Early Scout rim dimensions

[jellywrestler]

What's the correct rim sizing for a 1924 Indian Scout?
We're busy playing with one down here in New Zealand and looking at getting her back on the correct set of feet.

[c.o.]

The brochure says " "26 inch in diameter, wire front and rear, C.C. type steel rims, knockout axles.

[Tom Lovejoy]

Bet Cory is on it, you could check the 101 club - they will know for sure.

[Tommo]

I'm not an Indian man but I'd have said 26 x 3 Beaded Edge tyres on a 20 inch clincher rim.
26 inch is the overall height of the tyre and 3 inch the height of the sidewall of the tyre.
As the tyre has a top and bottom sidewall you add 3 and 3 together to get 6 inches which you subtract from 26 to get 20 inches, which is your rim size.

[c.o.]

After work tonight I took a rough measurement on a clincher for my Powerplus. It was a little over 23 inches in diameter. With the rubber I'd be willing to bet it would end up around the 26 inch mark which would make sense given Tommo's mention of an overall height of a tire being 26 inches. Now I'm scratching my head a bit wondering about a later model Scout. Things could be different.

[Tommo]

Cory,
I'd have thought your Powerplus would have 28 x 3 tyres.
3 plus 3 = 6 from 28 = 22 inch rim
As a rule of thumb most motorcycle manufacturers either went to wellbase / wire sided tires or at least offered them as an option in 1928.
Beaded edge use the old bicycle tyre system of measurement where-as the later wire sided tyres use the actual rim size eg. 350 x 19 = 3 1/2 inch section tyre on a 19 inch rim.

[jellywrestler]

Beaded edge use the old bicycle tyre system of measurement where-as the later wire sided tyres use the actual rim size eg. 350 x 19 = 3 1/2 inch section tyre on a 19 inch rim.

not all were measured this way, I seem to remember giving you a Tyre for your ACE that was 3.85 x 20????

[jellywrestler]

I figured it would be a 20inch rim but what width. The local hotrod shop is restoring one and we want to order some new rims for it.
anyone out there with a bike able to tell me the width please?

[Tommo]

385 x 20 is one of those exceptions that creep in and is basically an oversize 26 x 3 that is also known as a 385 x 27.
26 x 3 rim sizing is as follows;
Diameter; 20 inches
Overall width; 66 mm
Inside width: 45 mm ( this is the width inside the curved in flanges.)
Material thickness is 3 mm

[Tommo]

I've attached a couple of charts that may interest some people
The rim size one is taken from the catalogue of our NZ producer of Beaded edge rims.
The tyre availability chart was part of an article on tyres that appeared in "British Bike Magazine" in 1995. What's interesting is that it gives rim sizes as well as the corresponding tyre sizes.
I hope this goes some way to unravelling the mysteries of Beaded Edge tyres.

[Tommo]

This is an article that appeared in 1915 and documents the efforts of the Manufacturers Union and the Engineering Standards Committee to bring standardization to the industry.
As well as this the First World War was causing rubber shortages and to overcome this the Trade needed some form of group sizing that got rid of the myriad of tyre sizes that were available at that time.

[c.o.]

Cory,
I'd have thought your Powerplus would have 28 x 3 tyres.
3 plus 3 = 6 from 28 = 22 inch rim
As a rule of thumb most motorcycle manufacturers either went to wellbase / wire sided tires or at least offered them as an option in 1928.
Beaded edge use the old bicycle tyre system of measurement where-as the later wire sided tyres use the actual rim size eg. 350 x 19 = 3 1/2 inch section tyre on a 19 inch rim.

Tommo! My rough measurement could have been just that... rough!!! Thanks for the input and the info you've provided. I apologize to jelllywrestler if I've hijacked this thread!!!

[jellywrestler]

I apologize to jelllywrestler if I've hijacked this thread!!!

Hijacked??? nah this is the way it should be I'm learning....

[c.o.]

Hijacked??? nah this is the way it should be I'm learning....

It had become apparent to me that the wheels for the Powerplus would be different than a '24 Scout so I thought I was getting away from the original point of this thread. Having said that I'm always eager to see where a thread will go!

[jimmyallison]

Where do I find out about the 101 club? Thanks.