Production Racer Head Steady Setup?

One of our Norton Forum members is making up a head steady that is supposed to be like the old production racer unit. The assembly looks to be well made and is very attractive in gleaming black powdercoat with plated hardware.

The maker suggested that I look in the manual for the procedure to set it up. I had a look at the manual but the stock Norton isolastic mounts are so different in construction that there is little useful in the manual. According to the book, we are looking for .010 clearance. I can't see how to get any clearance at all unless the big mounting bolt is left loose. Can this be right? Here are some pics:











This last picture shows that the rubber mounted tube is not quite centered. I can't see this as a problem, have I missed something?

The big nut & bolt will need to be locked with a jam nut or something else to keep it together as there is no way to put any torque on it and maintain any slack at all. I can't see how it could work as it is. How should this head steady be setup? Does it need locknuts or jam nuts? Should the plastic covers be fitted to keep the assembly clean as the stock isolastics have?

Vintage Paul, Norton project progressing!

I have since aquired lock nuts for the thru bolts and will provide them to people who have purchased my kits. Please forward your shipping address so I can get them out to you.

hudson29 said:

This last picture shows that the rubber mounted tube is not quite centered. I can't see this as a problem, have I missed something?

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It's off-centre because the engine/cylinder head is offset to the left of the frame centre line.

hudson29 said:

How should this head steady be setup?

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http://www.norvilmotorcycle.co.uk/techtalk06.htm

Look in what manual?

Thanks for the link to the Norvil page, it was helpful as to the basic procedure in mounting the kit. I'm still puzzled by the lack of clearance when the through bolt is tightened even finger tight. Does this mean I need shims? The shims will give clearance & allow the bolt to be tight?

The main isolastics on my bike were converted to the later adjustable standard and I have no experience with the shim setup.

Vintage Paul

batrider said:

Look in what manual?

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I'm not sure what the builder meant for sure, but I assumed he meant the factory service manual.

Vintage Paul

I've never seen anything on this in any manual. The Norvil sheet is pretty minimal but at least it tells you that the rear shims will fit it. Let us know how you like it when you have had a chance to give it a test ride. Might be great to have a vernier version of this. These kind of fell out of favor when the link rod headsteadies came along.

hudson29 said:

batrider said:

Look in what manual?

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I'm not sure what the builder meant for sure, but I assumed he meant the factory service manual.

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I think he was telling you to follow the manual instructions to set the "Norvil" steady by using the same procedure as for the standard Isolastics.

Correct. That was the information I was given when I purchased the tooling.

L.A.B. said:

I think he was telling you to follow the manual instructions to set the "Norvil" steady by using the same procedure as for the standard Isolastics.

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Do the shims go on the side of the plastic biscuit? Where do we measure the gap with the feeler gauge? The manual was not really clear about this to my mind. It might make sense if I had all of the correct bits arrayed out in front of me, but the book is just too vague for me to understand it from what I'm looking at now.

Vintage Paul

batrider said:

I've never seen anything on this in any manual. The Norvil sheet is pretty minimal but at least it tells you that the rear shims will fit it. Let us know how you like it when you have had a chance to give it a test ride. Might be great to have a vernier version of this. These kind of fell out of favor when the link rod headsteadies came along.

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I really like the link style but thought this might work just as well and maybe allow a bit more clearance for the SU carb conversion that is waiting in the wings. It is an attractive unit and should certainly improve the curbside performance over the stock unit.

Vintage Paul

I am probably missing something. But the shims go between the tube (housing) and the end cap, thus reducing any gap. If you don't have any gap now then adding shims will not help. The mounting colar should bear against the isolastic bush, should it not?

Russ

rvich said:

I am probably missing something. But the shims go between the tube (housing) and the end cap, thus reducing any gap. If you don't have any gap now then adding shims will not help. The mounting colar should bear against the isolastic bush, should it not?

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I'm not at all sure where they might go not having any on hand to try out. There is no gap at all now is the nut is even finger tight. I'm hoping someone who has some experience with these will pipe up with the explanation. If shims will help, I'll order some. If not, then what?

Vintage Paul

Give me a day or two to tinker around with the one I have here and I will make up some clear directions. The shims go between the body and first cup. If there is not enough clearance the iso rubber steel tube would need to be filed down a bit to obtain clearance. So far I have been finding different measurments of the tubes, from the same vendor. Not much, but measurable. With everything installed and the thru bolt snug there should be the recomended .010" feeler gauge slid into the teflon gap. If less file the iso tube if more shim under the cup. This is what makes sense to me, If I am wrong someone please advise.

hudson29 said:

It is an attractive unit and should certainly improve the curbside performance over the stock unit.

Vintage Paul

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Something to be said for that. :mrgreen:

bwolfie said:

Give me a day or two to tinker around with the one I have here and I will make up some clear directions. The shims go between the body and first cup. If there is not enough clearance the iso rubber steel tube would need to be filed down a bit to obtain clearance. So far I have been finding different measurments of the tubes, from the same vendor. Not much, but measurable. With everything installed and the thru bolt snug there should be the recomended .010" feeler gauge slid into the teflon gap. If less file the iso tube if more shim under the cup. This is what makes sense to me, If I am wrong someone please advise.

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Thanks, this would be most welcomed. I'm sure I am not alone in being a bit fogged in by this unit.

Vintage Paul

hudson29 said:

bwolfie said:

Give me a day or two to tinker around with the one I have here and I will make up some clear directions. The shims go between the body and first cup. If there is not enough clearance the iso rubber steel tube would need to be filed down a bit to obtain clearance. So far I have been finding different measurments of the tubes, from the same vendor. Not much, but measurable. With everything installed and the thru bolt snug there should be the recomended .010" feeler gauge slid into the teflon gap. If less file the iso tube if more shim under the cup. This is what makes sense to me, If I am wrong someone please advise.

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Thanks, this would be most welcomed. I'm sure I am not alone in being a bit fogged in by this unit.

Vintage Paul

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If I were to guess the powdercoating may be too thick here. There shouldn't be any at all here. He mentions there may be production QA issues here too. If he can post the production spec for that part you'll know how far off it is.

bwolfie said:

With everything installed and the thru bolt snug there should be the recomended .010" feeler gauge slid into the teflon gap. If less file the iso tube if more shim under the cup. This is what makes sense to me, If I am wrong someone please advise.

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If you shorten the iso tube you will be reducing whatever gap you had to play with. Just as when you lengthen the working width of the big housing tube by fitting shims behind the end caps, you will lessen the gap. You can use a thin washer right next to the isolastic rubber to get some gap, but you have to make sure it doesn't screw up the alignment of the plates. DAMHIK. I had a Norvil headsteady for years, maybe I still have some 10thou washer/shims around. Don't forget to remove all the powdercoat under the mounting bolts and the area that faces the bosses on the head, likewise the mating surfaces on the frame. It's easiest to set the gap on the bench, then do whatever it takes to get even clearance around the collar when you mount it, (shims). Set it up with the bike off the centerstand. The Isolastic headsteady is great in theory but hell to live with. The linkage headsteadies, even with their short swing, are questionable in theory but they are a breeze to setup and work great.

Silly me, I thought this was going to be a simple bolt on and forget type of project. It looks like it will be a little more involved than that now. I will look forward to seeing the instructions when they arrive. Should I order some rear isolastic shims while I'm waiting? Are there different thicknesses?

This might be some trouble to setup now but I still have hopes that it will work well and make a nice improvement in the handling of this old Norton.

Vintage Paul

hudson29 said:

Silly me, I thought this was going to be a simple bolt on and forget type of project. It looks like it will be a little more involved than that now. I will look forward to seeing the instructions when they arrive. Should I order some rear isolastic shims while I'm waiting? Are there different thicknesses?

This might be some trouble to setup now but I still have hopes that it will work well and make a nice improvement in the handling of this old Norton.

Vintage Paul

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The manufacturer could have pre-set the clearance at the factory to .010" and then it would have been a bolt up affair. :mrgreen: