Spiral Handle Controls

[Ohio-Rider]

Went out today to give my new 45WL a good look over to get an idea of what it's going to take to get it going down the road. Previous owner said it ran fine when he put it away 12yrs ago.

The first thing I need to address is to get the Timer and Throotle controls working smoothly. I really have to fight with them but they do move. I tried forcing WD thru the end of grips and it did help some but I'm thinking I need to take them apart for a good cleaning. I haven't ordered a book for this thing yet and was wondering how much hassle these things are to take apart? The flat-screw driver bolt visable at end of the grips is in very poor condition and doesn't want to come loose. The bolts look like I'm not the first one to try to move them. The slots are almost gone from rust and someone using the wrong size screw-driver.

How smooth are these controls made to be? Maybe I can just keep shooting the WD in there and see if it works it way down in there. Any suggestions? -Steve

[Limey_Dave]

There is a large screwdriver tool with a curved end to the tip in 1/2" + 3/4" drive,listed by Snapon.If there's enough left you can get a big breaker bar on it.

[Rub]

You really do need to take them apart to lube. They should work very freely with virtually no tight spots or resistance. The large screwdriver socket works well but I find it best on the end of a hand impact driver. Screws are normal right hand thread. The sleeve and spiral should be greased with a light type grease like moly lube. Heavy stuff gets too stiff in the cold. The control wire itself needs to be oiled or greased as well. It can be an all day proposition to do right. Good luck! Robbie

[Ohio-Rider]

Thanks guys. The throttle side went nice and smooth but I discovered that the "outer casing" of cable on the timer side is broken off up inside the handlebar.

It appears it needs to be removed by extracting it thru the barrel hole in bars? What tool do you use to reach in there to get a hold of it so I can pull it out. I'm thinking of tacking a sheet metal screw to a piece of bar and then treading it into the exsisting small hole from where the cable went thru and giving it a yank.
Or maybe shoving a lenght of coat hanger up at it from the oppisite end.
Any other thoughts? -Steve

[Paps]

If rust is holding it, you might try soaking it in CLR for a few hours [at all hardware stores and department stores]. CLR is the product name and it stands for calcium, lime, and rust remover. The only down fall to its' use is it discolors the surface but it breaks up mineral / rust and dets parts free. Paps

[Ohio-Rider]

The handlebars are still on bike and by the looks of the wiring I don't think I want to remove them at this point for fear of just making a bigger job of this. The bars where packed with a very heavy grease inside and once I removed all that crap the they gluide smooth as butter.

I'm going to order the "outer-casing" OEM#56502-32 from NOS tonight. In the mean time I'll try the CLR to clean it up in there somemore then maybe the old-casing-clip will jiggle out. Where they a tight fit in there ? Or should it just pull out?

My plan with this thing is to get it into a start-able condition. Flush tanks and tranny,check wheel bearings,check brakes,get controls working smoothly....ect. Then see if it runs as previous owner stated.

[Erdos]

Ohio Rider, I have a 47 wl that I restored. I live west of cleveland. If you need any help or special tools let me know.

[Ohio-Rider]

Thanks for the offer Erdos. This my first WL so I'll be hanging around here abit. Oh.. I'm east of cleveland in the Warren area of trumbull county. -Steve

[servicardenise]

You Lake Erie guys are so helpful. I was going to suggest spraying Aerokroil on it first. CLR is highly corrosive and where it will sit will may weaken the bars. Sort of like the plumbing and drano. I have done this job on my trike. It requires some time and lots of wiggling. I would start with the least invasive method first because you can't reverse the process with other methods. That is my Lake Erie chapter take on it.

[Paps]

Columbiana County, just south of Warren and Youngstown. . CLR is corrosive to the surface but if you wipe the surface down with oil afterwards it stops the corrosion from continuing. The discoloration it makes to the surface looks kind of like early parkerizing or dull gun bluing. Gun bluing, by the way, is a form of rusting. Paps

[Tommo]

I hate to state the obvious but I hope you have removed the very small screw that locates the bush, that's sweated to the end of the coil, and stops it moving backwards and forwards when the twist grips are operated.
Tommo

[Ohio-Rider]

Tommo- Please do keep stating the obvious. I'd completely forgot about that screw. No harm done thu cause I didn't get to work on it last night. I'll locate that screw tonight and remove it before going any further. Thanks again everyone.

Hey Paps- I got my 56pan from a guy in Salem a few years back. I get down that way quite often. Kind of like Larry Zonka's bar. Did you do the Fred Perry benifit last year? We'll have to get together next spring and see what kind of trouble we can get into. -Steve

[Paps]

Thumbs up Tommo ! I completely forgot about that screw !

Salem ? Zonkas' ? Yeah Bro ! I know them both. Quaker City Drag Strip, The little ole swapmeet every April on SR 45, The poker runs out at Gilford Lake, and a few dozen more bike events to say the least in the Salem area. I don't get to bar hop to often now a days. Maybe it is a good thing I don't ! About the only beer drinking out I get anymore is when I browse the swapmeet at Yankee Lake. Old Iron is still around in the Salem area. Sure, there are thousands of newer rides, (maining HD), but there is also vintage Iron all over as well. You know the Hotrod Supernats which were held in Canfield every year ? They were held in Salem this past summer and Salem is to host them again this year as far as I know. We'll have to catch up with one another this summer and down a few ! Paps

[Ohio-Rider]

Small world eh Paps?
Now I can ride around your neigbor hood and not have to worry about breaking down cause now I know a local with a trailer. LOL.
-Steve

[Paps]

Yep........a trailer I have also.