Cheap Sportster Forward Controls
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I picked up a cheap set of forward controls on ebay for my project. It was listed as fitting something like 58 to 74 sportsters. The photo did not show that the brake side uses a cable to operate.
After looking the set over, I came to an early conclusion that this set sucks and will not work. After browsing the net (I do most of my shopping on the net, due to time, and remote location) I saw a set for about $300 that looked just like this cheap set ($139) but utilized a rod and a part that clamps on where the existing brake pedal clamps to the "through the frame" rod. I figure "OK, I can make that. Maybe these will work." I quickly installed the set on my frame to check for fit and look. I sat on the bike, and damned if I couldn't reach the darned things with my 32 inch inseam. I'm not the tallest guy in the world (5' 10") but I'm not the shortest, and there is no way I'm going to be riding with these things. My knees would be locked out straight, with just my toes on the pegs.
Now I'm looking at cutting down the arm that the peg mounts on, and cutting back the brake and shift lever arms, and either painting it all or rechroming. I was almost ready to toss them out, when I gave it a second look, and said "Ya know, paint might not look so bad, and cutting them and painting them would give them a custom look..." So I begin to map out my cuts, when I observe that these things are assembled in several pieces. There is the part that mounts to the frame, with a tube welded onto it, and then a plate welded to that, which every thing else mounts on. If I take this all apart, flip that mount upside down, and then bolt the rest of the assembly back onto it, it will bring it in almost 4 inches, and down an inch or two. Might be perfect. So I do this, and low and behold, it fits me like a glove! But will the engine fit into this mess? Hmmmmmmm... I bolt my case halves together toss on the cam and primary covers, and throw a couple of bolts into the rear mount and I'm ready to try it out. First problem I find is that my swing arm bolt is in backwards. The hex head of the bolt is keeping the engine from fitting fully into the frame. OOPS. :) Second thing I notice is that the shifter mounting bracket may rub the case and/or the cam cover, just under the generator. If it does, it will be just by a smidge. I think I can grind a bit of the bracket, mask it off good, and hit it with some imitation chrome paint, and you'll never see it. The paint is just to keep it from rusting. I quit for the night and will pick up again tomorrow maybe. I have to take the ass end apart to fix the backwards bolt thing, and then try laying the engine in again. This set of controls also needs better pegs. The pegs that come with it suck, big time. Cheap Taiwanese shit. Must be a V-Twin item. I will try and get some photos of this whole process to add to this page. Jim Update - 5/27/02 Fit the cases into the frame tonight. Just as I suspected, I had to grind the shift (right) side mounting bracket about an 1/8" to obtain enough clearance between it and the cam cover, right below the generator. I also held a drag pipe in it's approximate location, and there is plenty of clearance for that as well. So one of the two problems are solved. The controls are close enough to reach.
Now the biggie, eliminating the cable in favor of some type of rod for the brake. Until tonight, I was unsure of how the primary cover would effect things. Well, it is smack dead in the way, if one were to try and use the brake pedal as it is. A rod would have to be fashioned that would come out away from the bike about 2 to 3 inches, make a 90 degree bend and run clear across the face of the primary, turn back toward the bike another 90 degress, and then attach to some kind of bracket made to fit the brake rod. In order to retain enough pedal travel, it could be no greater thickness than 1/4 inch to 5/16 inch in diameter, lest the control mounting bracket interfere. I'm not sure if a stainless rod would be able to handle the forces required to operate the brake, and not tend to straighten out those bends. I have to confer with my metal guru tomorrow. There are other options, such as going below the primary, but they require welding, and either painting the pedal, or rechroming it. I hope this will be of interest to someone someday. I figured the process would be nice to have in the archives, just in case someone else needs to do this. In my travels on ebay, I noticed the same seller selling the same set, and the bidding has run all the way up to $170 so there are more suckers out there like me. :) Jim Update - 5/27/02 A fresh look at the project this morning revealed that a rod running across the face of the primary is a distinct possibility. It only has to offset about 1.25 inches, and can be done with 30 degree bends I think. I called my metal guru and he seems to think that 5/16 stainless rod would hold up, and that heating the rod to make the bends should harden the bends a bit making them even stronger.
A mirror polishing and some heim (sp?) joints on each end will finish it off nicely. The shift side is going to require some reworking of the rod as well. Since the controls have been moved rearward, the rod that comes with the kit is now too long. (Proof that the jerks that make the set intended it to be for 7' tall giants only) I'm leaning toward another stainless rod and heim joints to match the brake side. On a budget, the stock rod could be cut and threaded, and would probably work fine. However, since it is a chrome rod, you would not want any of the thread on the end that you cut to show outside the spherical joint supplied with the kit, because it will rust, I'm sure. Well, the engine cases come back off tonight to be sent out for machining this week, so the rest of this project will be on hold til the engine is done and installed. I'll be picking up where I left off when that's finished. Jim |
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