I think the conventional wisdom is that with the hand built nature of the 961, that centre hanger was often not well aligned and therefore often under tension, transmitting vibration as a result. The reason they often fail and (anecdotally) vibrations reduce as a consequence - who knows!
The 1200 Triumph twin has 2 balance shafts . I don't think the Harley V Twin engine has any rocking couple ? My bike got better and smoother the more miles I put on it . A good tune helps too of course. I don't doubt that a proper dynamic balancing of the 961 engine would work wonders ! I kinda wish you were still on board the 961 train FE .
Hello Bevel , Yes revs are usually higher say about 1000 more on the Norton . On the HD probably 3500 at ~ 70mph vs 4500 on the Norton .
Hi Jan , If you are looking at mine ? Yes , I welded a thick flat washer to the this area and that was 8K to 10K miles ago . If they are not tightened , they will not break .
I’ve got 3 Nortons to keep me busy Tony, and they only make up a third of my stable!
Very nice !
WOW that is BIG 131cid ! Is that the Sportster Featherbed ?
No its a Evo softail... half modern bobber, half drag bike, built it in 2000. Makes 130 bhp and 150 lb/ft torque peak at rear wheel.
I agree with what you have done and went a bit further by slacking the both header front pipes nuts off and exhaust mounts. Tighten the centre exhaust bracket then retighten headers and then the exhaust mounts. Worth a try.
I don't think that is what he means to do , maybe I misunderstood. That is certainly NOT what I am doing on my exhaust.
I’m fixing the centre mount but not rigidly. The spring keeps it from rattling, and will allow a bit of side to side movement, and as the mounting hole is slotted it can move fore and aft a little bit. I have the exhaust all mounted, but only the headers tightened. I plan to take the bike out for a ride, let it all settle into position, and then tighten the clamps.
The problem is that If I have to take my bike for inspection it will fail with either a broken or disconnected mount. ( they fail cars and bikes for oil leaks here
).
Remove the mount entirely.The problem is that If I have to take my bike for inspection it will fail with either a broken or disconnected mount. ( they fail cars and bikes for oil leaks here
No, snapped two belts in the first year or so, therefore swapped to chain, which in turn allows for more gearing options. Both times, the belts snapped when changing into 2nd at high revs, guess they couldn't take the torque. With the softail swingarm design, both it and the primary/clutch needs to be removed to replace the belt.. a pita. With the chain, only the swingarm needs to be removed.
I have read that they have stronger belts now , but I suppose it's not worth taking the chance again. Are you running a #530 Xring chain or something bigger ?
