Interesting Electric Leg Setup...Sprag-less

Tornado · Jan 26, 2020

Came upon this DIY e-start video today:

Nice setup, hoping to see more details in how he put it together.

Peavey Jeltz · Jan 26, 2020

Tornado said:
Came upon this DIY e-start video today:

Nice setup, hoping to see more details in how he put it together.

Looks a lot like http://www.oldbritts.com/starter.html which is related to the VR-880

Interesting Electric Leg Setup...Sprag-less

kommando · Jan 26, 2020

Looks like the OldBritts starter system, the starter on that had a solenoid that moved the starter gear out to engage with a gear on the back of the clutch, hence it could be sprag free as the gear was retracted and unengaged as soon as the engine started.

This was the OldBritts

Tornado · Jan 26, 2020

Thanks for the info. Seems like it was a nice setup/kit. Too bad they discontinued it. Guess not enough demand with the other options out there.

850commando · Jan 26, 2020

it looks like they have the starter a lot further back than the mk3, which complicates the cradle etc, etc and hence the cost goes up. i can see that in a tenor so yrs i may want to consider an electric leg, but see that the dwindfling supply will continue to push prices up further. looks nice.

grandpaul · Jan 26, 2020

Tornado said:
Came upon this DIY e-start video today:

Nice setup, hoping to see more details in how he put it together.

Yep, Tom Reid did the conversion on my green 880, he's the guy that used to build them for Kenny Dreer's VR880s. I have the Old Britts belt tensioner as part of the kit.

grandpaul · Jan 26, 2020

The big problem, apparently, is that EACH INDIVIDUAL NORTON BASKET must be aligned to a custom offset ring gear because they are not perfectly centered on the transmission mainshaft (according to Tom Reid). Kinda hard to believe, but Kenny backed him up on it...

grandpaul · Jan 26, 2020

I had to send the primary cases, transmission case with mainshaft in place on it's bearings, the tranny cradle, starter, belt tensioner, and belt drive kit. Tom built the ring gear, modified the cradle, and did all the setup and machine work to make it "plug and play" in my shop. It works amazingly well, spins the poop out of that high compression 880.

Danno · Jan 28, 2020

Is the driving gear helical to lock it in during starts and spin it out as the engine fires?

850commando · Jan 28, 2020

grandpaul said:
I had to send the primary cases, transmission case with mainshaft in place on it's bearings, the tranny cradle, starter, belt tensioner, and belt drive kit. Tom built the ring gear, modified the cradle, and did all the setup and machine work to make it "plug and play" in my shop. It works amazingly well, spins the poop out of that high compression 880.

GP:
since you are now driving the opposite direction (i mean power flow) to a running engine, what's your though on belt life?

lcrken · Jan 28, 2020

The gear is not heilcal. It's a Harley Sportster starter with straight cut drive gear. It has a return spring to pull it back.

Ken

grandpaul · Jan 28, 2020

850commando said:
GP:
since you are now driving the opposite direction (i mean power flow) to a running engine, what's your though on belt life?

I'll let you know when I have to replace it. It's only my second belt drive primary, the other being in my very-low-miles Triton that's presently in a local museum.