Dave Taylor head steady

David/Tom

I am comparing it with the astandardfitment head steady.

However I also recall the handling of my last 850, which was set up by Norman White and had 18" wheels etc. That bike handled well.

I am using thestandardisolastic clearances which I set up first, then fitted the head steady itself and carefully set it up so that there was sufficient movement in the rose joints - then asked my mate to check it.

It is vital that the DS head steady is installed and adjusted accurately, or the rose joints will not function properly and you will experience additional vibration.

The suspensory spring does make asignificantdifference to the feel of it, and in my tests so far I have found that using the standard setting appears to work.

Honestly, I have only ridden it about 30 miles since fitting, as there are a host of other problems being fixed such as starter motor, clutch, carbs, ignition, generator, wiring - my patience etc; and I had only ridden it about 50 miles before it became very evident that I had bought a shonker that needed some tlc.

However it was instantly obvious from theexperiencethat I have had now having owned 2 850 Commandos, that what Jeff says is pretty much on the button.

It steers accurately, tracks very well and holds an excellent line, and it actually feels better than my Beemer now, at least at low to intermediate speed! And the Beemer really does handle well.

Straight line stability does not appear to be compromised. I could not believe that such skinny tyres could feel so secure.

Possibly due to the low mileage travelled so far, I have not noticed any intrusive vibration that I can't dial out using the right gear selection.

I am genuinely impressed with this item though. Quality kit, beautifully made, and the most logical design in my view.

The other head steadies rely oncontrolling the frame rigidity and vibration by the same clamping action at the head steady. The DS unit does not work that way of course, as it basically does not clamp anything it splits the forces by simply using a couple of rose joints whose planes run at 90% to each other (?) to preventsidewaysmovement but permit up and down and front to back movement - simplicity isgenius!

Now for the Lansdowne Engineering fork conversion...great responses for that too

http://lansdowne-engineering.co.uk/four_4.html

Anyway, good luck with it.

Jack

Previously wrote:

Hi Tom,

I fitted one of these over the winter and have done just over a thousand miles on it since. I'm very pleased with it so far. My Commando handled ok before but shook a bit up to a touch over 3000rpm, because I kept the isolastics with minimal clearance. I also noticed that I needed to keep a little pressure on the inside bar to hold a steady line through a bend. (I recently tested a new VFR1200 which felt the same).

The first thing I noticed after fitting the Dave Taylor Head Steady was a huge improvement in steering. I arrived at the first corner and the bike just rolled in beautifully - just like a modern bike (except the VFR1200). The steering is now completely neutral, just as it should be. It's so much easier to change your line, if a bend tightens for example.

Initially the low frequency vibrations had increased, but this was tuned out with the suspensory spring. (I started with low tension and worked my way up to full tension in small increments). Things were improved further when I opened the isolastics up. I'm currently running with an 8 thou gap, and the bike feels great, still nice and taut. I'd tried to open them up before with the original head steady, but the bike always felt a bit loose. If I can find the time to play, I'm going to try slightly larger clearances.

I had been contemplating fitting one for a while, but was prompted to give it a go when the old Commando weave set in when my rear Roadrider started to wear down. I changed the head steady without making any other adjustments. It was difficult to get up to speed to make a comparison because the weather was so bad at the time. It didn't eliminate the problem, but I reckon it did improve things significantly. I've since changed the tyre.

When the kit arrived, there was a small mark on main bracket because it hadn't been packaged very well. Not much of a problem, it's out of sight. The instructions were adequate. I had to ease the main clamp bore a fair bit to fit my powder coated frame, otherwise installation was fairly easy. I had to relocate the warning light assimilator and Boyer control box. I sent an email to the supplier requesting a little more advice on adjustment of the suspensory spring. I never received a response - didn't really expect one though. Supplier issues apart, it's all very positive.

Cheers

Jeff

Jeff - I had exactly the same fittingproblem, but I removed the powder coating from the frame, then greased it all up before fitting.

I reckon that may have saved me a bit of time and complexity, as I couldn't line bore the head steady body accurately.

Jack

Previously wrote:

Previously wrote:

Hi Tom,

I fitted one of these over the winter and have done just over a thousand miles on it since. I'm very pleased with it so far. My Commando handled ok before but shook a bit up to a touch over 3000rpm, because I kept the isolastics with minimal clearance. I also noticed that I needed to keep a little pressure on the inside bar to hold a steady line through a bend. (I recently tested a new VFR1200 which felt the same).

The first thing I noticed after fitting the Dave Taylor Head Steady was a huge improvement in steering. I arrived at the first corner and the bike just rolled in beautifully - just like a modern bike (except the VFR1200). The steering is now completely neutral, just as it should be. It's so much easier to change your line, if a bend tightens for example.

Initially the low frequency vibrations had increased, but this was tuned out with the suspensory spring. (I started with low tension and worked my way up to full tension in small increments). Things were improved further when I opened the isolastics up. I'm currently running with an 8 thou gap, and the bike feels great, still nice and taut. I'd tried to open them up before with the original head steady, but the bike always felt a bit loose. If I can find the time to play, I'm going to try slightly larger clearances.

I had been contemplating fitting one for a while, but was prompted to give it a go when the old Commando weave set in when my rear Roadrider started to wear down. I changed the head steady without making any other adjustments. It was difficult to get up to speed to make a comparison because the weather was so bad at the time. It didn't eliminate the problem, but I reckon it did improve things significantly. I've since changed the tyre.

When the kit arrived, there was a small mark on main bracket because it hadn't been packaged very well. Not much of a problem, it's out of sight. The instructions were adequate. I had to ease the main clamp bore a fair bit to fit my powder coated frame, otherwise installation was fairly easy. I had to relocate the warning light assimilator and Boyer control box. I sent an email to the supplier requesting a little more advice on adjustment of the suspensory spring. I never received a response - didn't really expect one though. Supplier issues apart, it's all very positive.

Cheers

Jeff

Jeff - I had exactly the same fittingproblem, but I removed the powder coating from the frame, then greased it all up before fitting.

I reckon that may have saved me a bit of time and complexity, as I couldn't line bore the head steady body accurately.

Jack