My 101 Scout Cannonball Build

[Peter Cooke]

Dana, Tom Cotton will probably confirm but I'm pretty sure that's to much light passing the throttle disc because your disc is worn. It should have no tab like the other end. You may also have an 'eyebrow' groove in the throttle bore.
I had to have my bore honed to +6 thou to remove the eyebrow groove and then make a new disc to suit. Now it looks like this.

[d_lasher]

Thanks for the picture Peter, it seems I have a lot of work to do this weekend to get it going. I was hoping to get it on the ground this weekend.

Dana

[Peter Cooke]

And check your throttle shaft and bushings as well. Anymore than ~1 thou clearance and they'll need replacing.

[d_lasher]

Well, it turned out to be the throttle plate. I ordered two plates, one over sized and one standard. I wasn't too keen on boring the carb body and having to remake a venturi for it. The standard throttle plate fit much better and closed off the bore so almost no light made it through. The bike idles fine now and I can adjust the idle all the way down until the engine dies. Much better

I got the carb mounted back on the engine only to find the float was sticking and gas would leak, pour, out of the throttle body and vent hole. I took the bowl off three times and checked it on the bench only to find it worked fine. The third time I just rebuilt the entire float bowl again. New valve, new needle, refitted the lever to the valve stem and measured the float level twice. This time I mounted the bowl different, I read on the forum here to mount the bowl's valve under the high speed knob and that did the trick.

'I'm not a clever person'. We say that at work whenever we struggle with a problem for way too long and it turns out to be and easy fix. So I'm trying to adjust the carburetor and I get the low speed adjustment just right,I flip the accelerator for the high speed adjustment and I'm happy with. As soon as I put the air deflector on the engine stutterers and dies. Three times in row! Turns out I had a large fan cooling the engine while it idled in the garage and it was pointed straight down the carburetor's throat. Indian's first forced air induction system. Easy fix, moved the fan to the other side and it all just worked.

I wanted to take the bike down off the stand and take if for a shake down cruise today but the pollen was just too much for me. By lunch time I was sneezing and trying to scratch my eyeballs out.

Check back here next weekend for videos and pictures of the first ride!

19 Weekends until the rally.

[d_lasher]

Here's a picture of it down on the ground...

[indian301]

Dana,

You need to have more slack in your front brake cable between the clip on the fender and the adjusting screw or it will lock up when you hit a hard bump.

Dave

[pisten-bully]

You need to have more slack in your front brake cable between the clip on the fender and the adjusting screw or it will lock up when you hit a hard bump.

Good eye Dave! ...and duly noted here.

Dana, lookin’ good there, looking forward to hearing about that first ride!

[gharper]

Looks Good Dana! Now the fun really begins, shakedown rides and the long process of adjusting the oil pump..... Good Luck!
Gene

[d_lasher]

Dave - Thanks and I'll take car of that!

Gene - Thanks, the first shakedown run will just be around the block. But, I live on the top of a steep hill and everything is down hill from my garage. So the first thing I'll be testing are the brakes. Wish me luck.

[d_lasher]

I got to take the bike out for several short runs today. I got the carb all tuned up and he runs great. That said I did have a few problems.

The rear brake band adjusting bolt snapped in half when I slammed on the brakes to test them. I’ll have to fab up a new bolt to fit the brake band.

The valve train is loud. Is it supposed to be that loud. I’m worried I messed up something in the valve train. Lots of gear noise. Should I be worried about this?

And I’m having trouble with the clutch from a standing start. I’ve never driven a foot clutch and I’m having a hard time getting it. It’s really sticky. It’s on or off. It’s a brand new kevlar clutch with 3 of the springs left out. I’m not sure if it’s me and I’m just not good at the foot clutch yet or if the clutch is too sensitive. Any good ideas other then practice?

Thanks

[TechNoir]

HI Dana, congratulations on getting this far now moving into the test riding phase.

I cant comment on these 101's specifically but regarding your clutch, I have a 1939 Triumph and the clutch is great with original type cork lined plates. However with a modern lining it is horrible, it is an on and off switch going from nothing to everything with almost no lever movement. Suffice to say I am now using original type linings.

However, that is not to say that your lining is the culprit but I am just saying that its a possibility. Also, seeing as you are doing the Cannonball then the modern lining might prove to be more long lived and perhaps the modern lining just needs to bed in?

I am sure some 101 Scout people will be able to provide better insight.

John

[kitabel]

if the clutch is too sensitive
Anything with linkage can be modified to provide less plate motion for greater control.

Valve train noise: all sidevalve engines have a "fin ring" effect which magnifies lash noise. What did you set the valves to?

[d_lasher]

I’ll bite, what’s a ‘fin ring’. I set the the intake to .0O4 and the exhaust to .007. The noise is more a gear whine the a valve noise.

On the clutch I’ve adjust the clutch arm to engage at about 12:00 and the pedal about 15 deg before it hits the floor board. Am I doing that wrong?

Dana

[d_lasher]

John: thanks, if nothing else I can blame my constant stalling out on the clutch lining and not my abilities! Has anyone else had issues with the miners linings?

Dana

[gharper]

Dana,

Congratulations! It's a great feeling to finally get that first ride!

I've not used a kevlar clutch, but I did run a Greer clutch which was heaven compared to the original, which was very grabby. First be sure to have complete engagement and absolutely NO pressure on the throw out bearing!! You may need to loosen the seal ring on the clutch worm shaft to be sure there is free play when engaged. Constant pressure, even a little will kill the throw out bearing, even though it runs in oil. Once that's done, adjust the linkage so the pedal heel will rest on the foot board. From here, you should be able to push on the toe pedal and it should move easily just a bit before taking up the internal slack and engaging the throw out bearing. Can't stress enough how important free play is on the throw out bearing when fully engaged. If you have that set properly, burn the clutch in a bit. Start at the bottom of your hill and power up the hill, using some rear brake and slip the clutch. This will help seat your brake in too, after a new bolt! Oil is another issue, what are you using? May want to consider a lighter oil, not sure what the kevlar clutch likes. The Greer clutch was super smooth and I used 20-50 Wt oil.

You're timing chest noise may be normal if it's a clatter, the gears are 90 years old! As I recall you put in new bushings....... If it's a whine, that sounds like gear noise, maybe the gear lash is a bit tight. If it's not horrendous, it will probably quiet down after a few miles. My 24 Chief was horribly noisy, always was. All across America, it bothered me, and got worse. After the Cannonball, I tore into it and replaced all the shafts and bushings which were horribly worn!. It helped, but still clatters a lot, worn gears and none being made, so I live with it. Give it some miles and see if it goes away. If not, pull the timing cove and check. One common problem is when installing the magneto, the gear lash can easily be set too tight as the mag moves around on the base, this makes a horrible gear whine. Fit that carefully. I think your valve clearances are safe for now but after a few hundred miles or so I'd tighten them up to .004 and .005"

Good luck!