Heat Gun Frees Up Stuck Harnesses in Handlebars

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leonardhcross
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Heat Gun Frees Up Stuck Harnesses in Handlebars

#1

Post by leonardhcross »

I came across a helpful thread in the "Restorations" forum which discussed the use of heat on the handlebars to free up old, stuck, switch harnesses. Mine were totally stuck. WD40 followed by pulling, pushing, wiggling....nothing was budging them. So, instead of using my propane torch, I decided to try my heat gun. It was till a struggle. At no point did they pull freely. Fortunately, my strong neighbor stopped over. The combination of lubricant, heat and a two-ended attack got the job done. It probably took an hour. Here is a short video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCIhXpEPvPI
redglbx
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Re: Heat Gun Frees Up Stuck Harnesses in Handlebars

#2

Post by redglbx »

Just don’t forget to attach a wire or something to the harness before you pull it out so you can pull the new one back in. Otherwise there’ll be lots of language your mother wouldn’t approve of and probably ending in a rage of adult beverages !
Red 1976 oe owner
1976 LTD restored
1980 CBX , in the que, to fix the ignorant heavy handed owner
1981 CBX
1977 CB750 K7
2014 FJR OE owner, sold
1980 GL1100
1984 GL1200 naked
1969 CL350, in the que
Shadowjack
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Re: Heat Gun Frees Up Stuck Harnesses in Handlebars

#3

Post by Shadowjack »

I bought some of the black plastic harness sleeve from Vintage Connections, or Sparckmoto, or whoever they go by, to replace the old stuff the last time I had to do this. Much easier to get it back in.
leonardhcross
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Re: Heat Gun Frees Up Stuck Harnesses in Handlebars

#4

Post by leonardhcross »

redglbx wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 7:54 am Just don’t forget to attach a wire or something to the harness before you pull it out so you can pull the new one back in. Otherwise there’ll be lots of language your mother wouldn’t approve of and probably ending in a rage of adult beverages !
Thanks again redglbx. I did not attach a line to the end. I presumed it would be pretty simple to feed a single strand of wire through first to use as a puller. BTW, I don't think I will keep those handlebars. I don't like the high risers. Does anybody want these? Just pay shipping?
leonardhcross
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Re: Heat Gun Frees Up Stuck Harnesses in Handlebars

#5

Post by leonardhcross »

Shadowjack wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 8:03 am I bought some of the black plastic harness sleeve from Vintage Connections, or Sparckmoto, or whoever they go by, to replace the old stuff the last time I had to do this. Much easier to get it back in.
. Thanks for the tip. Does the sleeve material wrap like electrical tape?
redglbx
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Re: Heat Gun Frees Up Stuck Harnesses in Handlebars

#6

Post by redglbx »

Yep Leonard I’m with you, since I have 2 76’s, my standard 76 that I bought new which has the shorter bars which really aren’t all that short and my 76 LTD which has what are referred to as the “mini-apes” which came on all the GL’s past the 76 standard model.

Initially I intended to change my standards bars to the “mini-apes” as I thought they would be more comfortable but after riding them back to back I find the shorter bars much more comfortable as the mini-apes has me sit straighter and puts more pressure on my tailbone and lower back. And as someone who has suffered with back problems for years it just isn’t comfy, very Harley-ish. I’ve even considered going to a flater bar but now after 47 years I don’t think I’ll get around to it. 🤔
Red 1976 oe owner
1976 LTD restored
1980 CBX , in the que, to fix the ignorant heavy handed owner
1981 CBX
1977 CB750 K7
2014 FJR OE owner, sold
1980 GL1100
1984 GL1200 naked
1969 CL350, in the que
Shadowjack
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Re: Heat Gun Frees Up Stuck Harnesses in Handlebars

#7

Post by Shadowjack »

leonardhcross wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 5:38 pm
Shadowjack wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 8:03 am I bought some of the black plastic harness sleeve from Vintage Connections, or Sparckmoto, or whoever they go by, to replace the old stuff the last time I had to do this. Much easier to get it back in.
. Thanks for the tip. Does the sleeve material wrap like electrical tape?
No, it's just thin plastic tubing like the original. I looked for the webpage. Sparck Moto sells electronic components, Vintage Connections sells electrical supplies, but I believe they're the same outfit now.
http://vintageconnections.com/Products/ ... g-and-Wrap
leonardhcross
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Re: Heat Gun Frees Up Stuck Harnesses in Handlebars

#8

Post by leonardhcross »

Shadowjack wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:05 am
leonardhcross wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 5:38 pm
Shadowjack wrote: Sun Jun 04, 2023 8:03 am I bought some of the black plastic harness sleeve from Vintage Connections, or Sparckmoto, or whoever they go by, to replace the old stuff the last time I had to do this. Much easier to get it back in.
. Thanks for the tip. Does the sleeve material wrap like electrical tape?
No, it's just thin plastic tubing like the original. I looked for the webpage. Sparck Moto sells electronic components, Vintage Connections sells electrical supplies, but I believe they're the same outfit now.
http://vintageconnections.com/Products/ ... g-and-Wrap
What diameters have you used. I see 11mm and 14mm.
Shadowjack
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Re: Heat Gun Frees Up Stuck Harnesses in Handlebars

#9

Post by Shadowjack »

I just bought some of three sizes. Seems like it was 6mm, 9mm, and 14mm, so I had some for various little pigtails and for full-length harness sections.
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