[dandy]

The headsteady bracket on my 2011 G5 broke (as intended  ) and I got the direct replacement. Then I saw this guy on Hitchcocks that said "HEAD STEADY, EFI MODELS UP TO 2014, STAINLESS" and thought I'd take a shot.  Anyway, it showed up and it's got this big fat end on the tank side that doesn't make much sense to me.  Any ideas what to to do with this guy?

[Haggis]

You can put iit on any way round you like.
The ends are offset a little so can get perfect alignment and it is adjustable for length as well.
Just noticed that yours is the earlier version than mine, so ignore my ramblings.
I take it yours can only fit one way as one end is slotted?

[Adrian II]

My AVL hybrid started going through these (AVL and EFI version look as though they're the same), I just cut myself one from a length of ¼" thick steel strip which should last a lot better.

A.

[dandy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm thinking I should just make my own link out of some stainless plate I have.  My other thought was to take two of the stock ones and put them back-to-back.  I could mill off the thinner flat on tank end of the adjustable bracket, but i'd worry about side loads.

[Haggis]

Would the 2014 onwards steady be any better for you? This is the one I have.

[dandy]

Yeah, that seems like the right call. Thanks Haggis.

[suitcasejefferson]

I broke 2 of them on my 2013 B5. I had a machinist fabricate me one out of heavy steel, several times as thick as the stock one. The way the engine vibrates there is no way the stock one is going to last very long. I like the looks of that one for 2014 on, it looks like it should fit my 2013. Not sure how the slotted one would fit.

[Rattlebattle]

I have the same type as Haggis on my C5. It's a nice piece of kit and is adjustable, which given the degree of variation in the exact position of how the engine is fitted in the frame and in the frame itself is no bad thing. I have the engine out of its frame for repair at the moment and in the course of removing it it became obvious why it is essential to instal the engine in the optimum position so that the mounting bolts etc are not under strain, so that vibration may be minimised. Having an adjustable head steady helps a lot.

[CoffeeDoc]

Hey Rattlebattle, how did you get on with the refitting of your engine and fitting these bolts? Did it reduce the vibration very much?

[Silverback]

I have exact same on.my 2012 efi.
The big fat and has a notch that the tanks tab slides into.

The opposite round end fits on head.

It's a tight fit but it works.

The fat end has two thicknesses.  The thinner ofbthe two fits in between tank tab and frame.

[Silverback]

Beat I could do for pics. First two pics are on battery side last pic on injector side.
I had purchases two thinking I would.need one on each side.
Today I thought let's see if the other fits.  It just clears injector.  So I am going to see if it helps at all.  The right hand side tank tab doesnt allow clearance for tab to slide in groove so I just bolted ot on over the tab.

[ozpacman]

Do they actually reduce the vibes?

[TrianglePete]

  I use two bikes side by side as my test mules    A 2013 C-5  and a 2014 Conti  GT.

Over the last 5 years I have put many miles and parts on these two Royal Enfields.   They both now have

all my custom parts   US Spec.   They both have balanced Bullet cranks  ( the heavier ones ).  You can never

suppress all the vibes because the engine doesn't have balance shafts, but you can make them much more

pleasing to ride longer distances.

     I often ride these bikes back to back.     The GT with the full frame is still more comfortable.  I believe that

without rubber motor mounts one needs as much dampening ( metal attached to the engine) as possible.   Also

maybe a little preload....    Adjustable head stay...   I got mine off a Harley Police bike .    In the future I would

like to buy or build a bolt on skid plate something that will solidly encircle the engine ( like the GT)  then add

a little preload with the head stay........    That should help   balanced or not.   

[Silverback]

Do they actually reduce the vibes?

i will say that my bike didn't have super bad vibe in the first place.  it was tolerable.


i initially installed my head stay as a preventative measure. i figure better to fix an issue that would probably show itself sooner or later.

it slightly reduced felt vibes nut nothing to write home about.

i also figured i would try the Carberry anti vibe plate.

relatively straight forward install and it did reduce felt vibe. it seemed to move it more to the handle bars.

as i previously posted i purchased two head stays thinking i would need two but only installed one at the time.  reading the above head stay posts. got me to thinking why not try the other.  it fit without and issue and barely cleared the injector. the clearance is close but no worry about anything shifting so o feel its good to go.

two headstays without a doubt made a huge difference in felt vibe in the bars.  the vibe is almost non existent. 

there is just a bit of a buzz at the feet. i attribute that to the Carberry plate doing its job.

again two head stays has been the most notable improvement yet.

the bike feels  like a more steady secure ride with the headstays and the shocks adjusted for two up riding.    even more enjoyment can be had.  LOL

[ozpacman]

Thanks for your detailed response Silverback - much appreciated.