BaZa
Member
New type of compensator from BDL
BDL (Belt Drives Limited) recently came out with their own compensator for chain primary Harley's. It's about half the price of other stock-style compensator's, not to mention less than half the weight. After all, BDL has an excellent reputation and have been in the Harley drive business for quite a while.
Good that there is much less weight hanging on the end of the sprocket shaft, plus the weight is closer to the motor, since there's no spring cup. Plus it does away with the shaft extension, more weight loss.
So how does it work? Instead of stacked conical springs it uses Teflon washers, which it compresses under load. The hub, or "lead flange" is splined to fit the sprocket shaft and it's threaded on the outside to fit the inside threads of the sprocket.
It goes on the shaft first (after the spacer), followed by a Teflon washer, followed by the sprocket, then another Teflon washer, then the nut flange (also splined but not threaded) then the nut, tightened to stock torque.
Since the sprocket has right-hand threads, the motor tries to "tighten" the lead flange into the sprocket, compressing the inner Teflon washer. On rebound, the sprocket tries to unscrew, compressing the nut flange Teflon washer.
So is it as good as, better than or worse than the stock setup?
BDL must have road tested this thing, they went to all the trouble to machine the parts on a mass scale.
It lists for $83. That's about the price of just an OEM sprocket without the rest of the compensator.
And here's the literature that comes with it (front & back):
Todd8080
BDL (Belt Drives Limited) recently came out with their own compensator for chain primary Harley's. It's about half the price of other stock-style compensator's, not to mention less than half the weight. After all, BDL has an excellent reputation and have been in the Harley drive business for quite a while.
Good that there is much less weight hanging on the end of the sprocket shaft, plus the weight is closer to the motor, since there's no spring cup. Plus it does away with the shaft extension, more weight loss.
So how does it work? Instead of stacked conical springs it uses Teflon washers, which it compresses under load. The hub, or "lead flange" is splined to fit the sprocket shaft and it's threaded on the outside to fit the inside threads of the sprocket.
It goes on the shaft first (after the spacer), followed by a Teflon washer, followed by the sprocket, then another Teflon washer, then the nut flange (also splined but not threaded) then the nut, tightened to stock torque.
Since the sprocket has right-hand threads, the motor tries to "tighten" the lead flange into the sprocket, compressing the inner Teflon washer. On rebound, the sprocket tries to unscrew, compressing the nut flange Teflon washer.
So is it as good as, better than or worse than the stock setup?
BDL must have road tested this thing, they went to all the trouble to machine the parts on a mass scale.
It lists for $83. That's about the price of just an OEM sprocket without the rest of the compensator.
And here's the literature that comes with it (front & back):
Todd8080