starting rollers

[ducati2242]

Never had a problem with the batteries of the many ducatis ive owned even newer 2020 bikes but this one is a special . 1 of 200 made world wide in 2006 , I believe , for the AMA racing series Homologation . Incredible bike but Batteries take a pasting . probably to small for the task .

[BILL NELSON]

cant find a relevent place to post so..
Ive got a Vtwin Laverda 750 to take the place of the A10 , trouble is, Ive found it hard to start on the button, nature of the bike not me, SO
was wondering if anyone had made plans for home made starter rollers .
As the A 7/10 and A50/65 twins and the big B singles need a good kick to start and some of us are getting older, I thought maybe someone has drawn up plans to make a set of rollers like those used in motogp, drag racing where the high comp motors are used.


I will add for clarification, the old Laverda SF750 was a parallel twin that was probably how BSA should have gone , looks and electric start, unfortunately the Zane generation Laverda was basically a race bike, which riding around town and being unable to start without rollers is a bit of a problem...

SOLO have appeared at some Club events and seem to be well made kit. They might do a deal for BSAOC?

I made a set some years ago with/for a mate we used a spare car starter motor & a chain drive to 2 conical guide rollers from a dinghy traler & another 2 of the same free-wheeling. I can't remember how we locked the rollers to the axles, but the axles ran in pillow block bearings, mounted on a 2" angle iron chassis. We made it up as we went along and to be honest, although it worked OK, it would have been better to buy a proper set.
(P.S. when the bike wouldn't start, detailed investigation revealed we were turning the wheel backwards)

These days I'd probably suggest buying 2 battery packs - 1 for home and recharging & the other to carry when out riding. It's easy enough to fit heavy wires diect to the battery on the bike, terminated in a female connector (to avoid a short) somewhere handy, so you don't have to dismantle the bike to get to the battery. Waterproof connectors are a must & a helpful smear of silicone grease is recommended. It's best not to try to charge the battery pack on the bike as the bike's regulator may not be compatible.
If in doubt, a good Vehicle Electrician will be able to advise or do it for you. Make sure the connections and the battery packs are suitable for the heavy current draw that the bike's starter motor needs.

[RTwo]

Way, way back when I spent my weekends at one racetrack on another, we used to simply put a pair of long rollers mounted in a frame under the rear wheel of the van.
Long enough so that there was a couple of feet sticking out of the side.
Starting the bikes was just putting it on the rollers and running the van in gear (just put the bike on the correct way round  )

[John Dynostar]

I have had customers at the shop with starting rollers and vans . such a faffing going on.
then the trolley with the wheel you push agains the bike.
both two man operations or grumpy wife 

then the solo arrived, what a breath of fresh air. I bought one second hand and sold it when we finished the project we were on with.
https://www.solomotorcycleproducts.com/wordpress/index.php/starter/
cannot recomend them high enough
or any such comparable product although the home brews never seem to be as good some how

[chaz]

the Solo looks nice but around the £600 to 700 just to use once, dont think so.

[John Dynostar]

I got a second hand one for £300  we used it for the 3 months we were involved in the project and sold it for £350.
I now have an auto start on my dyno but it cost me a bit of dosh, the Solo was avery cheap get out of jail
and cost very little , but its each to their own.