I am so stoked. From day número UNO I have been quietly hating the front rake of my fork on the Indian build. It was before I knew of such things. Well the Indian is going through a thorough reconstruction. I just modified the front fork from 15 degrees to 27 degrees. It lengthened the overall length from 77" to 80" in length and lowered the front of the bike. I should have done this a long time ago.
Fixing and tweaking stuff
- Thread starter cobrafreak
- Start date
Pictures? Is there a gap between the head tube and the gas tank now? How much did it lengthen your wheelbase?
I'll post a picture tonight. Lol, no gap. What I did was cut the lower frame tube from the head tube, made three small cuts 2/3 through the top tube to the head, bent the head tube upward till I achieved my wanted angle, re-welded along incisions. There was a 1.25" gap on the bottom that I made a peice for and welded in. It looks like nothing out of the ordinary took place. 12 degrees additional rake adds up to 3" extra to total length. It only took me two hours to do.
Here is a rough and dirty picture. The angle, 27-28 degrees, is spot on with what vintage motorcycles were back in the day. I have this great book you should look up, it's called "early motorcycles, construction, operation, and repair by Victor W. Page. Hundreds and hundreds of early schematics, drawings, and manuals from 100 years ago. Great tech info.
Here is the current state of affairs. Lots of dismantling. I ordered a new front fork and handlebars. I just need to wait for the parts to arrive.
New parts arrived. I'm starting to put her together again.
New Monarch motorbike fork
New Felt extra wide handlebar
I changed the paint as well. Now the ARMY graphics are on the top of the tank and the Indian tank script is back on the sides (thank God)
New Monarch motorbike fork
New Felt extra wide handlebar
I changed the paint as well. Now the ARMY graphics are on the top of the tank and the Indian tank script is back on the sides (thank God)
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Nice, are those the beefed up monarks from sportsman flyer? I like how the Indian decal looks on the drab green.
OK ! CF where did you get the Indian decal? is it water or vinal and how much??? Ya know what its going on so give me a hook up
Oh! and by the way the bike is looking real good!!
Oh! and by the way the bike is looking real good!!
I have the same bars and my kid just purchased some, they are nice and thick compared to others. You will be happy with em. The bike looks real good, I have one question? What size is your head tube?
The decals are from West Coast Design on EBAY. These are the peel, place, and peel off again type, really easy to work with, and they are two tone. The back is black with an overlay of gold. Gives a 3D effect almost. Top notch product. Have not found any nicer Indian decal than this. Can't remember how much. I buy like 8 at a time so if I need to do paint repair or something I'm back in business quickly. They are reasonable.
The head tube is set up for 1 1/8" thread-less stems. I like to use 1" stems though. The work around is I run 1 1/8" sealed roller head bearings and then I put in 1" bearing cups which fit perfectly. The Monarch fork is 1" so this is what I did.
Yes, these are the beefed up Monarchs. Heavier welds, thicker rockers, rockers mounted on the outside. I don't know the other differences. I like this fork because I can weld a headlamp mount to the top spring plate. It will look authentic. I'm also going to run a front fender with the fork. I think I'm going to steal it off of my Schwinn.
Cool, will you also run a name or license plate on the front fender? I've seen pictures from military bikes with them but think they were mostly European?
Correct, the front fender plates were on British bikes only. Too bad because I think they look neat. If I put one on I will get 100 people say "Hey, Indians never had British fender plates".
Well I pulled an All-Nighter and basically finished it. I really like the new stance. It rides very well. More predictable. This will be cool riding with my WW1 uniform and helmet.
Basically the steeper the rake, the quicker the steering, but you lose stability. Sporting bikes and motorcycles have steeper rakes.
The shallower the rake, the slower the steering, and you will gain stability. Bad for sport bikes but a more relaxed ride. I was running 15 degrees because I matched the steering rake from a bicycle I owned, a race bike. It was WAY TOO STEEP! :O
I measured the rake from the drawings in the motorcycle book and most of the bikes were running around 25-28 degrees rake. I made mine 27 degrees and I couldn't be happier. It is so nice being able to enter a turn and speed without having to fight the bar and use body english. It looks better too. I let me friend down the street ride my bike today down the street and the illusion is that much more believable that it is an old motorcycle because of the 80" length due to the extended rake. I'm all set for the A&S BMW Vintage Motorcycle show Sept 29th
Hmmm, I could also put a sidecar on and run with a fake Vickers or Lewis mounted machine gun on it. Think this would get attention? Lol.
