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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 Most of my intentions for a meticulous plan and detailed organization have been replaced by hours of trying to sort out the growing list of issues to keep this bike running.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.

 

 

A Little Progress

Each step with the Hedstrom motor has been a little challenging. The heart of the motor is the flywheel / crank assembly, so a lot of time was spent to get it right. A new crank and drive pin were sourced, but the pinion pin has a gear machined on the pin, which made it hard to find. So I elected to grind and plate the original back to stock dimension. The new rods were sourced from Carrillo, and odd length bearing rollers were custom ground to length. When I got happy with all my clearances, I began assembly. My first speed bump was the new rods were to wide.

The stock flywheels are forged steel on these motors, so I decided to mill some material from the inside of the wheels.

 

 

With the rod endplay set, I started the truing process. First, the drive and pinion pins were torqued to each wheel, going slow and keeping them straight.

 

 

 

Next, the crankpin (with rods) was installed and the process of truing these wheels began. The old tapers with new pins did not want to cooperate, and I wound up having to lap all 4 tapers to get the wheels true.

 

Changing to lighter weight rods and Aluminum pistons severely changed my balance factor.

 I had calculated the original factor at 58%, and with the new components, it was now slightly over 80%, so I decided to remove some weight from the counterbalance side of the wheels to get back to around 60%.

 

With the crank true and balanced, a trial fitment in the cases developed more issues. The rods were also to wide for the oil baffles, so back to the mill to remove some meat.

Secondly, with all the pin lapping I now had .035" crank endplay, which would bind the rods. All the bushing had been sized, and I really didn't want to redo them all, so I ground a hardened spacer .023" thick, pressed the bushing out, and installed the spacer behind the bushing.

Finally, all endplays, bearing clearance, shaft run out, etc.. were within specification, the bottom end was buttoned up!