Special tools for working inside /5 headlamp housing?

I spent a few hours today working inside the head lamp housing trying to lube both the speedo and Tach connections as well as a few other house keeping tasks.

There is not much space in there, and I am convinced that the former naval architects of the U-Boats probably found employment post-WWII in the German automotive and motorcycle industries.

Other than growing a prehensile tail about 5 feet long with the diameter of a ball point pen cartridge refill or surgically altering my fingers to look like those of an alien life form (three more joints in each digit, thin, with suction cups at the ends), what special tools to you use to make your wrenching in the headlamp easier?

A few things I recall: The terminal board that all of the running light/horn/ignition wires connect to is held to the bucket by a small screw on the outside of the bucket at about 8 o'clock as you face the open bucket. You can gain a little space by removing that screw and also pulling the horn relay. Take a picture or two before you pull anything apart. A pair of hemostats works pretty well, but the instrument lights will just pull out with the bulb holder, so you need to work carefully. The wires that attach to the main switch come out easily and will give you lots of room if you remove them. They are held in by the retaining screws, as I am sure you have seen already. Again, a picture is really helpful to get it all back together, but it is tight.

Best of luck!

Greg

Some helpful items:

Hemostats
Proper lighting
A seat that pus you at good working position to avoid back strain
Patience
Beer

Something I've read regarding any restorations...paint the inside of the headlight bucket white before installing the wiring. It helps to see things when digging into it later on. This would be hidden by the headlight in place so you still have a concours bike!

20774 said:

Something I've read regarding any restorations...paint the inside of the headlight bucket white before installing the wiring. It helps to see things when digging into it later on. This would be hidden by the headlight in place so you still have a concours bike!

Click to expand...

I did this while restoring my 1953 R51/3, and while a /3 headlight bucket is nowhere near as complex as a /5, it's still an amazing improvement to do any kind of maintenance:

nekkid /5 nacelle

The only advice I would offer is to take everything loose, check all of the "soldered" ends ( and resolder if necessary) and then start re-connecting from the rear, forward. By the time you get out to the front you should know what's going on in there like the back of your hand; which is a good thing, especially after dark, far, far, from home.