Powerplus or Bust, Eh?

[Shaky Jake]

I'm just wondering if you had rebuilt the swingarm bushings before? So... did that wear out in 3000 miles? OR was this worn out from many many miles from over the years? NICE repairs on your Indian!

No, it was one of the things I didn't get to before the 2016 ride.



Kevin


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[Jim]

I'm just wondering if you had rebuilt the swingarm bushings before? So... did that wear out in 3000 miles? OR was this worn out from many many miles from over the years? NICE repairs on your Indian!

[Shaky Jake]

Thanks for the kind words guys.
The spindle will need to be replaced. Oddly, in addition to being loose in the bushings, it is worn in the middle where it clamps into the frame. It must have been ridden for some time with the clamp screw lose. When I get the parts cleaned up I'll be able to tell more.




Kevin

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[TechNoir]

May I echo what Tom and Steve said.

On the subject of the wet spaghetti, what is the spindle like? Will that need any attention or replacement or is it just the bushes?

John.

[Tom Lovejoy]

Really appreciate you sharing these Kevin.

[Steve Swan]

Kevin, i think it is really cool how you are showing us the lovin' you're giving your baby. Your thread, amongst other things is a wonderful journal of one man's love affair with his motorcycle. You are teaching me in a simple and practical sense so much more than just putting parts together. Bravissimo!

[Shaky Jake]

Towards the end of the 2016 ride my swing arm bushings were pretty much shot. It was like riding a wet spaghetti noodle. Today I took the rear end apart in preparation for fitting new swing arm bushings. From this:






To this:






Kevin

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[Shaky Jake]

As testament to my method, here is a picture of the main bearing from the transmission that I ran in the 2016 Cannonball. After 4000 hard miles it came out still looking like it did when I put it in:








Several times during the 2016 event I had trouble with the transmission hanging up. Sometimes it wouldn't go into third gear, sometimes it wouldn't come out of third gear, sometimes it just plain got stuck. One of my favorite Cannonball memories is when I was coming in to some HD dealership where they promised us lunch. Several hundred folks had gathered to watch us arrive, and to meet the riders and ogle the bikes. The dealership was up on a steep hill and Patience was jammed in third gear, and she couldn't pull the hill. I had to stop mid-slope and dismount. A small crowd gathered around to watch and offer encouragement as I attempted to diagnose the cause of the jammage. I wasn't feeling to good about my situation at this point, and I was pondering the possibility of a difficult climb and push to the top of the hill. I was encouraged, however, by the positive energy I was receiving from the growing group of onlookers. While holding the brake with one hand I extracted a screwdriver from my jacket pocket, which had been placed there to facilitate the occasional adjustment of the automatic oiler. I used the screwdriver to pry on the operating lever on the gearbox, and it popped out of third gear. I can't describe how happy that made me. The crowd picked up on that, and began making joyful noises. When I kicked the old motor to life, the joyful noises increased to cheers, and when I clicked Patience into first, popped the clutch, and charged up the hill people began to jump up and down, waving their arms in the air and shouting "YES!" It was nice. It made me feel good, having their support like that, and I think they had fun too.

Anyway, back to the gearbox rebuild. That night I borrowed a lift at the HD shop and dropped the gearbox out. I found that the shift segment bushing was pretty worn and that seemed to be at least part of my problem. The shift segment is a toothed doohickey that engages with the shifting fork inside the transmission, and goes through a bushing to connect with the operating lever on the outside of the transmission. The fact that the bushing was worn was allowing it to bind when a lot of force was applied. I fitted a makeshift thrust washer between the operating lever and the transmission case, next to the bushing. It improved the situation, but I still had to make very deliberate gear changes for the rest of the race, to prevent jammage from occurring. It would usually happen when I was tired, or I felt rushed, and my gearshifts would get sloppy.

So, as part of this rebuild, a machinist friend made me new shift segment bushings and precision thrust washers for both transmissions. Here is a video of the loose bushing:

This next video was made after the new bushing was installed:

I can't wait to try it on the road.


Kevin

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[Shaky Jake]

Looking good Kevin and as always interesting.

In the second picture am I right in assuming that it isnt a crack in the case immediatly below the bearing?

John

Thanks John.

No, it's not a crack, just a scratch, but it really stands out in that picture though, doesn't it! Thanks for pointing it out.



Kevin


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[TechNoir]

Looking good Kevin and as always interesting.

In the second picture am I right in assuming that it isnt a crack in the case immediatly below the bearing?

John

[Shaky Jake]

I've been working on a couple of transmissions, or as Hendee Manufacturing Company called them, three speed countershafts. I found a second aluminum case in addition to the one I used in the Cannonball bike. I had a spare trans in 2016, but it has the later cast iron case. I decided that, while I'm rebuilding my main transmission, I'd build up a spare with the aluminum case, so it's easier to lift in and out of the moto van. The new case has a couple of chunks broken out of the mounting flange, but it shouldn't affect function. This is pretty common, if people let the mounting bolts get loose the force of the drive chain would twist the case and cause this. Also, the mounting stud holes in the new case had been heli-coiled, but whoever did it drilled them crooked, so a friend redrilled them on his Bridgeport and made some thread inserts.






The new case has good main bearing races in it, so I decided to just pop new balls into the cage like I'd done on the other one. Here is the outer race:








Here is the inner race before and after I polished it up:








You also should polish the spacer because the felt seal rides on it. Here are before, during, and after photos of the process:








I know, I need to clean my lathe up.




Here's a video I made that shows how to put the new balls in and assemble the main bearing:

That's it for today. I hope you find it interesting and helpful.




Kevin


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[Shaky Jake]

Hi Kevin,

I am not a physician but I guess you have ... a tear in the meniscus?

...

I trust that all will be well soon and you will be fit and 100% in time for your big adventure in September?

...

Trusting you a speedy recovery.

John

Yep. A torn meniscus. All better now though, I had surgery yesterday. A few days on a cane and I'll be good to go.

Thanks!




Kevin


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[TechNoir]

Hi Kevin,

I am not a physician but I guess you have a stray piece of cartilage or perhaps a tear in the meniscus?

I hope its not too serious?

I trust that all will be well soon and you will be fit and 100% in time for your big adventure in September?

I wont hijack your thread with pictures but back in October I had a mishap which resulted in a broken finger on my right hand which is key because I am right handed. I knew it was not trivial because immediately after I could see a bit of bone which was on the wrong side of my skin. Anyway it was all pinned back together and I am now OK but I had the best part of 8 weeks not riding or working on bikes and stuff. I will maybe put up an x-ray picture when I resurrect my 20F thread.

Trusting you a speedy recovery.

John

[Shaky Jake]

And now, just for fun, pictures of the inside of my knee. Sorry for the non-motorcycle content.








Kevin


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[Shaky Jake]

Here are the cities to go with the map.

September 8-23, 2018 Portland to Portland

Grand Departure, September 8: Portland, ME
Stage 1, September 8: Keene, NH
Stage 2, September 9: Binghampton, NY
Stage 3, September 10: Jamestown, NY
Stage 4, September 11: Bowling Green, OH
Stage 5, September 12: Bourbonnais, IL
Stage 6, September 13: Anamosa, IA
Stage 7, September 14: Spirit Lake, IA
Stage 8, September 15: Pierre, SD
Stage 9, September 16: Sturgis, SD
Rest Day, September 17: Sturgis, SD
Stage 10, September 18: Billings, MT
Stage 11, September 19, Great Falls, MT
Stage 12, September 20, Kalispell, MT
Stage 13, Septmeber 21, Spokane Valley, WA
Stage 14, September 22, The Dalles, OR
Stage 15, September 23, Portland, OR

#coasttocoast #motorcyclecannonball #antiquemotorcycleclub #Hagerty #2018 #portlandtoportland




Kevin


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