Balance
Masters® by Sun-Tech
I'll
have to admit up front that I've been skeptical of any bolt-on
product being able to reduce vibration in a V-twin motorcycle
to an appreciable degree. So when a friend of mine mentioned
he'd bought a Balance Masters® for his bike-and was very pleased
with it- I wanted to know more. John Peano loves his '83 Shovel head. He has a couple of other
bikes, but the '83 is his touring bike. The belt drive and late
model oil control kit make it a low maintenance bike-the major
drawback is a trade-off between cruising speed and comfort. At
70 or 75 mph the bike was a real shaker; 55-60 works much better.
John had tried the usual approaches to remedy the problem, but
the belt final drive limited his ability to change final drive
ratio. So he researched tires and learned that Avon made a tire
with a larger diameter than the Metzelers he was running- larger
by about 6 inches. That helped him lower the revs at highway
speeds slightly.
When John had a motor rebuilt a year or so ago, he also had it
balanced. But that didn't seem to help with smoothness at the
rpm range he needed. Other than a mild hydraulic cam, the motor
is stock. He had tried changing the motor sprocket gearing, going
from 24 to a 25 tooth sprocket, but that proved too tall. His
goal of achieving a 75 mph cruise remained elusive and he bought
the Balance Masters® more out of frustration than anything else.
After installation John said he could tell the difference on
the way to the expressway for the trial run. Seat-of-the-pants
feel told him it was smoother. A longer ride confirmed that the
Shovel was running smoother at a higher rpm, allowing him to
raise his cruising speed in 4th gear. He can now run at 75 mph
without the killer vibration he had been unable to deal with
any other way.
Sun Tech, (the company behind Balance Masters®,) has been selling
vibration reducing devices for years. They've been making products
for over-the-highway truck operators, offering a rim mounted
device that actively balances tires for the life of the wheel.
Motorcycle products include flywheel balancing systems, sprocket
shaft and clutch hub installations.
The company's web site includes many testimonial letters. One
of those letters is from a person known and respected at IronWorks,
Bill Mallinchock of Edge Cylinder. Bill has been using Balance
Master products for 15 years and says the technology goes back
to the aircraft industry of the early '50s, what Bill termed
"viscous balancing." As a serious engine builder, Bill
has gone farther than just using a compensator sprocket from
Balance Masters®. He has them embed their mercury tube technology
in the flywheels of his big inch drag bike and other street motors
he builds. Bill says the difference is amazing, and not just
on a touring motor but especially on a big inch motor. According
to Bill, Balance Masters® bring a lot of experience dealing with
vibration to the motorcycle marketplace.
To learn more about their motorcycle related parts, check out
their web site or call them.-Eddie Larson
