Hi, I have just noticed after re installing the 750 F2 engine in my 1979 Rickman that it appears the engine is not central in the chassis.
I thought that I had put the engine spacers in the wrong positions thereby throwing the engine over to the left ( when sitting on the bike ).
I looked back at some photos I took before the strip down and it shows the engine over to the left.
It doesn't look right and I would have thought the engine would be relatively central in the frame.
Also there's a few things telling me it should go over to the right more like one exhaust is close to the frame and the engine is touching the frame at the bottom where the oil pipes attach. A top view shows the carbs are looking NOT centralised.
Question.
Should the engine sit centrally in the frame or offset ?
any assistance appreciated
Engines in motorcycles are usually centered in the chassis by weight, not external dimensions. if you want to check if your engine is centered properly, find the engine's center of gravity and then find the center of gravity for the chassis and see if they line up width wise. I think you'll find that the engine sits offset. Think about it, one side of the crank has this giant heavy spinning weight for the stator, and the other side doesn't.
I've seen some guys balance lateral weight on bikes using a block and tackle. They find the CG for the engine/frame by suspending it till it is level and then adjust by moving weight around.
F2 engine in a 79 frame?
Rickman made SOHC and DOHC custom frames well into the 1980's. It's not a stock honda frame. Interestingly enough, the SOHC and DOHC rickman are pretty much the same frame.
BTW, SOHC engines do bolt right into stock honda DOHC frames. I've actually seen more than one over the years. no welding or cutting, the engine mounts line up. You can't put a DOHC in a SOHC frame because the engine is too tall.
