Carlsbad: The final Stage

Sunday morning dawned to a beautiful morning. Enough  of nerves and emotions for everyone. What had started 2 years earlier as a quest, had reached the final day. One more mountain to climb.

After some minor clutch adjustments, my 8:30 start time rolled around, and we headed up route 74. Eleven miles of climbing right off the start. The Indian was running really well, and what a joy it was climbing out of Palm Desert. As the road twisted and climbed, you could look out over the valley, each switchback higher and higher. It was a glorious ride, cresting on a beautiful plateau. We turned on route 371, thru Anza, and followed it back down towards civilization.





We had one last scheduled lunch stop at Temecula. I got there early, and had over an hour before the departure time. We ate, talked to the crowd, each other, then finally headed for Carlsbad. The traffic was bad leaving Temecula, making the motors run hot, but we finally got out of town and on some open roads.

It was on on of these open sections, running along about 45 mph, that I heard the familiar sound of a motor exhaling thru the intake valve. I pulled off, and sure enough the rear intake valve was wide open. Pulling the intake dome revealed a broken valve spring, but the spring keepers were gone. Determined to finish, I changed the spring, and secured it with a large cotter pin I had. I didn't know where the spring keepers had gone, but I was willing to chance it. I buttoned the valve train back up, started the bike, and the front intake hung open. So back off the bike I came, and removed the front valve dome. Both keepers were in the front intake valve, so I removed them and started reassembly. By this time I had quite an audience, including the chase truck. In the heat of the moment, I cross threaded the intake valve tensioning nut in the dome, and despite all our efforts at chasing these

threads, my time had run out.

So there on the side of the road, 28 miles from Carlsbad, my 2016 Cannonball ended. After all the effort, help, highs and lows, I had come up just a little short. Some days the bear does in fact get you.

But what an incredible experience and challenge, riding a 102 year old motorcycle across this country. It's always the unexpected that stands out, whether a particular road, event, or personal interaction that stands out in your memory. You never know when it's going to happen, so you keep pushing on.

 

Doug Jones 2016 

Stage 14

Stage 14 started nice as we headed out of Lake Havasu into the desert. We had a hundred mile stretch with no services, so everyone was carrying spare fuel. My fuel tank had been leaking again the day before, and last night repairs were on my mind.

 It was a beautiful morning, on spectacular roads as we crossed into California. The grade kept dropping, and at about 50 miles we started across the desert. 100 miles of nothing, and I was glad it was early so the temps were only approaching 90.

We headed south towards Palm Desert, crossing thru Joshua Tree and the Painted Canyon.

  

The day ended with the bike running fairly well, but the clutch throw out bearing howling. These bikes are tired, they were never designed for this, and add a century of aging and it is pretty amazing we are even here. We serviced the clutch, repaired some brackets, and bled the oil pump. Now we only have the Sierras to cross in the morning.

Tomorrow we will end this journey in Carlsbad. Excited and a little sad to see it. Got to get there first, one more day headed west.

Stage 13 : Route 66

the day started out nice and cool, with a good ride down old Route 66. We followed the old route from Williams Az to Lake Havasu City. There is a lot of history along that old road, along with the remnants of days gone by. The thought I kept having was that I was riding a machine from an era even before Route 66. Kind of amazing.

Our lunch stop was hosted by Mother Road Harley Davidson, and as with all the previous stops the crowd was huge. The people really turn out to see the old bikes. I pulled in with Victor, only to discover my fuel tank was leaking again.

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The road after lunch took us down from 7000 ft to 400 ft. Temperatures picked up also, as we head towards California. Still tracing Rote 66,

we got Havasu City by 4 pm, and had a reception with another large crowd.

Then it's back to the motel to get ready for Stage 14. Got to fix a broken rear fender, install another brake band, fix a fuel tank, load tomorrow's route, and whatever else we find. It all makes for a pretty long day. 

Williams Az

Getting  ready to head down from 7000 ft to 400 ft. It's 35 degrees, heading to 90. Gonna be a challenge. At least it's not raining.

Some pretty cool Michael Lichter shots

Probably the only thing I've passed

Climbing a Grade

Grand Canyon

Durango to Page Az for stage 9 was a beautiful run. Southwest Colorado is a beautiful place, then the canyons of the Navahoe are special. You just can't ride thru without thinking of the history. We went thru four corners, then followed the high plains into Page Az. Crossed lake Powell on the way in. The bike really ran well with all the "adjustments". Valves seem to be seated well, and the domes are holding.

Stage 10 took us to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I was looking foward to today for many reasons, but the weather had another idea. The  rain and wind were so hard that it was hard to ride, and the canyon was completely socked in with fog. Made all the miles again for the 2nd day since all the valve problems.

The Grand Canyon 

Headed up the road 

Durango Colorado

its been a couple of tuff days for. Team 96. Leaving Dodge City, I completely blew the top off both intake valve domes. 13 miles into the day and I was done. Being early, I decided to take the penalty points and leave course with my support. We drove on to Pueblo and I rebuilt the top end in the back of the van.

Getting ready to run the following morning, it became obvious I had bigger problems. The valves
would not seal, and I would have to do a complete valve job. So we loaded the van and headed over Wolf Creek Pass to Durango. It was tough to be not riding on some of my favorite roads.

We got to Durango in time to make the repairs, and are ready for Wednesday morning.

Rest Day

The rest day. A chance to take a little break, get a few items sorted on the bike, and relax.
Not today.

We started around 9:30 am, and packed it in at 9:00 pm. 12 hours in the parking lot, trying to get things patched up. The rear tire was changed, along with repackaging the loose ball bearings. The brake band was bent, so a little time and some persuasion was applied. We then reclined a spare brake band with the new material sent from Dalton.

The valve pockets and heads were removed. All 4 valves were removed, cleaned, and lapped. The rear intake spring had collapsed, just like the front had done back in West Va. I was lucky it cost me points yesterday. We found some high temperature sealant to try on the domes, and are hoping it works. I got some new stainless springs for the intakes.

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As of 10:30 pm, the bike is ready again. I think it is back in pretty good shape for the second half of the a Cannonball. We will find out starting at 8:00 am.

Headed to Colorado!

Stage 8

Stage 8 was a 184 mile run from Wichita to Dodge City Kansas. The roads took us the farm land of central Kansas, and was a good ride. The bike was not behaving today, with the intake seals leaking and I'm having fueling problems. I stopped twice to drain the float bowl, letting water and trash out. The air leaks on the valve domes continue to be a problem. In the old days these were sealed with asbestos, but that is hard to come by today.

I limped along with very limited power, thank goodness the roads were ere flat. I pulled into the finish at the foot of Boot Hill, barley running and proud to be there. Tomorrow is the rest day, and I'll have to get this thing running better. I'll have to get it running a lot better before Colorado.

Dodge City Kansas

Wyatt Earp old Jail

New Brakes

I have been wondering about my decision to ride this bike in its original condition. The brakes are next to nothing, which becomes challenging in traffic. So we have been trying to come up with a solution. The boys back home sent word they come up with a plan they thought would help, and had forwarded the parts to Wichita. I was excited to finally be getting some help.

We got the box from and front desk, and went to work with the installation. Thankfully they included instructions.

So within minutes I was ready to go

Stage 7

Stage 7 started in Springfield Missouri with a ride to Wichita Kansas. Beautiful riding, but some nasty black clouds were waiting. Not long after we stated, it became obvious were going to get wet.

It rained so hard I could hardly se the road at times, but the bike never missed a lick. Arriving at the lunch stop, with even worse weather headed our way, the organizers called the day.

The day officially ended at the Twisted Oz Motorcycle Museum. The fed all the riders, and we enjoyed the museum.

Days 3 thru 6

the pace moves awfully fast on these rally's. Riding 250 miles at 40 mph, then doing the events, then working on the bike makes for a long day. The attrition rate has been higher than 2014, and everyone is having problems keeping the bikes going. The organizers added 30 minutes to our grace period at the end of each day, which will help bikes make it in if they are having problems.

The days seem to blend together, with the exception of day 4. At about 165 miles the bike started losing power. I tried adjusting the carb on the fly, but at mile 170 wound up on the side of the road. Checking the valves, I found the front intake flopping loose, so l pulled the intake dome and the spring had completely collapsed. I tried to remove the tappets and run it as a single, but with the intake, not sealing, my day was over. I got my first ride on the bus. Along night later the bike was up and running, with complete scores on days 5 and 6.

Each day brings a new challenge with these bikes. It's amazing how much difference a few years in design and development was made during this period. It's completely different from the experience I had with the 29 Indian. So far we have lined 3 brake bands, changed 3 head gaskets, 4 intake seals, 1 intake seal, solder a leaking fuel tank, and nursed a poorly designed clutch.

But we're still in it, and heading for California. It's 6 am, and time to make the donuts.

Day 2

Day 2 was another tuff day. The mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia are a bit much for a 100 year old single speed motorcycle. More problems with the clutch, brakes, and valves. Quickly going through my supply of brake linings. It is suppose to flatten out tomorrow, so hoping for the best.

Saturday nights action in the parking lot

Tonight we got to work on them inside the Harley dealer in Morgantown.

Still running with all the miles, so we rebuild it to go again tomorrow.

Day 1

6:00 am in Atlantic City. Nervous Anticipation. The common attitude seems to be that with this old a bike, you just never know. It all starts at 8:10. I can only hope for the best, and maybe a little luck!

10:00 am everyone is ready at the boardwalk.

The he route for Stage 1 was tuff due to the red lights, heat and traffic. It is pretty hard to ride a 7 hp single speed motorcycle in a contested city . The congestion stayed with us for most of 150 mile first day, taking its toll on a lot of bikes.

We finished the 1st day with a blown head gasket, worn brake, and a abused clutch, but we got all the miles without penalty. Repairs were completed by 9:00 pm, and tomorrow's route is loaded. We get in some mountains tomorrow, so we will she how she climbs.

Atlantic City

Ready to sign in.

Showtime

the final preparations for the 2016 Cannonball were a little different than I had planned. I was hoping to be going over small details, but the indian had other plans. Between stuck rings, stripped buttress threads, sticking valves, and broken valve domes the stress level remained intense right up to the end. i have to thank my buddies at Perpetual Machine Co for all the help in getting these issues sorted out. They really stepped up!

So with odometers and tool kits mounted, # plates secured, and the van all packed, Team 96 is ready to head north to Atlantic City. It doesn't seem possible that it is here. It seems like yesterday we were heading to Daytona for the 2014 Cannonball. I can only hope this one is as good.

Team 96 is ready to go!

Thirty Days

Where has all the spare time gone? Most of my intentions for a meticulous plan and detailed organization have been replaced by hours of trying to sort out the growing list of issues to keep this bike running. Fragile is the best description for these Hedstrom Indians. A lot of time has been spent in roadside study, but we are getting to know each other well.

We planned a 140 mile shakedown with fellow Cannonballers Erik Bahl and Steve Alexander, and headed into the North Georgia mountains. Jake Segars ran chase in the van, with Roy Chapman on his 46 Chief.

The Appalachian foothills rolling around Ellijay proved a good test for the bikes, and a learning experience for the riders. The awareness of difficulty of this years Cannonball is clear. These antiques will require a special focus and attention to every detail to complete this journey, not to mention a fair share of luck!

ROLL ON, 2016!

First Miles

This bike, as previously posted, is assembled as close to original specs as I could get for a 1914 Indian. Staying true to the design and technology of the day gives you a glimpse of what it was like riding an early form of motorized transportation. So with a lot of hours of rebuild behind me, we headed out.

The first ride was an eye opener. The motorcycle was geared high, and when I finally got the clutch fully disengaged, the single speed was loafing down the road at about 55 mph. The motor seemed to want more fuel, but this is not adjustable on the soup can carb. It also wants to run a constant speeds, and doesn't react quickly to throttle adjustments. Final first ride observations.......... It could use a little more brake.

First Life

It is always a special day when one of these projects come to life for the first time. You never really know what to expect. So early one Saturday morning, I pushed the 14 out in the driveway, and got ready to fire it up. I primed the carb, retarded the spark, disengaged the clutch, and started pedaling. Within a few revolutions of the motor it roared to life, for the first time in 76 years. The Indian basket was finally alive!

Finishing the Build

I had previously done a lot of work getting ready for this stage. The cylinders were bored and .020 over pistons were fitted. I again choose to use a modern Aluminum piston with an oil control ring, which were sourced thru Arius. New exhaust valves and guides were fitted, along with new intakes for the valve towers.

 

With the top end complete, the tedious task of setting the magneto timing and the correct valve overlap began. As with the 101, the cam ring on the magneto was worn, and had to be finessed to get both cylinders firing at the correct degree. A lot of time was also spent timing the valves, but eventually all fell into place.

 

 

 

I plan on running the original Hedstrom carburetor, so it was disassembled and cleaned. It is a very early design, simple but surprisingly effective. The intake nipples were cleaned and faced, and everything sealed.

 

New clutch linings and metal plates are fitted, along with new springs. This clutch will have to be right, for it is a known weak point on these single speed bikes.

It takes 3 drive chains on one of these Indians, and new 520 was fitted. Trying to find chain narrow enough was tricky, but all went smooth on installation.