What (how) do y'all use to remove the Sporty idiot lights' or other terminals/terminated wires from their connectors?

Man I went through that today.
Did the layback license plate and turn signal relocation kit and had to pull the terminals out of the connector.
I managed to get one done with a small flat bladed screwdriver, but the connector was pretty chewed up.
The other one I ended up just cutting the wires and splicing them back together.
If you are going to do a bunch, buy the tool. Havn't a clue how much it is, tho.

Harley makes a special tool for the connectors. Its in the back of the Service Manual, I would give you the P/N but my books are packed up. Most peole use a small screwdriver or and awl and some patients. I just spliced my rear turn signal wires and re sodered them and used some shrink tubing. Good luck which ever method you decide to use.

'93 is different than both '04 and '06. I say you should look in your manual. It depends on the connector, but if you have the -71 pins (AMP old style I think) you can separate the connector halves, then from inside the connectors (facing the terminal side, not the wire side) use a tiny screwdriver (like an eyeglass screwdriver) to press the tang in, then pull on the wire and it will come out of the (white plastic?) connector. You don't need any special tools to just remove the pins from the connectors.

First though, take pictures and draw diagrams with the locations of all the colored wires and jumper strips, so you can see how things used to be.

Second, you might want to buy some new terminals to see how they work. When you look at them, you can see how the tang keeps them seated in the connector. Seeing loose connectors first makes it easier to get apart later.

Good luck, and :rtfm

--Chris

Thanks for your replies.

Chris,
Yes, did 'RTFM' (Clymer) but it didn't thoroughly address this. Though referred to/pictured a Harley terminal tool, retail priced at $25+ each for the pin and receptacle removers at cyborgcycles.

Posted, thinking someone might have an easier-on-the-wallet remedy.

On closer scrutiny, the terminal receptacles don't have tangs but rounded protrusions that secure them in.

J&P carries an Pin Removal Tool (PN 381-087) that replaces OEM 97362-71. Only $10.99, more from Harley. Looks to be setup for 6 different terminal styles.

You can probably go to any auto parts place and they might carry the same tool.

Works on terminals found on a Harley.

I was doing some work on mine and came to those terminals. I tried for about 10 minutes with a small flathead screw driver then took it over to the stealer, the tech brought out what looked like a flathead screw driver and in about 2 seconds had them out. I asked her to see the tool and it looked like something you could make with a small screw driver. If you have acess to a bench grinder just grind one of the corners off the screw driver so that it goes into a point on one side and tapers out to its normal size on the other side.

Safety pin works great. Take a look at one that has been removed to eyeball the correct position to insert the pin.

SEJMPM

The Harley manual shows exactly how to remove the connectors with a safety pin. Trust me, best $58 you'll ever spend.

$58 for a safety pin?! Must be a government job.

--Chris

$58 for a safety pin?! Must be a government job.I bought a set of dental picks at the flea market that I use and I thought I was spending government money at that price. Best thing about the picks over a safety pin is I have a special place in the toolbox for them so I don't have to go hunting whenever I take a connector apart. Except when I don't put my tools away for like three months and they get burried under a pile of other junk then I can't find them and it pisses me off... but not enough to clean the barn... my wife has to yell at me for two weeks to get me to do that... guess what I was donig tonight... hopefully I won't get yelled at anymore this weekend :o

Gazza

I bought a set of dental picks at the flea market
I'm lucky. My dentist saves his broken picks for me since he knows I work on bikes. Broken to him is the last 1mm of the tip broken off. To me, that's still a good tool :)

--Chris

I just use toothpicks, they work great.

Chris, the advantage to your tool is you can work on a live circuit and not worry about getting shocked or shorting something out!

Seriously though, I imagine I would snap every one of those toothpics. For me, those pin terminal tabs tend to require a significant amount of pressure to release. Chris, where on your bike(s) are these early style (prior to '94) terminals used? Maybe we're talking of different styles of connectors. Your S1 has Deutsch connectors mostly, and the new bike has Amp style I think. There are odd ones on every bike though.

--Chris

I used toothpicks to release the pins on my headlight connector.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c97/cjburr/forks028-1.jpg

Ah, those are different for sure. The idiot lights use a different style pin terminal. I should take pictures of all the different styles. I think there are about 6 styles now. There was only one style from '71 - '93, then it all changed.

--Chris

That would be a great sticky for folks to see all the different types and how to remove and replace the terminals in each one.

go to Radio shack they have the correct tool, male and female pins, the plastic blocks and all for like HALF what the Stealer wants. last time I bought that sorta stuff I was into less than $20.00 including the pin tool.

Bought the Lisle terminal tool (ebay, $9.99 + shipping), but still had difficulty removing male/female, idiot light terminals on my 93. Actually, one of this tool's extensions broke off while doing so; what a 'waste' of a few dollars. Though still a relative pain, a very small screwdriver worked better at getting 'em out.

On a side note, can't understand the early design of the idiot lights/panel as their inserted housings so friggin easily break off as I found out w/ a replacement :censor

go to Radio shack they have the correct tool, male and female pins, the plastic blocks and all for like HALF what the Stealer wants. last time I bought that sorta stuff I was into less than $20.00 including the pin tool.


Went to my Radio Shack and got blank looks from the idiots working there. They claim they don't carry such tools.

Do you have part#s so we could look these up on their online store ??

hey even better here is the link for the pin tool and all the pins and blocks:
http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=2032286&cp=2032058.2032231
and here is a pic of the crimping tool: I dont know why they dont sell this tool online but your gonna need it to put the pins on correctly!!

Sr. Chief,

Andy Johnson from Virginia here. I joined this website just to talk to you. Was searching the internet, and this chatter came up. Took me a while to find you, forgive me if I am new to all this.

I have a 1978 XLH I am restoring, and am where I usually am: over my damn head. I am not that mechanical but have enjoyed this, hell I even got the ironhead running fairly good so I and am starting to foccus on the cosmetics, reversing a bad ape hanging job has got me into wiring. I am shortening wires and cleaning stuff up. This has led me to the pins and sockets. I think I will buy the tool to help remove the pins, but I am still looking for a reasonably priced crimping tool. Perhaps Radio Shack too? I was just looking at the link you posted, no doubt these pins and sockets will work. But they are not OEM interchangable are they?

Any advice any of you have will be well recieved.