I'm going to move my coil from under the gas tank to the left side in front of the battery. It's a real bitch to get at it with the sport bob tank. I just finished making a bracket that will get welded to the front side of the battery tray tomorrow.

Top View:
The two large holes on the plate that will be up against the battery are just for passing the bolts heads through.
http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/medium/coil_bracket_04.jpg

Outside View:
The angles are cut to match the angles in the '03 and earlier battery tray. I'm going to butt weld this plate to the battery tray, or maybe overlap it a bit we'll see what my mood is tomorrow.
http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/medium/coil_bracket_03.jpg

Bottom View:
The coil attached to the bracket.
http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/medium/coil_bracket_01.jpg

Battery View:
The left in this pic is the bottom. The long edge along the coil will be vertical right along the front outer corner of the battery.
http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/medium/coil_bracket_02.jpg

More pics to come later...

Gazza

Looks good. I wish I had the skills to make stuff like brackets.

Looking real good gary. Somewhere here on the forum vert316 did one close to yours and it came out nice. I think he also move his ignition under the barrery box too. Yeah when you do that it cleans up the top of the front cylinder real nice, almost looks like the frame been stretched a tad. More so if you raise the front of the gas tank too.

Looks good. I wish I had the skills to make stuff like brackets.LOL... So do I :D
Don't tell anyone I don't know what the heck I'm doing... just plodding along seeing what happens.

Looking real good gary. Somewhere here on the forum vert316 did one close to yours and it came out nice. I think he also move his ignition under the barrery box too. Yeah when you do that it cleans up the top of the front cylinder real nice, almost looks like the frame been stretched a tad. More so if you rise the front of the gas tank too.Yea I liked the way vert316's came out. Since he didn't get a chance to take any close up pics for the forum I figured I'd post mine as I went along.

I'm going to move the ignition switch also... I almost forgot about that. I better put making a bracket for that on the top of my list for the morning.

I need to raise the front of my tank. The sport bob I bought last summer is so big and hangs so low you can't really see the top of the engine. The coil was burried way up under the tank tunnel. I think it just got real warm up there. And I have to remove the tank to get to the coil to do something silly like change the plug wires or clean the contacts.

When I bought the tank I bought an extra mounting kit by accident. I think that is going to work out good though. The front of the tank takes a special mounting bracket. I'm going to cut the tabs off the second mount bracket and slide them up as far as I can and reweld them.

Gary

Gray raising the front of your tank should go pretty good. On the newer models like mine when you raise the front of the tank the back comes up too and that's not good. I'am gonna have to do some extra mods to get the back of my tank down. But like i said yours should go real smooth because i talked to vert316 and he said the earlyer models don't come up in the back of the tank.

The bracket is attached to the battery tray. A little more cleanup and ready for some new paint. I added another bracket for the ignition switch, but I don't have a large enough drill bit. That's okay for now, I'm not readdy to move the wiring this weekend anyway. I'll have to hit the hardware store and get one of those OCC style (stepped) bits this week.

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/medium/coil_bracket_05.jpg

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/medium/coil_bracket_07.jpg

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/medium/coil_bracket_06.jpg

Gazza

Coming along nicely. Really appreciate the step by step pics.

Good job Gazza. Looking forward to the next installment.

great work, I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

I love unique mods like these! Very cool!

I think moving the coil is an OUTSTANDING idea....

Given its heat issues from time to time, and the fact that its mounted above the hottest part of the engine, I'm real curious as to how this comes out...

More pics Gazza!!!

I think moving the coil is an OUTSTANDING idea....

Given its heat issues from time to time, and the fact that its mounted above the hottest part of the engine, I'm real curious as to how this comes out...

More pics Gazza!!!Plus it will look cool and the new coil I bought says Screaming Eagle on it :D

Gazza

Looks great. You might have a market here.

MC

thanks Gary I have a dyna tank to go on my 2001 1200s and have to move the coil, ingition as well. This has given me a way. Love this forum

I got it all mounted and working this afternoon...

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/coil_bracket_08.jpg

Gazza

Good job there, I like to ignition relocation as well!

Came out nice gary.

Looks beautiful, Gary! My only concern would be riding in rain; any idea how the front-facing connections are gonna hold up in stormy weather? I'm not being sarcastic - I genuinely want to know.

Looks great. You might have a market here.
For those of us (me in particular) who don't have the skills or tools to weld parts like that, I'd happily buy one from of ya! Ya lookin' to go into business? Syracuse ain't that far from here...

Looks like a dyna coil setup.

Pretty neat the way you fabbed it. Must make the tank/head area in front look naked.

any idea how the front-facing connections are gonna hold up in stormy weather? I'm not being sarcastic - I genuinely want to know.I'll probably find out this week. I think they'll be okay. I was concerned about it too, until I realized how the boots on both primary and secondary wires cover the connections pretty well.

The water concerns me more with regard to my leg placement near the high voltage wires. I paid attention to my leg and the coil tonight. I'm a good distance away when my feet are on the pegs, and if I have my heels up on the pegs it's 50:50 whether my leg is away or near the wires. It depends on how laid back and relaxing I'm sitting.

It was a PITA getting the primary wires out of the harness. And I don't like the way they're routed right now. I think a few more inches of splice and route then under the seat and around the battery box would look better.

Part of the reason I moved it is because I've been having some firing problem near 4000 rpm after I ride for at least 10 miles. It seems like an electrical problem, so I wanted to buy a new coil but didn't want to leave it under the tank..... It didn't fix my problem though :( I went for a ride tonight, first 10 miles were fine, then it started skipping, but only at the higher rpm. I don't have a tach, but doing about 70 in 4th would skip. :censor

Back to the drawing board... I really don't want to go to the dealer yet.

Gazza

Hi Gary.

If you worry about it getting wet, get some Dielectric grease, pull the boot black, coat the wire(Don't get it on the brass part) and the outside of the coil tower, then slip it back on.
It should now be waterproof. This grease is an Insulator and can cause the coil to overwork if you get it on the brass parts, so remember a little goes a long way.

I would worry more about the coil overheating, being so close to the rear cylinder, a heat shield would be a good Idea. The chrome one for a Dyna should work.

This grease is an Insulator and can cause the coil to overwork if you get it on the brass parts, so remember a little goes a long way.Damn.. now you tell me... I thought the dielectric grease would be good on the brass to keep it from corroding like the old one was last fall. So I rubbed it all around on the brass.

What's the best way to clean that off ? :o

Gazza

I added some of that black plastic wire harness to the primary wires, they really didn't look too good just zip tied. Since I was taking pictures tonight of the tank, I figured I'd take a new one of the coil bracket too.

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/coil_bracket_09.jpg

Gazza

man those stock coils are not a thing of beauty!!! you want some stanless or aluminum sheet metal to make a cover for it?
either that or get the cover that some of the softails use. I know you don't want that BT DNA on your sporty but...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I considered getting one of the red (or orange) ones, but the guy at the parts counter said he got one a few years ago and it faded to pink. I think the black with funky letters on it looks better than that.

Gazza

Looks like a good spot to mount a speedo or tach too :D :D :D

One bracket is cut and the stock speedo cup has been relieved of it's handle bar clamp mount, but I'm out of 1/8 by 3/4 bar stock so welding can't start until tomorrow night.

Gazza

I made an add on attachment for the coil bracket. This one takes a speedo or tach.

I miss my peanut tank, this sport bob is too friggin wide, it makes me feel like a BT wanna be and I don't like the fat tank look with the lighter colors.... but I don't want to put my speedo back on the handle bars and I don't want to ditch it altogether. So I hope this place works out for it.

These pics are my first prototype. I haven't wired up the new speedo yet (this is an extra I bought at a swap meet last winter). I'm going to ride for a few days and make sure the position is okay. I also wanted it to tip in a bit more, but after about 10 tries repositioning the tack weld on the compound angle I gave up and said fuggit, I'm going to weld these two pieces at a 90 degree angle for now :o

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/speedo_01.jpg

This is my view. My leg is in the normal position (foot on the peg). When I drop down to resting my ankle on the peg I loose site of the low numbers up to 40, but that position is usually only for the highway anyway. btw: that gray thing isn't my belly... the wind was blowing up my shirt, yea thats the ticket :D

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/speedo_02.jpg

Gazza

Gary .... That looks like an OEM installation!

Nice work and great photos :)

Ron,

Thanks Ron, that really means a lot to me coming from someone that takes such meticulous care of their own bike!!! Just wish I had more patience to do as good of a job as you typically do more often.

Gazza

Nice job Gary. And not sure if you already found this out or not, but it will be fine in the rain. The Dyna and Softail models have had the coil pointed forward like that forever. They are fine, without any dielectric grease or anything on the boots. Softails since '84, Dynas since '91 with no problems.

Later,
chris

Looks good Gary.

Wild azz idea! get another fat bob tank (maybe just a throw-away junk tank) and cut some wedges out of the back on both sides, sorta make it more pointy in the back. See how it looks and then if the experiment works, do it to your present tank. Or not, the project is looking good to me so far. I think with my longer legs, that I'd be getting in the way of seeing the speedo.

Or maybe just get a peanut tank and swap as needed for riding conditions...

I think with my longer legs, that I'd be getting in the way of seeing the speedo.Nah, I think the opposite is the case. I'm 6'2" and I think that having longer legs that need to bend out a bit to fit the bike help. When I put my ankles on the forward control pegs, that's when I start to loose some visibility. I think that's what would be the norm if my legs were a few inches shorter.

Gazza

Looks real good Gary. I did my coil and ignition like that a long time ago. Hope yours holds up better than mine did. I am on my third one already, kept breaking at the bend. Guess from all the vibration it just wore out. Also my coil wires broke twice. It has been a real pain in my arse. But, I like the look of it so I keep on making a new bracket, just get thicker material every time. Getting ready to do it again, just don't have the time right now. Let me know how that all turns out....

Which bend did it break at?

Gazza

Which bend did it break at?

Gazza
Where the coil mounts. The one I have now has lasted for about 4 weeks now, the one previous only lasted about 6 weeks before it broke. Hopefully it will last longer, we'll see. Is yours holding up so far?

Yea I haven't had any problems with it. But with the speedo there it's a bit more top heavy so we'll see if that makes a difference. Maybe I won't even think about moving any wiring until it has some time on it then I'll take a close look at the welds.

Gazza

Looks real good Gary. I did my coil and ignition like that a long time ago. Hope yours holds up better than mine did. I am on my third one already, kept breaking at the bend. Guess from all the vibration it just wore out. Also my coil wires broke twice. It has been a real pain in my arse. But, I like the look of it so I keep on making a new bracket, just get thicker material every time. Getting ready to do it again, just don't have the time right now. Let me know how that all turns out....
Do you have any pics of yours in action or even broken?

--Chris

Great job Gazza..I really like the total origionality of it. Now you've got
my brain cells churning to come up with a speedo relocation myself.

Nice job there. It reminds me of a job I saw somewhere in my driveway! Looks good. I have had no problems with my bracket, it 1/8 steel. that suckers on there rock solid. I should've done step by step and reaped the picture glory, dammit!

Nice job there. It reminds me of a job I saw somewhere in my driveway! Looks good. I have had no problems with my bracket, it 1/8 steel. that suckers on there rock solid. I should've done step by step and reaped the picture glory, dammit!Yep credit is due to you. You did yours about a month before I did mine and I liked the pics you posted so much that I worked off of your idea.

Gazza

Do you have any pics of yours in action or even broken?

--Chris
I don' t have any pics right now, I can take some though.

Yea I haven't had any problems with it. But with the speedo there it's a bit more top heavy so we'll see if that makes a difference. Maybe I won't even think about moving any wiring until it has some time on it then I'll take a close look at the welds.

Gazza

Yours is probably stronger than mine. I don't weld so I just drilled holes in my battery box and bolted it on. I like yours though, if it holds up better than mine did, I might use your idea if you don't mind. Looks damn good...

Yours is probably stronger than mine. I don't weld so I just drilled holes in my battery box and bolted it on. I like yours though, if it holds up better than mine did, I might use your idea if you don't mind. Looks damn good...If I minded I wouldn't have shared the info :D

Gazza

Roger that. I will probably be doing something like yours real soon. Thanks.

Well I've been promising to take some pictures of the speedo bracket part of
this project for about 8 months now. BigBlueBowTie reminded me a couple
days ago, so I went out and dug the speedo out of a box and took a couple
pics of the bracket.

I rode with an extra speedo mounted here for July and August last summer to
make sure that the bracket would hold up to vibrations over the long haul
before I committed my wiring to the relocation. It held up just fine. I took it
back off at the end of August but it will go back on whenever I get around to
putting a peanut tank back on the bike, probably sometime this summer after
the '93 is running. The only real down side was that it pressed on the inside
of my leg a bit. It took a couple weeks to get used to it, but after I took it
off I felt pretty naked so it ws definately something that I got used to.

First a reminder of what it looked like mounted...

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/speedo_01.jpg

The can is a stock can with the handle bar clamp brackets ground off...

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/speedo_03.jpg

On the bottom is a piece of 3/4" x 1/8" flat bar with two threaded holes. I
think they're #8 machine screws. I drilled two holes in the backing plate of
the speedo can and attached that to the bar before attaching the plate back
onto the speedo can. The 3/4" angle iron is pretty much welded on at a 90
degree angle. I tried to put a compound angle on it to tip the speedo a bit,
but it was a little to hard for me to get it right. One side of the angle iron has
two holes to mount to the coil bracket.

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/speedo_04.jpg

I put the angle iron piece between the coil and the nuts in this pic. So the
order of things was coil bracket, coil, speedo bracket, nuts. The V of the
angle iron fit right into the V of the coil body.

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/670/coil_bracket_07.jpg

Gazza

Thanks Gary!! :banana Looks like I have some work to do now!