Powerplus or Bust, Eh?

[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]

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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[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]

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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[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!

[Tom Lovejoy]

Really appreciate you sharing these Kevin.

[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.

[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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[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]

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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[BoschZEV]

Towards the end of the 2016 ride my swing arm bushings were pretty much shot.

Swing arm! Your bike gives you the comfort of rear suspension!!?? That's totally not fair.

[Shaky Jake]

Swing arm! Your bike gives you the comfort of rear suspension!!?? That's totally not fair.

I see you're having an "I could have had an Indian" moment, BZ.

;-)



Kevin


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[Shaky Jake]

Let's put these "three speed countershafts" together. I assembled the main one and the spare at the same time. Here is how the output gear stacks up:










Then we throw it into the case thusly:












The small bearing in the cover of the spare unit was shot. After a half our or so in the oven at 300F and a few light taps with a piece of copper, it came right out:












The new bearing went into the freezer for a couple hours and the cover back in the oven. The bearing dropped right in:










Stayed tuned for the next episode and more more rootin' tootin' action.




Kevin

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[Steve Swan]

The wife's oven?

[Shaky Jake]

The wife's oven?

Yes, wife's NEW oven, and she was there when I did it! She's alright. And she can cook! How did I get so lucky?




Kevin

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