K
kerf
Guest
I finally got around to building and replacing the Staton gear box mounting struts. Since I made the decision, long ago, to employee a spring loaded idler, I didn't need the adjustably of the original struts. Since they would allow the gearbox to "bounce" when hitting bumps, I had pined them into fixed struts soon after the initial installation. While David's system worked, I found it to be heavy, bulky and just plain ugly. I also wanted to incorporate rubber isolator bushings to reduce engine vibration.
Friday, I picked up an 8' bar of 1/4" x 1" flat aluminum and cut my struts and a new idler. The box mounts with 3/8" bolts but I made the mounting bolt holes 9/16" to allow for the bushings. Since I haven't been to resolve runout issues with the Staton freewheel adapter I was using on my output shaft, to facilitate the two speed, I've gone back to a fixed 18.75 / 1 ratio. Shame too, as the shifting was perfect. On the plus side, I cut some more weight and chain noise. I would now put my bike up against a Vespa, as to total noise, probably lose but it would be close.
I went out at 5:30 this morning for a 20 mile run and was very happy with the results. The bike accelerates smoothly and quickly to 40 mph, where it tops out at about 9600 rpm. The exhaust and intake silencers have slowed me some but it was well worth it and I'm also running a little on the rich side. With the 32/1 oil mix, I've got over 1000 miles on this original top end and it's strong as ever, guess I'll live with being slow.
Friday, I picked up an 8' bar of 1/4" x 1" flat aluminum and cut my struts and a new idler. The box mounts with 3/8" bolts but I made the mounting bolt holes 9/16" to allow for the bushings. Since I haven't been to resolve runout issues with the Staton freewheel adapter I was using on my output shaft, to facilitate the two speed, I've gone back to a fixed 18.75 / 1 ratio. Shame too, as the shifting was perfect. On the plus side, I cut some more weight and chain noise. I would now put my bike up against a Vespa, as to total noise, probably lose but it would be close.
I went out at 5:30 this morning for a 20 mile run and was very happy with the results. The bike accelerates smoothly and quickly to 40 mph, where it tops out at about 9600 rpm. The exhaust and intake silencers have slowed me some but it was well worth it and I'm also running a little on the rich side. With the 32/1 oil mix, I've got over 1000 miles on this original top end and it's strong as ever, guess I'll live with being slow.
