We made more progress this week on the handlebars. First we put them onto the top of the triple tree to make sure they were positioned comfortably. Then we attached the grips to see where we would need to drill holes.
There are two types of holes that have to be drilled. The first is a set of holes which allow the electrical wires to travel from the hand controls along the length of the handlebar to the top of the triple tree. Secondly, we also needed to drill a hole for a small post which is housed inside the cylinder holding the hand controls. That small post keeps the hand controls from spinning around the handlebar after they are mounted.
The positions for the holes are marked first with a Sharpie, then with a pointed instrument which makes a small dent in the chrome. That small dent makes it much easier to drill into the smooth round handlebars without the bit slipping.
After we marked the handlebars we went to the drill press to make sure the holes were drilled perfectly perpendicular and in exactly the correct place. We first used a small bit to create a guide hole for the larger bit. Then the larger bit created a hole large enough to run the wires.
We also have to drill holes towards the interior of the handle bars which will allow the wires to exit the handle bars and go into the triple tree. These holes could not be drilled with the drill press so we had to carefully clamp them into the vice and use a hand-held drill.
We carefully used a file to remove any metal shavings from the holes but we still need to use a Dremel tool to make the holes more ovular. Unfortunately I ran out of time and that will have to wait until my next chance to work on the bike.
