Shortening Cables

Been finishing up a bunch of little things on the bike the last few weeks. One of the things on the list was to shorten the throttle and clutch cables about 6". Thanks to my buddies at chopcult.com, I learned how to do this myself and save some money.

It started by making some ferrules out of aluminum. The ferrule is the end piece that caps and protects the cable sheath. The ferrules were epoxied to the ends to hold them in place.

Next I machined a handful of new cable ends that would attach the cable to the handlebars, carburetor, clutch, etc. These were made from soft copper to protect whatever mechanism they would be moving.

Finally, the cable was pulled through the copper cable ends and soldered into place. The picture below  shows the ferrule and cable end ready for use!

Bobber First Start and Ride

Last night the bobber ran for the first time in 2.5 years. Was very impressed at how easily it fired right up. I also took it down the street to make sure everything was in order...rode great. I've got a few things to touch up, then I'll break it down for final welding and paint.

My wife was there for the whole thing and took some great video. It's dark, but you get the idea.