Hi ! Lars from Denmark Europe, here!
..haven't posted much since I signed up and introduced myself (here:
CLICK and scroll down)
As I told back then; (I visited Bonneville / BUB last year as a member of the Dreamcatcher crew)
"....
and wooops: right after I got home the voices in my head (couldn't help it)
told me to buy a frame and an Indian engine.
Unless something goes really wrong, you'll see me on that thing next year on the Salt.
Ye'Sir!
It's not like "..I want to go there next year.."
nope: I have to!!!!!..."
...so I've waited a bit to introduce my project, till I actually had something
to show and convince you brilliant experienced lot, that I would 'walk the walk'.
So here it is; the result so far, after a billion hours of work,;
(..and a billion hours of more work to do)
The
Salt Cracker INDIAN 741, 600cc Special Construction Class Vintage Supercharged Fuel (650 A-VBF)
that will run ( if the gods of speed show mercy on my bike and my poor soul,) at this years BUB in August.
This is it's current state of 'advanced mock-up' a few days ago;
(...no engine internals, but they are freshly rebuild and somewhat upgraded
and are all ready to be installed. In expect to do it right after Easter.)
Of cause the blower belt / intake arrangement is partly mock-up
but the engine-blower-drive itself is ready. As is the most difficult part to dream up;
the intake/plenum;
Yeah: I know; looks weird and big'ish, but there's an explanation for that;
the weird shape is because one want a large plenum or boost storage tank,
ideally around 150-200% of cylinder-volume, on a supercharger
V-twin,
to 'even out' the pumping action of the blower and the 'un-even' intake 'rythm',
according to all the clever old folk who did this back then.
This one is around 1200cc so pretty much spot on for this 600cc engine
The bikes configuration came about purely by 'accident':
Being and old romantic fart; I wanted to build an Indian.
Now big Indian engines are terribly expensive and I just happened
to stumble over this here (relativey) cheap small INDIAN 741 500cc engine (or more like: most of an engine)
and transmission. (They hardly ever come up for sale around here)
Here they are a few months ago:
Seamed to be in rather fair shape ....but ooops...look at the pistons:
...gotta be the worlds first 546,534 (or what ever) cubic-centimeters Indian engine ..ha ha.
At the same time a friend told about a frame for sale.
A "raw" ,never used, special frame made about 6 years ago, combining the beauty of the
gas-tank placed under the top-frame-rail and the possibility to install a 741 engine.
An INDIAN "101 lookalike", if you will.
Here it is a couple of weeks ago, when we made up the seat-'cowling'/rear-fender:
Now running an anaemic 60-something years old 500cc engine,
seamed kind of lame so decided to bore it to 600cc (plenty of material on the cylinders to do that)
and I just happened to have a small supercharger
from a small 600cc Japanese mini-car...so on it went to make things a bit more exciting.
More torque, and a high gearing / low engine-RPM's sounded like a good idea.
Nothing like high RPM's to kill an old engine.
Now a tuned supercharged engine makes a lot of heat (dangerously so)
and the decision was made to run on 'fuel' , in this case methanol, to cool things down.
So there it was; (running the BUB / AMA rules) a 650 A-VBF bike.
That means I run for a 'soft' (not set before) record.
Some will find that wussy.
Well; be my guest, call me a wuss.
I think it is very much in the spirit of Bonneville and in the spirit
of dear old Mr. Burt Munro, to drag a nearly 70 years old INDIAN across the globe, from another continent,
solely to run it on the Salt.
I'll post the progress on the bike here as I get things done
and look back to contemplate some of the problems, the solutions, the not-totally-stupid ideas
and the downright idiocy that brought the bike to it's current state.
Here's the vital info:
...ca. 1940 Indian 741 engine
...bored to 600. New pistons
...totally rebuild with new or rebuild everything, from lifters
to bearings
...con-rods magna-flux tested for cracks and shot-peen'ed
...bigger exhaust valves
...small alterations of bearings
...slightly modified lubrication
...slightly modified crank-vent system
...blower drive running from crank (more on that later)
...seperate oil-tank fabbed inthich aluminum
...KingClutch
...modified transmission bushes for better lubrication
...transmission rebuild with new bearings and
closed off from side-cover for separate lubrication
...300cc AISIN supercharger rebuild with new bearings etc.
...1 3/4 Rivara Eliminator SU carburettor
...one-of frame. TIG welded construction, except for the cast steering head
and rear axle mounts (new reproduction 101 castings).
Seamless precision steel tubes, DIN 2391.
Cast reproduction fittings brazed as per original frames.
Engine plates are Duralumin
+ a million other small things. I can safely say that there's
not a single part n the bike that has not been worked over or replaced,
from the smallest washer in the engine, over rebuilding the blower... to new wheel spokes
Running gear:
...front end from a nineties Sportster . Lowered 2" and progessive springs installed
...front wheel; 21" costum off a Sportster as well (new Avon Spedmaster tire)
...rear wheel; 17" from a Suzuki 500T (rubber not decided yet)
Miss.:
...Tarozzi rear controls. Left side:
foot-clutch. Right side: rear-brake
Gear-shifter; old-style hand shifter. Ignition advance in left-hand
hand-control.
...ignition: 'total-loss' (no alternator) / Odyssey batteri / coil / 'electronic (contact-less) ignition
made by INDIAN PARTS EUROPE
...gas-tank is cast (!!!) aluminum. Made by a friend as
a reproduction of the original Indian, one-year-only, cast tank.
Comes like his:
...then one has to polish/weld/finish and install filler-neck, fuel line etc. oneself.
Latest update:
we (that's me and my friend Kenneth who has devoted countless days and hours
to help me) made this rather funky, if I may say so, exhaust-pipes a couple of day ago:
Hope I haven't bored you silly with this long winding post.
Forgive me if my English is somewhat inapt; English is not my mother tongue
so I'll probably come off as a 9 year old retard from time to time.
............................................................................
From the bottom of my heart, and with humble gratitude I'd like to
profoundly thank the following great individuals, without whom this project
would never ever have had a snowman's chance in hell to become a reality:
...”Rocky” of
Dreamcatcher fame, and his brilliantly friendly
crew who accepted me as crew-member at last years BUB Bonneville event and sparked
my hidden inner Indian .-)
Thanks Rocky, thanks guys !
...”Moen” who runs
Indian Parts Europe, for immeasurable help,
encouragement and willingness to patiently share his encyclopedic knowledge of all
things mechanic in general, and Indian-related in particular.
Thanks Moen !
...,
”Kenneth” the brilliant Jack of All Fabricating Trades,
who at an early stage offered to spend a great chunk (and then some) of
of his spare-time helping me out, doing all the stuff I'm just too plain dumb to do;
alu-welding, fabricating stuff on the lathe and on the mill.
If I was paying the guy for what he's work is worth; he would be a rich man by now.
Thanks Kenneth !
