Ride in Peace - Sonny Dukes

RIP Sonny Dukes. He did a lot of photography for Easy Riders back in the day. Always cool to me, always encouraging to me about my blogging and my hack photography.

Carb Mock-up and Throttle Cable Routing

Alright, let's figure out the carb and see if these throttle cables will work on this frontend set-up.

The intake is still sealed up from Jeff at Longbow Customs way back in December. All that has to go.


I have to take all this carb stuff out and apart to get at it.


A quick note, because I always forget, the main jet is 74.


On the hydraulic front end I was running, the cables went out, around, and through the trees to the left of the steering head. That's not really working this time.


I added this guide to the bars and it may or may not stay.


Running them on this side is getting closer to run-able.


Okay this might just work.


Final (temporary maybe?) routing, the throttle cables split over the brake line near the grip, go through the trees on the right, split around the brake again, split over the rockerbox oil line. Everything seems to work and clear all moving parts.

Front Brake Line for the Crossbones Springer with 16 ape hangers

I have already measured the extra length I need to be 6 inches longer than the hose I had. Which is odd because the stock Crossbones bars are supposed to be 12 inches and I am running 16's.


Let's get the rest of the DOT 4 out before I make another mess.


Take the banjo bolt loose to get the hose off.


Cover everything until I can get the proper hose built.



This is where my plans wrecked out again. I was planning to have a hose built locally, like before. Then, I made this discovery. The front brake line has this very specific section of hard line to route it from behind the trees and to the left of the front wheel. You have to have this section to do it correctly. A universal line won't work. Like hiding wires, just another place where a Springer is different than a hydraulic front end.


Luckily, with some internet searching, I found the part number for the 6 over line and found it available on clearance at Dennis Kirk. It was only $28 to my door. I doubt a locally made one could be had much cheaper.


I did buy fresh washer seals for the banjo bolts locally only to find the hose came with them. There were two big and two smaller ones. I used the small ones at the master cylinder and the large ones on the caliper.


Route it through.


Fit it up to the master cylinder. (I need to clean off the yucky clearcoat and put on fresh, but I want to make sure it works out first.)


The proper parts mean a good proper fit. Right in the guide and around the corner twice.


Right to the caliper.


All put together.


Torque the top banjo bolt to spec.


Wow. I never thought this would be an issue. I don't have a double hex socket in this size. I am really anal about torque in an aluminum hole and making sure it seals. Luckily my neighbor had the proper socket so that I didn't have to run to the store to get one. So that got torqued properly.


So I bleed the brake line and of course made a mess on the floor. The brake seems to function, but the lever has a ton of travel. The stock bore Harley MC is 9/16 bore = 0.563. My original plan was a 13mm Kawasaki MC = 0.512. I actually had a 1/2 in Kawasaki MC on had = .500. I will see how it goes. The bigger the MC bore the shorter the stroke needed.

I think the wiring is finished

The voltmeter is hooked up now.


This coil is wired correctly, but messy.


Much better.


The headlight feed is now hooked up.


Regulator needs hooked up.


This is a NOS Dixie regulator to go with my NOS stator.








I got Junior to help me. Just for a minute or two.


The regulator positive wire is a bit long.


Shortened with a new eye.


All wires done. Time to zip tie it all down.


Hopefully all of it works okay.