Balance Masters®

THE INDUSTRY'S BEST KEPT SECRET

What if there was a simple product that dramatically reduced a motorcycle's vibration, was inexpensive, maintenance free, and could be installed and returned to you in a couple of days? If you're guessing, engine balancing, you're partially right. If you're guessing dialing in the flywheels, you're still only partially nght.

The story starts back in 1979 when a washing machine ran amuck in Phoenix, Arizona. Inventor Chris Gamble was looking for a way to balance his washer after it walked off the back porch. "I was supposed to watch this thing and had to clean it all up before my wife got home. By the time I was finished with that chore, I decided I'd put an end to this imbalance problem. I first looked into a way of liquifying lead, but that proved out of the question, so I tried mercury. A naturally occurring mineral, it's a third heavier by volume than lead, remains in liquid state under most conditions, and is non-frictional so it won't wear out. Because it's a liquid it was perfect for balancing. All I needed was to design an appropriate tubing to contain it. The washing machine application I designed worked, and I began looking for other uses. This led to ultra-light aircraft which were experiencing problems balancing their props. I solved that vibration problem with one of my designs. We have several aircraft out there in general aviation which are flying with the device installed. They happily report reduced vibration even on their cockpit gauges."

The Balance Masters® device is a dynamically active counter-balancing mechanism composed of a special neoprene tubing filled with mercury which is specifically fitted to a spinning part. Applications include engines, driveshaft, pumps, wheels, any rotating compoment-you name it.

The device greatly reduces vibration and its subsequent harmful effects. "Vibration will kill about anything out there...engine bearing components, shocks, wheels, tires. The vibration is what you see in the mirrors, feel in your fingers, your back, your feet. That same vibration is killing your bike," says Chris. "With Balance Masters®, we're getting rid of ultra-sonic vibration, the high pitched range of vibration which if allowed to come in contact with two pieces of material without a lubricant will weld the pieces together. The intent is to balance out the engine assembly, in other words take the vibration off the bearings which cause them to wear. The frictional wear also affects the oil between those two surfaces, heat being the enemy. If you take the vibration out you run smoother and cooler and everything lasts longer.

"The Harleys came into the picture through the truck people who had bikes. They liked how the product worked on their rigs and wanted to try it on their motorcycles. In 1988, we started applying the technology to engine flywheels after people asked what was the ultimate we could do for internal balancing. We pulled out a set of flywheels, and found we had room to directly machine the counter-balancing device into the side of one of the wheels. The liquid mercury contained in the tubing seeks the correct balance for the moving part; if it senses something pulling one way, it will automatically concentrate more of its mass to the other side and pull it back to the center. The operating principle is for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction, simple high school physics.

"We even balance clutches which people thought you couldn't do. Most of the vibration coming out of a bike is from the clutch as a result of its weight sticking out at the end of a shaft. The vibration is transmitted through the clutch into the transmission, into the frame, through the whole system. To get rid of the vibration is to extend the life of the bike and as a secondary benefit you take the vibration out of the rider. Not all bikes will experience the same reduction of vibration. But our device will get rid of the ultra-sonic range, an improvement which the rider should also notice in vibration transmitted to his body in addition to the mechanical benefits," says Chris.

How does this differ from harmonic balancing? "Harmonic balancing doesn't stop the source of the vibration but serves to dampen or mask it."

Where can Balance Masters® be applied? "Currently, we apply it to the engine on the flywheel, at the engine drive sprocket level, and on the clutch assemblies. In addition, Hallcraft Industries installs them on their custom motorcyle wheels. We also offer a bolt-on balancer that can be applied to wheels. You can save up to fifty percent in tire wear with the addition of the device."

What's the difference between a static flywheel balancing job offered by shops and Balance Masters®? "In static balancing, the mechanic drills out material from the flywheel to reach a maximum balance. Dynamic balance involves the same process except spinning the flywheel on a machine. The problem with spinning wheels is that whatever hole you drill, you're in balance for that particular speed at that particular point. The minute you drill a second hole, you're out of balance for the first," says Chris.

"Our device when located on the flywheel, located in the heart of the engine where all the bad stuff is generated, removes up to eighty percent of the vibration at all speeds."

What about applications to a brand new engine? Should you wait until the break-in time is completed? "There's a reason they call it a break-in time. Even the factory balancer stops around 500 rpm, while the engine idles at 900, not what the engine experiences in real world operation. In addition, a new motor is tight, and grinding metal right off the bat. The sooner you can install the Balancer the better, so that you're bringing the engine in, not breaking it in."

The Balance Masters® device will work on any bike Pan, Shovel, Evo, rubbermount, hard-tail. Again, it's an active system, designed to work while in use and which adjusts to whatever environment. Logically, whenever a customer plans an engine rebuild, the installation of a Balance Masters® system should be as mandatory as installing new piston rings.

How is the process handled? "The set oi flywheels can be shipped to us. There's no need to split the wheels as we have a special tool to hold it, so there's no down time putting the wheels back together and truing them. We machine the flywheels on our lathes, embed the balancer, seal it up andepoxy it in, and send it back. You can figure on a 48 hour turnaround."

The cost? Would you believe less than $250? Of course, a shop can add their processing/installation fee to that amount. Contact Balance Masters® at (800) 786-8324.

-Paul Garson