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Steering cable replacement - Sportster


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Just replaced the steering cable on my friend's Sportster and thought I'd share the experience. Before starting I'd read the inputs into the forums in the Crew and thought I'd got a pretty good idea how to tackle the job. After disconnecting both ends and cutting the rack off the old cable I connected the new cable to the old with the view of pulling it through with the old cable. This is when the problems started. I could not get the cable into a tight enough arc to pull it through the hole in the floor where it changes from vertical to horizontal. There are two fairly tight bends once it leaves the steering column where it goes from horizontal to vertical and the where it changes from vertical to horizontal under the floor.The old cable just jammed on the side of the hole in the floor and wouldn't pull through because I couldn't get it to bend tight enough with the solid length that connects to the rudder on the new cable attached to it. After much head scratching, pushing, shoving and pulling we decided to disconnect the new cable from the old and attach an electrician's "snake", and then use this much more flexible device to pull the new cable through. Bingo, new cable pulled through without a hitch, a little fiddling where it comes through the hole into the engine bay, but I reckon if we'd used the snake first up the whole job would have taken less than an hour. If I ever have to tackle this job again this is the way to go.

One slight issue though, since replacing the cable there's a sligh vibration sound from the steering at high revs. Seems like this vibration is coming through the cable. No movement, just an annoying buzzing sound.

Anyone have any ideas??

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I've always used a pull string for the job, seems quicker and less mess than cutting up the old cable.

As for the buzzing check that everything is tight under the helm and at the rudder. I'd also grease the rudder and see if that fixes it. Likely the buzzing was there before but the old stiff cable dampened it out.

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