1912 HD Belt Twin (AKA EVIL TWIN)

[Slojo]

Hmm,,,

4thcoast guy. What are you doing here, spying? You know two can play that game. Wolf pack , cracker jack what's the difference ? In the end all you have is a cheap toy surprise.

joe

[Slojo]

Hey 4thcoast guy

Is the rumor true? Will there be a 1912 challenge to the Evil Twin in the form of a Four. You might be half OK after all. A 12 Detroit built, I could learn to respect that maybe even ride with.

Over the weekend the flywheels received finishing touches on the on center tapered bores followed by making three of four 1/4 round fender braces. The fourth brace (right rear) was a leftover from the Ghost project . There was a change of direction on the Ghost from 1/4" to 5/16" round stock for fender braces leaving a pair of 1/4 round braces behind as extras or spares.

The Barber Century Laps are right around the corner and my bike is still not prepared so if customers don't take up to much time the rest of my spare time will be devoted to getting power and speed out of the 13 twin.

Dale announced he has a second year for his 'What's in the Barn' Velocity channel program. We will be racing again this year on film as last year. Video from helmet cams and other bike mounted cameras record the race and show the viewers exactly what the racers see. Look for some exciting footage again of this road race run with 100 year old motorcycles at George Barber's beautifully prepared race park and museum.

joe

[Slojo]

After mounting a degree wheel on the sprocket shaft of the 13 Barber bike a decision was made to pull the gear chest down and see what can be done with cam timing. Although I built this motor a couple months ago, setting up cam timing was an exercise in aliening the markers and accept them as correct. Running the motor convinced me something was wrong.

It appears the cam timing marker on the gear set is incorrect, one gear tooth late. My bet is the guy responsible for hammering serial numbers in 12, 13 and 14 must have been the same guy that marked the cam gear set on this motor.

Cam timing today has benefited from years of experimentation and research. This early two lobe cam is more a compromise than a science, anything resembling contemporary valve operation will not be found here. To advance one tooth is to advance both intake and exhaust operations about twenty degrees.

With new valve springs on the intake side (always a week point on these early motors) and cam timing reconfigured this motor might just have a chance to capture a checkered flag baring someone doesn't bring a fire breather. This 13 is a stock motor , cast iron pistons, small bore screw on carburetor, low ration rocker arms, everything as it came from the factory with in 1913 .

I hope to fire it up and take it for a timed test run tomorrow .

joe

[c.o.]

Maybe the guy who stamped your "cam gear set" and "serial numbers" just couldn't handle his beer??? Talk about making a guy work for a good running motor!!!

[Slojo]

Jefferson, Wheels THrouigh TIme, Barbers Century Race marathon.

Jefferson I found an NOS points cover for a Bosh Magneto hmm............... Why?

Barber century race was fun and disappointing. My original 1913 magneto proved to be firing a week spark, so a rebuilt loaner magneto was installed at Wheels Thorough Time from Dale's inventory.

Dale's loaner magneto fired a hot spark until moments before race time when it decided to give up the ghost. Dale leaped to my assistance and removed the points cover for a quick visual inspection while Art and I focused on spark plugs. . The bike restarted and ran well just in time for the race.

Paul OZ acted first to the green while Matt immediately captured the lead on his fast 1913 HD. Dale and I followed Matt into the first bend.

My 13 HD was running week behind Dale while Matt's strong running 13 HD was pulling over on the side of the track at about the 1/2 mile mark with fuel flow problems (fuel line plugged with rust). Dale now leading the race I passed him and ran lead for the first of two laps across the start finish line . Alone in front after the first lap all I could think of is lack of power and Dale's screaming Red Skin burning by when my 13 started misfiring. I made it half way around the track limping along until the 13's magneto quite firing spark. A brief pull off the track and inspection reveled the magneto points cover shorting out on the kill button circuit.

With a little luck the 13 re-fired and limped back to the finish line under its own power.

Now pulled into the paddock, cautiously abusing the reproduction points cover to force it into a convex face instead of a concave face for clearance inside, it worked. The 13 was last back onto the track in time for the Cannonballers parade lap with both cylinders firing for the full lap.

Still week on power it appears the cam is either wrong or out of specification for my 1913 61" . With a proper operating magneto my 13 is still to slow for the fast Indian, although I do believe Matt's 13 HD would have been the victor with full fuel flow. My hat off to Dale, great job at the end of the race winning by a feather's length.

Without doubt my 13 is week yet it 13 handled well, ask Buzz C.

[Tom Lovejoy]

That's a great photo Dave put up of you guys at the start, looks like a blast! Right on Dale, wins one for Indian!

[Slojo]

Run,
Before anyone did anything on o motorcycle Carl Stearns Clancy Did it all on a 12 Henderson. To have History on your side. You bet I would.[ATTACH=CONFIG]11764[/ATTACH]

4thCoast Guy

What about the California and a much earlier date ? Better clean up your act or loose creditability.

joe

[rwm]

joe maybe you should call THIS 13 THE PRIMA DONNA TWIN.

[Slojo]

Rob

Prima Donna? Depends on which definition of the term is applied.

The photos depict a Jefferson preparation for firing. The fuel line dirt traps were clogged causing starting difficulties. I cleaned them out again while at Dale's and had no further fuel line troubles.

joe

[c.o.]

Cool photos Rob... That '13 is purdy cool! Damn mags eh Joe? That Walksler is a hard man to beat!

[Slojo]

Cory

Magnetos certainly do cause me a lot of grief. A last minute quick magneto change in hopes for a hot spark introduced a new problem, the magneto used for competition had a reproduction points cover and was the culprit. Along with the magneto their must be another Gremlin in this motor , it just doesn't make good power like other early 61" twins I have worked with. Everything checks good except the cam . Something for a later date, now it's time to finish building a 37 Knuckle Head motor.

joe

[BoschZEV]

Magnetos certainly do cause me a lot of grief...

There's no reason magnetos can't be 100% reliable. The following link is an extensive description of the complete restoration of a Bosch ZEV that I did for a friend to use in the last Cannonball (he'll be using the same bike in the next one even though it's a 1923).

http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbth...733#Post446733

I'm not soliciting work, since I only restore magnetos for myself (and for a few close friends), but seeing what needs to be done to properly restore a magneto will help explain why so many "professionally restored" ones cause people a lot of grief.

[knuckcrazy]

There's no reason magnetos can't be 100% reliable. The following link is an extensive description of the complete restoration of a Bosch ZEV that I did for a friend to use in the last Cannonball (he'll be using the same bike in the next one even though it's a 1923).

http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbth...733#Post446733

I'm not soliciting work, since I only restore magnetos for myself (and for a few close friends), but seeing what needs to be done to properly restore a magneto will help explain why so many "professionally restored" ones cause people a lot of grief.

I checked out your site......WOW.....impressive.

[BoschZEV]

I checked out your site......WOW.....impressive.

Thanks for your comment. A Gold Star I bought ~20 years ago was the first bike I'd had with a magneto. The magneto wasn't functioning when I bought it so, rather than learning how to rebuild it myself, I made the mistake of having it professionally restored by someone who came with good recommendations. That magneto failed after ~50 miles. The tools and instrumentation shown on that site are only a fraction of what resulted from my subsequent decades' long obsession with magnetos. One Appendix is a copy of a two-part article I wrote on replacement condensers that ran in 'The Antique Motorcycle' two years ago.

[c.o.]

There's no reason magnetos can't be 100% reliable. .

Glad you said that. You'd never know it from the reporting from the first Cannonball.

One Appendix is a copy of a two-part article I wrote on replacement condensers that ran in 'The Antique Motorcycle' two years ago.

Ah, hah!!!! You're the author of that "electrical mystery" stuff!!!! Loved the articles and will be going right through that link you posted in the near future. Great stuff. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.