Adjustable PMS for the Road Star

Tools and Materials Used:

• - Soldering iron
• - Solder - I used silver solder because it is stiffer. It is available at your local hardware store
• - Sonic weld - a two part epoxy that comes in a stick form
• - Stranded cable type control rod set - This is available at any hobby shop and is used for control cables on radio controlled aircraft. The one I used was a .063” galvanized steel cable. I would not go any smaller in size but a little larger is OK,
• - Scraps of metal to make a bracket
• - Drill and drill bits

How to:

1. First start by removing your carburetor. It is also a good idea to drain the gas from it.

2. Remove the PMS screw and take the spring and the O-ring off of the screw; the heat from the soldering iron won’t do them any good.

3. Tent the top of the PMS screw and the end of the control cable with a little solder; it will make it easier to put them together.

4. Once you have the PMS screw and control cable tented, solder the cable to the top of the PMS screw. This process is easier if you drill a small hole in a piece of wood so the screw can stand vertically. Try to get the cable as close to center and as vertical as possible. Be careful when soldering the PMS screw as you don’t want to have solder flowing into the threads. I had to remove the top two threads on mine; “no biggie”.

5. In the picture below, you will notice that I made a small bracket that bolts on with one of the bowl screws. I do not think this is necessary but I did it to remove any lateral strain that may be on the cable at the PMS screw. DO NOT epoxy the nylon tube to this bracket. If you are the smallest bit off on the connection between the cable and the PMS screw it will make it very difficult to turn the cable when you have it all installed. If you use a bracket, make the hole a little larger than the nylon tube.

6. Mount the adjuster end just about anywhere you want. I put mine between the back pushrod tubes and the cylinder. It is hidden and just about invisible when everything is done. It is also still easy to reach when you a sitting on the bike. You will need to make a bracket to hold this end of the nylon tube.

7. Before cutting the tube or cable to length, dry fit the bracket and the nylon tube on the bike where you want the bracket to be attached so as not to cut off too much of the cable. Once I had the bracket where I wanted, I epoxyed the cable to the bracket, ‘in-place’. While the epoxy was hardening I used a marker to mark the location where I wanted to cut the nylon tube and the cable.

8. Once the epoxy is hard, I removed the carb and the bracket so that I could cut the nylon tube and the cable. I left the cable just long enough to stick out past the pushrod tube (see picture in Step 9). As the nylon tube is close to the cylinder and I did not want it to melt, I used a small piece of fuel line to add some heat shielding.

9. Finally I soldered a small piece of the cable at a 90 deg angle to the end of the cable to make a little lever for the adjuster (see picture in Step 6). You can get a little more creative and solder whatever you want on the end but SOLDER IT ON LAST. If you don’t, you will have a difficult time putting the piece of fuel line on over the nylon tube.

Questions should be asked in our forum (Use discuss link below). The forum is very active and you stand a good chance of getting your questions answered there. If you would like to leave feedback for the author, or have additional information you think will benefit others, please use the comment section at the bottom of this page.

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DISCLAIMER: This information and procedure is provided as a courtesy and is for informational purposes only.  Neither the publishers nor the authors accept any responsibility for the accuracy, applicability, or suitability of this procedure.  You assume all risks associated with the use of this information.  NEITHER THE PUBLISHERs NOR THE AUTHORs SHALL IN ANY EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OF ANY NATURE ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR MISUSE OF THIS INFORMATION OR LACK OF INFORMATION.  Any type of modification or service work on your motorcycle should always be performed by a professional mechanic. If performed incorrectly, this procedure may endanger the safety of you and others on your motorcycle and possibly invalidate your manufacturer’s warranty.

Comments (9)

Just a little add-on to the how-to Written by TwoEagleStar, on 03-24-2007 23:53 Because I'm a use what you have available laying around the garage kinda guy, I used a spare chromed allen wrench (we all have extras of these laying around the bench) and soldered this to my PMS today to have it adjustable. I'm rejetting and need the adjustability pronto! Anyways, for all those do-it-yourselfers, pick up so solder removing ribbon. Brass looking 1/8" wide ribbon that you can pick up at any Radio Shack for around $3-4 for 5 ft. This allows you to lay the soldering iron on the top of the ribbon over any excess solder and remove it. Helps pick up the excess in case you get a little around the top of the threads so you don't have to remove the threads to re-insert the PMS cleanly. Can't wait to try out my adjuster tomorrow. I have to reach in a little farther but it's good and solid. Helps to drill the hole like he states in the article. Thanks!

wrong message sent Written by hdflyer666, on 11-22-2006 04:18 I think I sent that message from the wrong spot

Written by BamaStar, on 09-27-2006 10:53 now that would not be any fun. and this allows you to adjust it while sitting on the bike and without takeing any thing off.

Elaborate Written by vegasdave, on 06-02-2006 17:59 Don`t you think this is alittle much.Would`nt just a  staight extention on the end with a solid wheel with a mark or knoch do?

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