mrindian

With my Chief I decided to put in a King Clutch which is really pretty sweet. Though I must say just grooving your regular disks is almost as good.

My 741 which I’ve had since the 70’s I pretty much just got used to getting the revs just right and letting it slide into gear without grinding with just a click. This can also be helped by using…[Read more]

I want to thank you guys for all the great advice, I can’t wait to get it on the street, I’ve been working on it for quite a while,in between other things. I’ll probably have a few more questions . Thanks again  Bob Smock

Sit on the bike and practice going thru the motions shifting into every gear. get yourself prepared for the ride of a lifetime. the first ride on a chief has got to be one of the best feelings in the world. and you will remember it for the rest of your life. As always be safe. if you live in a congested part of town and don’t have any open space…[Read more]

I put a King Clutch in my 47 after riding for a year, and I love it. 

I had a bad experienjce my first ride because I did not put the kickstand all the way up. When I went to turn to the left onto a highway it locked into the down position and I ended up in the ditch on the side of the road. So be careful about that.  I was fortunate that the d…[Read more]

Thanks for the help,I have not had a chance to ride it yet, I still need to put the chain on and a couple of other small details, I put a new King Clutch in, is there anything I need to worry about for that first ride? Thanks again  Bob Smock

I agree with Duckman about the lube. I also shy away from WD40 as it tends to “wash away” some of the better lubes.  I have a 1947 Chief and there is no return spring on the throttle, but it is easy to move it back and forth. I like the fact that it will stay in the position that you set it, kind of a 1940’s version of cruise control that helps…[Read more]

i usually lube the whole length of the wires and a little bit on the sleeves moving parts.

I don’t like wd40 or any spray lube for this as it attracts dirt.

many people will probably pound me for saying that but it’s just riders choice which lube to use on the wire cable and moving parts.

Duckman,the oil is pumping great, i thought that
the throttle may just need a little filing,do you
think some white lithium in the T slide
may help ?Thanks for your help and advice ,Bob
Smock

The twist grips on the carb side shouldn’t be so stiff as to have to use force to turn the throttle in or out. Sometimes this stiffness is caused because the T slot part in the grip is to tight. (not actually a tee slot)  
 
Sometimes people have to take a file to the sleeve and just remove a small amount of material, in between the sl…[Read more]

Duckman, I started the engine today, everything
went fine,had a problem getting the carb
adjusted correctly,but finally prevailed, I have
another question ,if you don’t mind,should the
throttle have a return spring @ the carburetor or
am I missing something on the grip end for a
more positive return? Everything seems very
stiff and I have to twist…[Read more]

Duckman, I did not start it yet, been extremely
busy with work,hope to fire it up soon, thanks
for your interest,I’ll let you know when I do,
Thanks again, Bob Smock

Bob did you start the engine.

Duckman, thanks for the help, I am going to try to fire it up this weekend, I’ll let you know how it goes, Bob Smock

depending on wether you primed the oil pump or not. i would pour about 4 ounces of 50 weight oil in the inspection hole on the engine case. replace the inspection plug, i would remove the oil cap and using a oil squirt can fill the return tube with oil. keep the can handy. i would remove the plugs squirt a very little bit of oil in each piston a…[Read more]

The “Gilroy” bikes were all S&S knockoffs…all folks are riding are
S&S based bikes with a few tweaks. But the 92 inch Indian engine
S&S made for Indian that is labeled Indian was probably one of the
best engines S&S ever made since it is a lot smoother and rides like
a cadillac. The round fins are thicker and some say provide a
smoother…[Read more]

As for vintage Indians, you have to be talented enough to operate a foot clutch, shift a hand-shifter, control a spring-less throttle, and operate a spark control throttle, all while braking and giving hand signals. Plus, you need to know how to maintain one.

Hi,

If you hold the speedo button down then turn the bike on the speedo should take you through a calibration setup.  You may need to hit the button while following a car with correct speed then hit the button once more when you are at 55mph.  If that doesn’t work then check with VDO or Autometer for information.

Chopper6