Head Steady

I was wondering the same myself! What was the bulto you were playing with? I've got a montesa cappra which needs some serious love!

Nice! .......I love the sound the Spanish 2 strokes make! I race mine and the rod let go, complete rebuild required!

Previously John Tickell wrote:

Not used the ES2 for a month,been messing about with a Bultaco. Took it for a run today, 50 mph my normal running speed. The engine is acceptably smooth, 55% balance factor but the handle bars have a real noticeable throb to them in time with the engine firing. I don't remember my old feather bed ES2's exhibiting this fault, and is this because they had a head steady.

I see on pre war International Nortons they did have one. Has any one tried a head steady on the plunger framed ES2? Is it worth experimenting? John

John,

I made one to fit my 1958 19S. It was basically a pair of steel straps 1/8th inch thick and approx. an inch wide and about 5 inches or so long. Each end was drilled a bit larger than 5/16th's and the strap was twisted 90 degrees to meet up with a frame lug near the carburetor. The straps were bolted on either side of the rocker box using slightly longer rocker box bolts. It made quite a difference in the vibrations felt by the rider. Another thing you might try is slipping a snug fitting brass bar down inside the handlebar on the throttle end. That little bit of extra weight out there seemed to help ease the 'white finger' feeling after a fast ride. I have a bar end mirror on the clutch end of the bars and that bit of weight also helps. One last thing to consider is going up a tooth or so on your engine sprocket, it doesn't seem to matter to the engine and it raises the vibration range to a higher speed, one your less likely to cruise at. My model 19 pulls a 21T gearbox and 20T engine sprocket with ease and just loafs along at 60 per.

Cheers!

Albert

Previously John Tickell wrote:

Thanks for info albert. Have already filled the ends of the handle bars with tight fitting steel bar with some improvement. If I put my foot on the engine at 50mph its acceptably smooth so maybe another tooth on the engine sprocket would improve things. My only reservation is it does lack 'guts' into a head wind and living on the edge of the Fens in East Anglia there are plenty! Will play with a head steady first. John

Hi John,

Pretty much any single will seem to lack guts going into a headwind. Even my 660cc MuZ Skorpion will feel underpowered in these conditions and it will leave most other singles for dead. Hell, even a Kawasaki GpZ 1100 will suffer in a strong headwind! Try the head steady and if the engine still feels a little too 'busy' down below, there's always a larger engine sprocket. RGM offer them in three offsets and from 16 t to 23 t

Cheers!

Albert

Wind resistance increases by the square of the speed. So a headwind makes a big difference. And of course if you are doing 50 and have 40mph head wind it's like riding at 90, which on an upright bike with no fairing is hard work hanging on, for any time!

Dan