After being neglected for far too long, we decided it was time to get back to working on one of our project bikes, a '96 Softail Springer. Recently we picked up a set of Biltwell Inc. Keystone bars and some new Springer style risers from Joker Machine. The 5-inch tall z-style bars combined with the 2-inch risers gave the bike a sleeker and meaner look, but when we installed the stock hand controls, the aggressive look we were heading towards was pretty much lost. The stock housings were too bulky and the wiring leads running on the outside of the bars added unwanted clutter to the front of bike. So we sought out to find a set of hand controls that would better accentuate the look we were after, and run the wiring inside the handlebars for a cleaner look.
We found what we were looking for with a set of Performance Machine (PM) Contour Hand Controls. The controls are CNC machined from billet aluminum and feature streamlined master cylinders with hard anodized bores to eliminate wear, and the switch housings have high-quality mini buttons for that less-is-more look and feel. PM offers the controls in polished, chrome, and black anodize, and a new contrast cut finish to match the rest of its contrast cut line. The switches are available in either single button or three button housings. The three-button setup is for direct stock replacement with right turn, start and kill on the throttle side and left turn, horn and high/low beam on the clutch side. The single button setup would be for more custom applications if you were going to just run a starter and high beam for example. The controls are also offered with 9/16 master cylinders for single disc or 11/16 for dual disc applications, and a hydraulic clutch assembly is also available.
1. Our chrome Contour setup...
1. Our chrome Contour setup ($1,189.75) came with; starting on the left side: a spacer to fit between the grip and switch housing, left switch housing, and clutch lever. On the right side is the throttle housing, right side switch assembly, and front brake lever with master cylinder. The switch housings come with 36-inch wire leads and PM also includes a very comprehensive instruction sheet as well as a color-coded wiring chart.
2. This project bike had...
2. This project bike had been in a mid-teardown state for quite some time. The stock hand controls and handlebars were already off the bike when we started. Several months back upon disassembly, we had made sure to write down the position of all the stock wiring leads into the connectors for both the left and right side and kept the chart in a safe place-just in case.
3. We disassembled the PM...
3. We disassembled the PM switch housings so we could use the wiring hole in the top half of the switch housing to indicate where to drill to run the wires internally. There's a channel on the inside of the housings to help keep the wires from getting pinched once installed (arrows).
4. To get started, we fit...
4. To get started, we fit the controls onto the bars and set them in a comfortable riding position so that we could mark where to drill. Once we were set on a position, we marked the location with a pen. To help protect the black finish on the bars from getting too scuffed and scratched we wrapped them with some blue painter's tape.
5. The Biltwell bars weren't...
5. The Biltwell bars weren't center drilled for internal wiring, so we measured out the center of the bars while they were still sitting in the risers. Then we removed the bars and hand controls and used a punch to detent the bars and help keep the drill tip in place.
6. Next, we used a stepped...
6. Next, we used a stepped drill bit to open the center hole to 1/2 inch so that both the left and right switch leads would easily fit through.