Cannondaleriders

Was getting ready to load the engine when I stopped at this contraption. Is this the right way to update the mount or an ???attempt????

It is although a bolt would be better. Boomer has em. I bolt the engine in the frame and then shim that mount last. I get shims from McMaster Carr.

my parts bike had a setup just like that. Didnt seem like it was that great of a setup

The issue here is the correct application not the fastener used. You need to make sure that there is no slack anywhere, especially between the engine cradle and the outside of the motor. The spacer should be a precision machined piece with a snug fit between the engine mounting ears. You will need to make sure to shim the outside of the motor to cradle for any clearance no matter how small. Then a fastener that goes thru everything and securely locks is recommended. Over the years there have been several different variations. The original Cannondale design (which was never sold via them, as it was at the machinist when Cannondale went under) was a design where you knocked out the inner motor mount bushings and installed a spacer shaped liked a dog bone in the middle. Everything else was the same. My good friend Speed2424 made a set-up where the spacer was a bit longer to accomodate using the inner motor mount busing, but required you to drill the threads out of it so you could insert a larger diameter bolt (7/16" or 3/8"). I have also seen a kit floating around that did not use an inner spacer at all, but used a piece of all thread and jam nuts to make up the tension needed to accomplish the task.

I do have my own personal favorite, but the idea is to take the stress off of the motor mount ears and transfer the load over the entire mounting area. Think about it... the original design is pulling the ears away from the motor, and if a gap is present it would provide a lot of tension. Then think of a big hit to the chassis. Instant crack to something! Usually the motor mount ear or the cradle. Where as the new design with shims puts no tension on anything.

I do have stainless steel bolt, washer, lock nut combinations for anybody who needs them. I do not have any of the spacers, and the shims can be gotten at any good hardware source (like McMaster Carr). Although I do have some shims as well.

Is a kit similar to the Cannondale design available anywhere? I think it was originally available through R&S Performance and it's shown in the tech bulletin released by C'dale. Just not sure if it's available anywhere. I like the fact that it just has a short section of threads instead of much larger like a couple kits I've seen. It's a nice set-up and may be another alternative. The kit didn't include shims, though.

R&S may still be carrying them.

The above item looks just like the one Cannondale sent a bulletin out on. The used a stud that was custom made, not a piece of all thread. The stud only had threads for an inch or so on both ends and was unthreaded in the middle. That really isn't the point, the idea is. You need to make sure there is no slack anywhere in the middle. Cannondale only recommended doing this for the SSM cases but I think it is foolish not to do it for all cases. I think it is a design flaw to pull the ears away from the center point of the motor instead of securing it the way the update does. I also am not in total aggreement in taking out the inner motor mount bushings that are described in the bulletin as well. I prefer to drill the threads out and use the additional material in the bushing instead of knocking the bushing out.

I have the original drawings for the spacer kit. These were the ones designed by us original Cannondale engineers under the name C4 Engineering. This is the same design as RS Performance carried (we supplied them with it). It does not require shims, but it does require removal of the inner tophats. Hope this helps.

Kdeal. This would get me better off than I am today. Still have an extra bolt, washer, lock nut and shims around?
I do have stainless steel bolt, washer, lock nut combinations for anybody who needs them. I do not have any of the spacers, and the shims can be gotten at any good hardware source (like McMaster Carr). Although I do have some shims as well.

I did something a little different for my quad. I drilled out the threaded inserts in the cradle and then tapped the spacer (that I machined to fit) and had a wrench flat on it. Then I used larger 7/16 bolts through the cradle and mounting ears and tightened them into the tapped spacer with red loctite to keep them from ever moving. As long as it fits tightly between the ears it should do the job and doesn't require super long bolts.

I've never done anything for the cases in my motorcycles but maybe I should. It seems like cheap insurance.

Any thoughts on either the method or spacers on bikes?

The motorcycles do not use a rigid cradle like the quad does. They use two seperate single cradles. It can't hurt, but I am not sure if it is needed.