Comments on: Sunbeam S7

By: Mattro

Mattro — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:09:30 +0000

that brake lever is interesting — inverted fulcrum and in-bar wiring? i’m SO stealing that!

By: Eric Lenson

Eric Lenson — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:29:48 +0000

Correction to my previous posting………it was a S7 Deluxe 1956 vintage. The S8 was the same thing really but did not look as nice as the fat tyred S7.

By: Eric Lenson

Eric Lenson — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:19:05 +0000

I had a S8 Deluxe in the late sixties, used to ride it to the where I did my apprenticeship at Henly Beach in South Austarlia. Yes I agree with some previous comments about reliability especially the ignition, and the generator, but I could always get it going regardless. Rode it in all conditions for three years until I could afford a 700 Royal Enfield. The Enfield made the poor old Sunbeam seem like it had come out of the Ark. Yet after all these years the Sunbeam still has a charm that no other bike I have ridden has, wish I still had it.

By: kim scholer

kim scholer — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:54:04 +0000

The system the newer Harleys use is much like the Norton Isolastic system. A bit improved, of course, but with the engine/driveline isolated from the frame and front end.

By: Andrew Webster

Andrew Webster — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:10:37 +0000

And of course, another vibration monster, the Harley Davidson Sportster introduced the “revolutionary” idea of rubber mounting the engine about five years ago. I’ve no idea how it worked, but my friend had an earlier model which vibrated so insanely that everything had to be wired and loctited on.

By: kim scholer

kim scholer — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:24:30 +0000

BMW R27 (1960-66) and Swiss military Condors with Ducati engines (1960s through 70s) used rubber mounting too. Anyone else out there know something?

By: Andrew Webster

Andrew Webster — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:16:57 +0000

Another thing I remember about my Sunbeam was that you had to adjust the rubber “snubbers” that acted as an engine steady and balance against torque reaction. Unless you got them dead right, the whole bike vibrated in a horrible fashion. Once adjusted correctly, the engine was one of the smoothest i have ever experienced. Low power equalled tractability and smoothness. The lower powered Triumphs were the same – 3TAs, 5TAs, T100As etc. I think twins of this era lose their smoothness with higher outputs. Norton solved that by isolating the engine from the frame, and the Sunbeam had a similar ingenious scheme some 15 years earlier.