I have an 82 FXE that Im taking the motor apart and cleaning it up some. While talking to some friends about it, they mentioned getting the engine balanced. They said I could send it off and everything is measured and shaved so the motor is balanced, to make it run smoother and better. And then it would be returned to me fully assembled.

Is this a good idea and how much should I expect to pay to get it done? Also, does anyone know where a good place to do it is? I live in Phoenix so I would guess closer would be better on shipping costs. Anything else I should know about this?

 

Rebuild, balance per piston gram weights, lighten, knife-edge the wheel halves?
I know of a shop that does that.............
Scott

 

HD lower end balancing isn't a big deal if you've got the right equipment & knowledge,been balancing lower ends for 35+ years,what do you need to know?

 

Well, ive got an 82 shovelhead fxe that Im tearing down and rebuilding. A friend of mine mentioned that I could have my motor balanced to make it perform better also. I was just curious what was involved? What it actually helps? And places to get it done and cost.

 

Been balancing, modifiying, lightening those for 30 years now, and have been working on motorcycles since 1978.
They'll spool up quicker, lightened, and run very smooth, once balanced.
We use S&S Master Balancing Tooling here, along with their dedicated worksheets when performing this work.
Scott

 

in a nutshell.balancing consists of weighing your rotating parts (lower half of rods,crank pin,nuts,bearings & cages) and reciprocating (upper half of rods,pistons rings,w. pins & circlips).the reciprocating weight is multiplied by 60% (or whatever balance factor your using,we`ve found 60% to be best for most street applications),then rotating weight is added to the 60% of the reciprocating weight and divided by 2.you use this wieght as your bob weight for each flywheel.flywheels are then put on a fixture so the heavy part will rotate to the bottom,holes are drilled in the heavy part of the wheel till they don't rotate,thus being balanced.this is very simplified as im a one finger typer!! and yes it makes a VERY big dofference

 

Yep.
Just how we have done it for many years here as well.
Kirby, this is a subject that the "keyboard commandos/oufits" on some of the other forums don't/won't discuss, as they simply do not have the first clue as to how to do it.
But by golly, they are hell at texting/typing/pm'ing.......................says a lot right there.........
Scott

 

Kirby: do you still get a huge adrenaline rush, with every race at those speeds?

 

yup,been racing for 30+ years (nine in the nitro classes),still a big rush!!

 

do some research, ask some crank specialists, maybe bring up the topic of balance factor. Silvermoon cycle in WI specializes in crank work and will do a top notch job for you.