mr.cycleplane
Riding my Motorbike
This is a long over due tutorial! I have been procrastinating, doing it because it isn't easy and not my favorite task. Although I am listing the tutorial in the 'All things Schwinn' section this could apply to other makes of prewar bikes needing the same look. 'Looks'.... that kinda sums it up because you can run wires and make your horn work but most of the time will look like heck. What this tutorial is about is in the realm of dealer prep. As was in the 1930's and still today-the success of the bike shop depended on how much dealer prep the owner was willing to commit before the sale of a bike. Most just pull the bike out of the box as it came from the factory-bolt the seat-bars-pedals-air up the tires and out to the sales floor it goes! An old time Schwinn dealer in the heart of Los Angeles once explained to me the success of his shop was in the dealer prep. There were hundreds of Schwinn dealers at that time in this area but they came and went. Some survived. When he got in a bike from the factory-out of the box it came and it was completely dismantled and rebuilt-regreased-adjusted-test ride-any corrections were done at this time. What started our conversation was that I had done a few things to my motorbikes I displayed that the others had not. One of those things was taking the extra effort to run the wiring for the handlebar button thru the handlebar itself. This fell under the guise of dealer prep! Others had merely wrapped the wires from the horn button around the handlebar(outside) or along the handlebar brace. This has such an amateur look to it. But I completely understand the why it was hardly done and if you attempt to do it-you'll agree-its a pain. In over 40 years of collecting prewar Schwinn motorbikes-close to a couple hundred-I have only encountered maybe 3 or 4 still wired in the fashion I am about to talk you thru. I tell myself I will do this project in the winter when things are slow and do one a day. I don't even make it to one a year. Anyway-what this tutorial will be is a very generic way to get the wire thru the bars. As far as what you use to power the horn-what kind of horn that sort of thing won't be discussed. This is just to get you thru the trauma of running the wire thru the handlebar and then from there you can hook up to your special horn etc.
You will need just a few basic items. You will need basic tools. It will help if you have a basic knowledge of electric wiring skills. As always work safely wear safety glasses etc.
In a nutshell-you are drilling two holes in the handlebar to run a couple wires thru. One hole near the grip and another near the handlebar stem. Near the handle bar stem is one hole on the bottom-usually within 1". The one at the grip depends on how much room you have or how well you want to hide the wires. I have seen the wires go into a hole on top and underneath. Some under the button itself(my favorite!). Again-basic electric skills as to exposed wires and causing shorts needed throughout this assembly.
Start off by marking the two spots intended for drilling holes-holes to be no larger than 3/16". At this point-why hole size? well one of the items to be used is the very correct wire. using wire from an old lamp or automobile doesn't cut it. Too thick of wire will drain your battery or act as a resistor and interrupt electrical flow. There is one source and you are in luck-fellow C.A.B.E. member @whizzer1-John Koehnke has the correct wire from an old bike dealer-see him for price and availability! You will need several bundles-each comes with a long and a short wire-you will need 2 long ones for most handlebars-buy several bundles. It is ok to splice wires-but make sure to cover raw wires.
After drilling the holes-clean up the openings with a file as pulling the wires thru- it is possible to strip or damage the casing-exposing a raw wire. At this point it would be a good idea to test your components to make sure they work-fully charges battery-nice clean blem free wires-and a decent shape horn button. I have found that the horn button itself is the main culprit on testing fails. Rusty horns or those out of adjustment another area requiring basic electrical knowhow!
Next step is feeding a thin-yet stiff wire thru the bars so as to have a short length sticking from both ends. At this point the wires are going to be pulled thru the bars from the stem end. This is in case there is any damage to the casing it will be inside the bars. Don't rush in pulling the wires thru the bars certainly not be in a rush when pulling the two wires thru the hole. Work slowly. Once the wires are thru the bars and pop out near the grip end you will need to gently pull thru just enough to work the pigtails for the button screws. Work neatly-you can do it! Attach the wires to the button-and put the button on the bars!
Study the pictures-in your mind you must have a general concept of the task at hand. My pictures are in somewhat order to help you along the way. The good thing about this tutorial was I got one more bike wired up! Good luck!
You will need just a few basic items. You will need basic tools. It will help if you have a basic knowledge of electric wiring skills. As always work safely wear safety glasses etc.
In a nutshell-you are drilling two holes in the handlebar to run a couple wires thru. One hole near the grip and another near the handlebar stem. Near the handle bar stem is one hole on the bottom-usually within 1". The one at the grip depends on how much room you have or how well you want to hide the wires. I have seen the wires go into a hole on top and underneath. Some under the button itself(my favorite!). Again-basic electric skills as to exposed wires and causing shorts needed throughout this assembly.
Start off by marking the two spots intended for drilling holes-holes to be no larger than 3/16". At this point-why hole size? well one of the items to be used is the very correct wire. using wire from an old lamp or automobile doesn't cut it. Too thick of wire will drain your battery or act as a resistor and interrupt electrical flow. There is one source and you are in luck-fellow C.A.B.E. member @whizzer1-John Koehnke has the correct wire from an old bike dealer-see him for price and availability! You will need several bundles-each comes with a long and a short wire-you will need 2 long ones for most handlebars-buy several bundles. It is ok to splice wires-but make sure to cover raw wires.
After drilling the holes-clean up the openings with a file as pulling the wires thru- it is possible to strip or damage the casing-exposing a raw wire. At this point it would be a good idea to test your components to make sure they work-fully charges battery-nice clean blem free wires-and a decent shape horn button. I have found that the horn button itself is the main culprit on testing fails. Rusty horns or those out of adjustment another area requiring basic electrical knowhow!
Next step is feeding a thin-yet stiff wire thru the bars so as to have a short length sticking from both ends. At this point the wires are going to be pulled thru the bars from the stem end. This is in case there is any damage to the casing it will be inside the bars. Don't rush in pulling the wires thru the bars certainly not be in a rush when pulling the two wires thru the hole. Work slowly. Once the wires are thru the bars and pop out near the grip end you will need to gently pull thru just enough to work the pigtails for the button screws. Work neatly-you can do it! Attach the wires to the button-and put the button on the bars!
Study the pictures-in your mind you must have a general concept of the task at hand. My pictures are in somewhat order to help you along the way. The good thing about this tutorial was I got one more bike wired up! Good luck!
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