Hanging with My RSES

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rozemab
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Hanging with My RSES

#1

Post by rozemab »

I wanted to share with the Forum my adventure of installing the Right Side Electric System (RSES) on my 1958 Panhead. The usual disclaimer, I have no financial interest in RSES. I'm just a fellow panhead owner that wants to continue to ride my '58 Panhead motorcycle.


I just received the unit yesterday and I thought I would share some pictures of "what's in the box ? "

So, what's in the box ? I purchased the system and oil bag from Russ. It was packaged well using heavy rubber foam and double boxes.

Everything in the box:
RSES Unit, new clutch push rod, Sportster starter motor, the oil bag, bags of misc hardware, new kicker cover gasket, printed instructions, and now.... a DVD formatted disk showing the disassembly, installation, and assembly of the system on your tranny.

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Some notes to share:

- The construction and build quality are first class! Truly I was impressed with the RSES and the heavy-duty design and construction of the unit. Everything is built 'triple thickness'.

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- The oil bag is much heavier than the factory bag. With the new system, you do not need to use a battery tray as the unit has the tray built-in with the bag. The bag is unfinished but has a protective finish on it for handling and storage. I plan to have it painted black like the factory tank. The welds on the tank are beautiful, very consistent in shape and form throughout the bag.

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- The new system eliminates the clutch fork, throwout bearing and kicker short shaft. Instead it uses a ball and ramp system to push the rod to disengage the plates. The mouse trap, rods etc are eliminated as a single cable is used to activate the clutch. I plan on leaving the trap on the bike as I like the look of it and it is fun to scare the shiat out of others when it snaps at their fingers !!

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- The DVD is really helpful as the printed instructions can be difficult to follow. It is about 23 minutes long and goes into great detail on the internals of the RSES unit.

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- The motor is fine although I could not determine the make or manu of it.


- No electrical are supplied with the unit. Depending on how you want to set it up will determine the starter circuit. In my case I will be using the tool box on the right side and a 60 amp starter switch etc. as the circuit. Others might want a handle bar starter circuit thus it will require more design including a relay etc. I will provide pictures of my setup once the assembly is completed.

- Finally a picture of my gutted panhead. Kudos to this Forum as I was not aware you had to pull the rear fender to remove the oil bag. The first step is to dry mount the RSES to gauge what I need to weld up for the rear bag support. (Rear support is part of the oil bag kit.) My goal is to use the solid metal oil lines in the installation. I think the only one I will need to have Dennis Corso make for me is the oil feed line since the port on the back of the bag will be 1.5 to 2 inches higher than factory port.

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As the build comes along, I will be updating this thread with progress reports.

Be a man, ride a Pan !

Brian
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#2

Post by Bigincher »

Thanks for posting, this will be interesting to follow, and offer a good insight for forum members thinking of going this route.
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#3

Post by George Greer »

Thanks for the photos.

I too may be going this route as I will be turning 60 this June......and I don't want to wear out any more parts on me any more than I gotta! :D

George
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#4

Post by Scrap »

George Greer wrote:Thanks for the photos.

I too may be going this route as I will be turning 60 this June......and I don't want to wear out any more parts on me any more than I gotta! :D

George
60 is old? Come on, I'll be 64 this month and I feel like I'm still 62.
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#5

Post by Mark44 »

Scrap wrote:
George Greer wrote:Thanks for the photos.

I too may be going this route as I will be turning 60 this June......and I don't want to wear out any more parts on me any more than I gotta! :D

George
60 is old? Come on, I'll be 64 this month and I feel like I'm still 62.
60? Wish I could remember that far back. My next birthday will be seven-oh.

That starter system is an interesting setup, with a chain drive on the starter. The new clutch rod is set up just like on the Twin Cam, where the cable pulls on an arm and causes ball bearings to ride up a ramp. The ramp arrangement might have started with the Evo - it's definitely not on my last-year Shovelhead.
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#6

Post by 58flh »

Thanks so much!--Its a work of great engineering,Russ has a nice piece!--Blows the old prestolites away!,--The bendix looks of good material & I been talking to another owner,Bendixs are the weaklink!--BUT not according to that photo!--& the shaft is quality also!--Nobody has any problems with the ones running!YES ITS money!,but if if ya paid $500 for something ,by the time your done fixing & tweaking youll be up to $2500.That piece is nice 8) & its not difficult nor time consuming. Great job RUSS.-----Richie
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#7

Post by john HD »

Russ has been a member here since 10/2011 i hope he sees this and jumps in!

john
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#8

Post by rmcrh »

Thank you for the :twisted: posting. Will be following with extreme interest.
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#9

Post by rlp56 »

Russ Peterson here, the creator of this device, hello and thanks to those who work to bring us this site.
With John's invite I will jump in.

Brian just purchased the RSES. We have only communicated by email and I do not know him personally. He asked my permission to share his experience and this is a great opportunity for this ultra knowledgeable forum to receive an unbiased review of a NEW approach to the electric starter for old 4 speed HD.

Please notice that absolutely NO VINTAGE PARTS WILL BE AFFECTED OR MODIFIED DURING THIS PROCESS!!
The machine can easily be returned to original if ever desired.

I will let Brian and my other customers do the talking but if you have questions my email and phone is on my site http://www.4speedelectricstart.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Thanks, Russ
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#10

Post by panheadzz »

I will be following this closely also. Even tho I am turning 61 soon and still am able to kick my bikes over there will come a time that this will enter into my mind. One of my problems is I have 7 kickstart bikes, 3 are Indians, and that adds up to quite a nut to crack. (No pun intended). Needless to say some are easier to start than others, but right now, they are manageable since they are timed and set up quite well. It looks like a well thought out and relatively simple process and the fact that no parts are altered in any way makes it even more attractive to the person that doesn't want to forever change an original part on his bike. Kudos to Russ on this engineering feat to help us old codgers keep on the road for a while longer.
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#11

Post by Huck »

I’ve pondered a back yard set up resembling a system like used starting a drag bike. Wired with enough cable to store and pull from the saddle bag, all required being on board. Some of these newer batteries are pretty sassy. Any body seen anything like this?
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#12

Post by john HD »

russ,

ever hear from john endrizzi?

i saw his knuck at the crud ride with the rses on it. perhaps he could jump in as well and give some feedback.

john
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#13

Post by panhog »

I bought one of Russ's RSES in April of this year for my 1964 DuoGlide. Great piece of engineering. Easy to install. Works like a charm. I am as happy as a pig in mud. Thanks, Russ. Lee in Waco.
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#14

Post by jdpan »

The only downfall I can see with this unit is that you lose the ability to kick start the bike in case of an electronic or mechanical failure, other than that, looks pretty damn cool!!
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Re: Hanging with My RSES

#15

Post by rozemab »

Started the mock-up by disassembling the RSES. To mount the unit to your transmission you need to remove most of the internals.

It really is not that bad. With the included DVD, and watching a few times, the process is very straight forward.

- Remove cover
- Remove master link, remove chain
- Remove small sprocket (snap ring and washer)
- Remove ball and ramp assembly
- Remove linkage
- Remove gear-sprocket assembly.
- Reinstall the linkage (This keeps the keyhole assembly secure in the keyhole on the backside of the unit.)

This picture shows the insides less the chain and the smaller sprocket. The ball and ramp assembly is underneath the smooth round cover. The new clutch cable enters the RSES from the top right, and attaches to the ramp assembly. I have my new cable on order from Barnett (sp?) . Cost was around $75 shipped.


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This shows the keyhole assembly secured within the opening on the backside of the unit. This assembly pushes squarely against the starter gear (similar to the kicker gear) so that it disengages the clutch.

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This next picture shows the RSES oil bag temporary installed above the unit. I wanted to point out the original steel oil lines mated up perfectly with the new bag.

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My first 'oops'. I want to use a steel oil line for the oil feed, Because the bag fed port sits higher, I will need to have Dennis Corso make me a new feed line with the vertical section a tab bit longer. I wanted to use my original line, and measure centerline (line) to centerline (port on the bag) to figure out have much more
to add to the vertical. The problem is I cannot install the feed line with the RESE unit in place ! I cannot figure out the right sequence of twisting and turning the line to clear the RESE and the frame etc. I guess once I measure the rear mount supports, I can remove the starter, RESE unit, and install the feed line for my measurement.


This is a heads on shot showing how well the bottom of the new oil bag follows the contours of the RESE.

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This final shot gives you a perspective of the amount of room there is underneath the bag and the RSES starter. You can see the solenoid end cap to the left. Although not pictured, the saddle aux springs are very close to the new bag as the new bag is about 1/2 in wider than the factory bag. I have the aux springs but I really do not see it being a big issue.

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Tomorrow I will mark up the rear support and get it welded by a local shop. PLus I can get an accurate measurement of the vertical distance for the new oil feeder line.

All this depends on the amount of snow Central Indiana is expecting tonight. Currently they are predicting six plus inches of snow. :roll:
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