Topic: Worst job ever

[sparks1]

 I imagine the guy that stuffed the wires in the handle bars was a new guy.  Just finished mine, and it was a pain...though manageable. I would not want to do it over, and over, and over.
Shout out to Dave, local guy who came through with a used rt control switch, plus an extra. Now to finish the front end, so I can start on carbs.  CB 550 K1

[pjlogue]

It's not a fun job!  1st time I did it was 40+ years ago when I was young and lacked patience and forethought.  I neglected to smooth out the holes that were punched in the bars for the wires.  Chewed the wires up and took all day.  When I restored my bike a couple of years ago I remembered how big a pain it was to wire up the bars and what it did to the wires.  I have a lot more patience now and took the time to bevel the inside edge of the stamped holes.  That hour of using a Dremmel made all the difference.  That and using a vacuum to suck the pull string through the bars.  This time it took 15 min a side with no damage to the wires. 

-P.

[PeWe]

I added extra braided protection around the wires where they enter and exit the sharp edged holes in the bar.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5mm-25mm-Sleeving-Black-Self-Closing-Cable-Sock-Wrap-Braided-Cabling-Full-Size-/152344544377?var=&hash=item6923cdb048

Really good since it can be added afterwards on harnesses and wires in need

[Scott S]

 I tape the loose bullet connectors together with painters tape. Make it into a point, of sorts. Never really gives me much trouble. It helps to have a second set of hands to pull on the taped end once they exit the bars while you feed it in.

[sparks1]

Having been an electrician for 30 years gave me an advantage.  I am used to pulling wires through conduit, though our fill rate ( by code) is less than this. Still, some wire lube worked wonders!

[PeWe]

I tape the loose bullet connectors together with painters tape. Make it into a point, of sorts. Never really gives me much trouble. It helps to have a second set of hands to pull on the taped end once they exit the bars while you feed it in.

+7
That's the way doing it. I forgot to mention that.

[Kelly E]

Tape is messy so I use some heat shrink on the end of the wires. I leave it 1/4" long so it shrinks to a point.

[ekpent]

 Little dish soap/soapy water with the taped wires and an extra pull wire mixed in the tape 

[Don R]

 Sparks and Kelley get it. The first time, I hated it but have since refined my technique. I use a pull wire, lube, tape, shrink tube and smooth the edge of the insert hole first. Cut off the old hard covering and install new replacement tube or shrink covering. It ain't so bad. For the wire lube, I like silicone spray better than soap. I also use it for mounting tires, my opinion is soap and water would cause more corrosion than the spray. Wire lube is designed for the job.

[cjespersen]

I pulled my wires through the Clubman style handlebars with the 90 degree bend in the middle. It took me about 3 hours to get them through using string and gorilla tape. Lots of pushing and pulling.

[Johnie]

All excellent tips. Or you can do what the PO did on this K1 I am currently working on...just splice the wires and leave them on the outside...give me a break!!! 

[ekpent]

  The last set of wires I pulled I used window cleaner/Windex for a lube. Pretty slippery when wet and evaporates out pretty quickly. Think Sean was my 'extra' set of hands for that one-- Thanks Sean !

[Tracksnblades1]

Ideal......markets (Lowes) wire pulling lubricant to the electrical industry. They have a newer clear lubricant that makes for an easier pull. Electricians have used this stuff for years,for pulling maximum number of wires allowed in a single conduit.

[jakec]

tape a something semi-rigid to the end of the wires and send it through first. I make a "string" out of duct tape and send that through, and then push/pull the wires through. it only takes me a couple minutes.