Removing hand controls on 850 mk3

Ok, I got the wheels and brake discs off; it really does take Whitworth, SAE and metric tools to do it. Now I need to get the controls off the handlebars. The clutch side will just be the usual PITA but the hydraulics on the right side are vexing me. Do I have to basically skeletonize the instruments and ignition key area to get at all the hydraulic hoses or is there a trick here?

powerdoc said:

Now I need to get the controls off the handlebars. The clutch side will just be the usual PITA

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Hardly a PITA job? Once the four screws have been removed from the L/H switch cluster then both upper and lower parts (lower complete with the clutch lever bracket) should easily separate from the handlebar.

powerdoc said:

but the hydraulics on the right side are vexing me. Do I have to basically skeletonize the instruments and ignition key area to get at all the hydraulic hoses or is there a trick here?

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Remove the two retaining bolts that fix the warning light/Ign. Sw. console to the upper yoke and pull the console forward slightly as that will free the 06-6241 upper brake hose mounting bracket.
Disconnect the lower end of the rigid pipe where it connects to the fitting above the lower yoke (taking care not to spill brake fluid) disconnect the brake light wires from the switch and remove the master cylinder retaining screws so that the master cylinder, upper hose, bracket and the rigid pipe can be removed and the R/H switch cluster can then be removed the same way as the left (remove 3 screws).

The brake handle itself I had no prob with, but when I started to disconnect the brake lines that's when I balked. A lot of talk on various boards talks about braided brake lines, do these have to be made up custom or does someone sell them as a pattern part?

powerdoc said:

The brake handle itself I had no prob with, but when I started to disconnect the brake lines that's when I balked. A lot of talk on various boards talks about braided brake lines, do these have to be made up custom or does someone sell them as a pattern part?

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Both.

Hello there Powerdoc,
should you be exchanging the controls, M/C and electrical thumb switches for modern versions, I am in the market for the used ones.
Please let me know via this post or pm. Thanks.
All the best.

I only thought Italians had the smallest hands on the planet, it must be Brit m/c assemblers!. Hardly a PITA?...you have to loosen the blinkers and the lamp shell and then those 2 bolts are not really easily removable after being rusted on for 36 years! I guess if I'd done this before I'd have removed the wires from the switch and not the wires inside the head light shell but I'm going to replate the shell so they had to come out anyway.

powerdoc said:

I only thought Italians had the smallest hands on the planet, it must be Brit m/c assemblers!. Hardly a PITA?...you have to loosen the blinkers and the lamp shell and then those 2 bolts are not really easily removable after being rusted on for 36 years! I guess if I'd done this before I'd have removed the wires from the switch and not the wires inside the head light shell but I'm going to replate the shell so they had to come out anyway.

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I suggest you replace the old rusted hex head console bolts with cap head (Allen) screws? A ball ended Allen key/wrench can then be used to unscrew or refit them without the need to remove any other parts.

That is a good idea. Some years ago I was at a trade show where for one reason or another a Moto Guzzi bike was on display (not a cycle show at all, a medical one) and I was stunned by the quality of the assembly. Most of the external fixings were hex wrench cap screws and every rubber hose was stainless on the outside. I was thinking about the Commando while I looked at this bike, which had more in common with the space shuttle than a m/c as far as assembly quality, and while I LOVE the look of the Norton, it's pretty obvious that the assembly has a LOT to be desired. As I'm taking my bike apart, I'm finding some screws without washers, etc etc etc. The project continues.


BTW, is there any consensus for a stainless fastener supplier?