Handlebars removed

So, first on my list was the handle bar assembly, mainly because they were taking up too much space in the shed for me to move around the bike easily, and the fact that they were staring me straight in the face, its a good a place to start as any right!?

By removing the headlamp (and bagging it up) I was able to see what I was up against, apart from the various wire connections to the light and horn, I was able to see the cable linkages for the gears, clutch, brakes and speedo.  A few simple swipes of a ratchet and the linkages were off and cables disconnected, and now for the grip assemblies.

These caused me a few problems, mainly because I was unsure as to how they were held in place, although I could slide them out of the main handle bar unit, they would not extract all the way.  Further investigation found that it was the cables running along the shaft of the bars were stopping them from being extracted fully, so by removing the levers, I was able to draw the cable through the hole in the grip bars and into the main unit, allowing the left (gear change and clutch) grip to be removed.

The right grip (brake and light switch unit) was a little more complicated, as the lighting unit had to be dismantled and the wires as well as the cable withdrawn before removing the grip bar.  This was done with ease, however a question still remains:

Can the aluminium switch console be removed?

“Can you remove the aluminium housing for the light switch unit which is pressed into the main headlight / handlebar body?”

If anyone can answer this, please let me know – is it machine pressed in!?

So with all cables and linkages disconnected (including speedo), I was able to remove the headlight body, undoing the large nut and bolt underneath, revealing the steering column top, bearings and nut.

Another question out there for anyone who feels they can answer it:

“The large nut and bolt which attaches the headlamp / handlebar unit seems to have a tab broken off, it appears that there was once something here which acts as a washer, but is more substantial – any ideas?”

With all the handlebar, lights and switches now removed, it was onto the next task of the steering column, one which I would be scratching my head about…