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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Memphis Shades Fairing with Jardine Lightbar on a 1500 Vulcan

This is another one those projects that "shouldn't" fit together, but bolt on parts generally don't bolt on easily any way.

Here's our starting point 1500 Vulcan Classic with a Memphis Shades quick release fairing. The turnsignals aren't stock, but basically in the stock location.


First the fairing needs to come off.


Then this extra french style headlight nacelle.


Now the headlight.



Two long bolts go through the headlight bucket mounts, the fairing hardware, and bottom tree and its chrome cover.


The headbucket should come free except we had run a spotlight bar previously and this relay needs to be unbolted to get the bucket out of the way.


These top bolts are the last thing holding the fairing hardware


To get the turnsignals off, the covers between the top and bottom tree have to come off. That means the top tree has to come off. So the top nut comes off.


The top pinch bolts get loosened. Put a blanket on the tank and rest the bars and top tree there.


One tiny bolt holds the cover in place.


Now the turnsignals can come off. I do not recall if you can pull the stock rubber booted turnsignals out of the cover without removing the tube cover.


Time to test fit the spotlight bar. And the lowers were in the way.


So we pulled the plastic off the lowers for now. We'll either need shorter bolt to dump the mounts or make plastics to a new shape that will fit with the turnsignals of the lightbar.


I missed a few pictures in here, but We were able to swap the monstrous turnsignals from the lightbar for the smaller duece style lights that we had been running.

We also discovered that someone had tried to wire this thing up before and we had to undo all that mess.




Again I missed a few pictures here, but you have raise the bike on jack to get the top tree back on and adjust the tubes.

With the top tree back it's time to run the bolts into through everything, but the headlight bucket. Keep in mind that the fairing hardware is raised about and 1/8 to 1/4 inch from being on top of the spotlight mount. So the top bolts of the fairing don't fit yet.


Pop the fairing on and check clearances. Everything looks fine, however I would not attempt to run full size windshield with this lightbar. The Cobra lightbar can be made to work with a windshield, but the lights on this Jardine are way too far back.



Off with the fairing and back getting the top bolts of the hardware together. The top of the hardware doesn't fit in under the top tree like it should.


Die grind it until it fits. (Use gloves, ear plugs, safety glasses.)


A couple check fits and more grinding and you'll get there.


This hole doesn't line up either so more grinding.


Perfect fit!! Do the other side and you're good to go.


I didn't get all the details of the fun with solder, but basically I had to wire it from scratch other than the relay and the leads from the accesorry circuit already run from under the tank into the headlight bucket.


Do a quick function of the turnsignals and lightbar, then come up with headlight.


Pop on the fairing and go ride. The project is straight forward, but it took embarrassingly too long to complete.


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