This is a rod-end type headsteady I made for my Norton Commando in August, 2004. It's made from 2x2" steel angle iron, 3/16" thick, from Home Depot, plus a few bolts and commercial male and female threaded rod-end joints. No precision tools are needed, but only hacksaw, drills, files, etc., yet it has a 4 1/2" rod and works as well as the commercial ones. Finally, none of the holes have to be exact because you align the rod with shims at assembly.

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This shows the top frame part, the bottom head part, and the adjustable rod. Rod-end joints are available from www.McMaster.com, and other sources. I used 1/2" male and female joints (about $7.50 each), plus a locknut. The 1/2" 20 TPI bolts & nuts in the top and bottom parts form permanent studs to hold the rod. On FINAL assembly, tighten these using JB Weld as the thread-locking compound. For other nuts use Red Loctite (271).

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Here's the parts assembled together. Measuring from the outside of the bottom part, the hole is about 1.1" high, but it's not critical. The slot is for the red ground wire. (NOTE: I'm giving measurements from the outside because the radius on the inside of the angle iron makes accurate measurement difficult).

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Here's the top part that fastens to the frame (RH side wasn't rounded at top when I made this photo). You fasten the two sections permanently with JB Weld after adjusting to a snug sliding fit on the frame boss where the headsteady rubbers were attached. Use the two 10-32 screws (fastened from underside) to hold the parts together until the JB Weld hardens. (NOTE: You're epoxying the two sections to each other, NOT to the frame!)

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Here's the mounted RH side. For best results, the rod shouldn't be at an angle either up-and-down or front-to-back with the bike on its wheels (i.e., the rod is parallel to the crankshaft). This is the side on which you adjust the rod up-and-down. I used a thinned nut (visible below the nut that holds the bolt in place), as a shim to lower the rod. I then cut off the excess 1/2" bolt to aid in future removal of the link.

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This shows the bottom end of the rod that's attached to the head. Here's where you align the rod front-to-back. To get it right, I had to thin the permanently epoxied nut that holds the 1/2" bolt onto the bottom part of the headsteady. If I had made the three holes in the bottom part further toward the back this wouldn't have been necessary, but since the rod is shimmed to final adjustment, it doesn't really matter.

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This is a view of the headsteady from above the frame. The top of the rod wound up a bit too far out (i.e., closer to the tank) than I liked, but perfectly usable. BTW, the up-and-down and front-to-back adjustments of the rod don't have to be perfect, but do the best you can. If the rod is angled, it causes some side-to-side movement when the engine vibrates.

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The two 1/2" studs should be no longer than necessary so you can remove the rod link without disturbing the other parts. Adjust the rod initially to fit the distance between the two 1/2" studs. Later it can be precisely adjusted it to make the wheels vertically parallel.

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