Throttle Cable Replacement Part 1

I have had the 79's front tire remounted and it holds air like a champ. Sometime I'll post the rest of that story but for now the throttle cable. (or as my wife Rachel calls it, The Starter Wire.)

We had pretty descent weather last Saturday considering that it was still January and I decided that my goal for that day would be to take the 79 for a ride. Anyone who has worked on a Goldwing can attest that a task like changing a throttle cable is never as simple as it sounds. The first hurdle that I ran into was that one of the screw heads on the bottom of the throttle assembly had been stripped out from someone previously. I quickly found out that my EXTREMELY cheap drill bits were no match for the hardened screw. So I make a trip to my tool man, Dad. After getting some good bits I was easily able to back out the old screw with an easy out.

Throttle assemble now disassembled, I start to remove the cable. However I find that the air intake is clearly in the way. Removing the air filter couldn't be a simpler task but the entire intake housing was somewhat daunting. There is a small fuse box in between the frame and the intake that is placed just right to be perfectly in the way of removing the intake. The second challenge of removing it is the breather tubes that come out of it. It is virtually impossible to remove them from the housing while on the bike. So I disconnected them from the bike, one from the engine casing and the other from the condensation drain that I actually removed and drained.

 

Yes that is a Harley Davidson hat. So what?

Now I am almost positive that the bike frame was built around the intake because it is really a process to remove it from the bike. Especially with the fuse box where it is. But alas the intake is out and the cable can now be unbolted from the throttle body.