1911 Indian

I got tired of adjusting the engine chain with the manual stock chain adjuster so I made an automatic chain adjuster. Works well. I didn't know how it was going to act upon starting the engine, but I chose the spring tension right and the spring gives enough but it doesn't go to the far end and bottom out. Riding it you can see maybe 1/16" of play, so it is stable.

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I added an idler pulley so I could stabilize the upper run of chain as well as the lower run with the chain adjuster. Now I won't have those oily tire sidewalls from the chain kissing the tire when I go over a bump.
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matt approves. :)

i'd much rather have a well made replica then the real thing because like you said, you're not gonna ride it if it was actually from 1911.
 
Upgrade day. Black leather grips with red stitching and old school rubber block pedals. The pedals were 9/16"'s and my crank arms were 1/2" so I had to get these cool titanium adapters from a company called "Knee Savers". You can get a strait extension 9/16 to 9/16 or you can get an extension/adapter 9/16 to 1/2. Gives me about an extra inch outward so I don't have to pedal funny to clear the exhaust.
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Great work Cobra, stuff like the chain adjuster mod looks like it belongs on the bike, I dont know if its the shade of old red you chose but it all works. Like when you cut the rear fender to clear the chain, it appears to resemble something that might have been done on race day in the pits to get the bike back in the races. I love it !!! -Vinny
 
CousinVinny said:
Great work Cobra, stuff like the chain adjuster mod looks like it belongs on the bike, I dont know if its the shade of old red you chose but it all works. Like when you cut the rear fender to clear the chain, it appears to resemble something that might have been done on race day in the pits to get the bike back in the races. I love it !!! -Vinny
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Thanks. The chain adjuster is gold. It runs so differently now it feels like a different bike. I recommend everyone to try and use some type of automatic chain adjuster as it will really raise the bar of comfort and quality of ride. The reason an automatic adjuster is important is a chain isn't the same tension and specs all the way around. One side will be on the tighter side, the other on the looser side. You can try to manually adjust for it, but it will never be perfect. An automatic chain adjuster will constantly adjust and always keep it perfect tension.
The color red that I used is Krylon "Farm Implement Red", which is a dead exact ringer for the old Indian race bike red. Perfect color match.
I had the chain rub on the fender and there was no way to adjust out of it. I had to remove metal to make it work. #415 chain is quite beefy compared to regular bicycle chain.
 
Fork upgrade

I wanted to make a leaf spring front fork for the Indian being that leaf springs are what Indian used up into the 30"s. The spring is non-functional, just for looks. I took it out for a test ride and it is really good handling. I can let go of the bars at speed and the bike tracks in a strait line. About time! Before I thought I would crash if I let go of a grip. I will add girders to the front fork later on. Ran out of time today to make some. Here are a few photos:

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Having fun with photoshop and my 1911 .45 and my 1928 Thompson :)
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It does look like it actually works, but it is just an illusion. No front suspension. Handles great though. I know why board track racers didn't run suspension. They could push their limits of maneuverability with the ridged frame.
 
Upgrade day! I installed the "Poo Poo" exhaust! It's so quiet it almost doesn't sound like a 2 stroke. A great pipe if you want to move the muffler away from the pedals.
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Cool, I've been thinking of adding one of those pipes and I love the front fork. I wish someone would come up with a quality reproduction of the front leaf spring forks.
 
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