Hi from the UK - INDIAN Board Tracker tribute, my first build

[PeteMcP]

Correct Steve. It's also safe to assume my latest taste in 'interior decor' isn't something you can order from the IKEA catalogue!
This was a one way ticket. Getting it indoors cost me 40 quid to buy an hour's time of the two guys from the Removal Co. Not going to be shelling-out that kind of dosh every time I want a ride. Fact is, my two torn shoulder tendons meant I couldn't even risk pushing this 540lb scoot indoors on my own never mind ride it. The jolts of shoulder pain felt when just going for a spin on my lightweight Honda Solo is about all I can endure these days. Those low, wide, pull-back bars on my latest 'Blue Bamboo' e-bike best suit me comfort-wise.

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

As kids we used to ride 24 inch wheel bicycles in our basement in East Coast Winters. So it is a little bit bigger and has an engine.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

RJ.
Pete's Kawa wanna be 1950 Indian Chief is a peach. But leaf suspension fork was a 1910 to 1930 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Scout_(motorcycle)
Girder forks were the next best thing and lasted. https://www.cycletrader.com/1947-Indian-Chief/motorcycles-for-sale?make=Indian|50865296&model=CHIEF|764857529&year=1947:1947
Until telescopic forks were introduced. From 1950.and even then for a few were options
tom

 

[indian22]

Pete that's my kind of interior decorating! I'm planning on bringing three or four bikes in decorating my own home this Winter. I like looking at them & everyone knows each of my bikes spend some time inside my house during assembly anyway. It's either that or going to the storage unit with them. I need room in the garage to actually build bikes not store them.

The Kawa is sweet & a good buy to top it off. I think they did a better styling job on this model than the new Indian has done with most of their model designs.

I did build one leaf spring fork for a V-twin Yamaha fifteen or twenty years back. The huge fender was a monster to correctly attach, but looked great and rode like a leaf fork ;that is to say no leaf fork is going to compare ride wise with the original factory setup. It was a real point of interest to those in the know however. So I guess it was worth the expense to the owner.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

40 quid to buy an hour's time of the two guys? I recon you did alright, bad shoulders and all. Last heavy move I did cost that much and more for Chiropractic adjustment and still not 100%
Tom

 

[fasteddy]

Hi Pete,
Torn shoulder tendons. The gift from Hades that never stops giving pain and problems. I would have paid the money and directed them to where it had to go and considered the money well spent myself.

My brother has the same problems though not too bad. I often wondered how it escaped me with the literally square miles of furniture surface that I sanded over the years but I've had carpal tunnel repairs done because of it.

Were the bikes sold in the U.K. or Europe?

Steve.

 

[PeteMcP]

Steve, I don't exactly recall how/why it first started, but I've lived with chronic shoulder tendon pain for several years now, hoping it would eventually repair itself. That never happened, but at least I am presently able to have a reduced level of right arm movement without too much bother. I declined NHS surgery a couple of years back because the 6-9 month recovery period I was told to expect coincided with the time Jen and I were scheduled to relocate to Spain. These days I've learned to snug my right elbow into my side most of the time. Raising my upper right arm to any degree results in a severe stab of pain that feels like I've been plugged into the mains, often accompanied by an involuntary yell. Anything that requires reaching up for is done left handed. I look in the bathroom mirror every morning and wince at my contortions whilst trying to apply deodorant under my right armpit. Bike riding is just about do-able - but extending/raising my right arm when making a left turn causes a few grimaces. Handlebar adjustment is therefore critical for me.

The 800 and 1500 Kawa Drifters were sold here and in the rest of Europe. Mostly Drifter 'C' types with matt silver-painted engines and blacked-out forks/trim. Colour choice limited to either pillar box red, black or metallic beige - and a few rarer white or pale blue bikes. All the 1500's I've seen are painted maroon. All Drifters came factory fitted with two-up pillion saddles. I've always preferred the look of the 'E' type Drifters with the chromed forks/engine/trim, solo saddle and metallic red paint optioned on US spec Drifters.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Pete, you need not reply for privacy reasons. Did you get a diagnosis of your shoulder trouble? Was surgery the only option?
My left shoulder got buggered on dry pavement applying too throttle to my 1985 Honda XR250R

Honda XR250R and XR250L - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Knobbies as I found out the hard way are not so good on pavement. Right shoulder sustained I thought worse three months earlier. Both healed over time. But the Left now dislocates in my sleeping position. I still still have full range of motion (not comfortably) but as I am sneaking up on 70. I will talk to my P.P. this coming week.
I know your care of Jen is #1. Have Doctors offered any remedial physical therapy. Lose of range of motion is not to be trifled with.
Tom

 

[PeteMcP]

Tom, yes, I did get a proper shoulder diagnosis following a series of CT and MRI scans. Over the years I've been afflicted with the bad shoulder, I've been prescribed physio, laser lamp treatment and cortizone injections. Physio and lamp courses did zilch. Of the three cortizone injections I've had, only the first - applied with the aid of an ultrasound scanner to pin-point the exact location - did the trick. I skipped out of Wansbeck hospital minutes later with full right arm movement and zero pain which pretty much lasted 4-5 months. The second and third injections, applied by my local doctor, must have missed the target 'cause I felt no respite and the pain continued as before. Kept meaning to request another scan-assisted injection, but now Jen's care takes priority - and hospitals have enough on their plate courtesy of Covid right now. I've coped with intermittent shoulder pain long enough now for it to feel normal.

To be honest, my shoulder is the last thing on my mind right now. Jen's ongoing weight loss and her refusal to eat hardly anything is hard to watch. Care wise, I can do everything else that's required on her behalf, but not being able to eat for her is heart-breaking.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Pete, I'm sure the boys are rooting for you as I am. I know you are not alone caring for a spouse with dementia. But you have shared with us the incredible pain and sacrifice to care for the love of your life.
I hate to say it, and I am sure you have been counseled on your dear wifes prognosis. My maternal grandfather Elmer Olson had Arteriosclerosis. Alot of the same symptoms but an accelerated end of life. Elmer got mean with the ones he loved best as the disease progressed.
Tom

 

[PeteMcP]

That 26" drop loop frame I purchased via AliExpress showed up a couple of weeks back. Been too busy looking after Jen to even bother opening the cardboard box it arrived in. Finally got round to doing that today, and.... well let's just look on the positive side and say that the parcel's weight was declared at 7kg - of which 2kg was rust! The entire steel frame, except for one or two small areas where the adhesive tape binding the acres of protective bubble wrap to the frame, is liberally rust covered.
Oh well, looking on the bright side, I may just have the perfect frame for a bare metal vintage patina'd vibe. When you got lemons, may as well make lemonade...

 

[Ralph hop]

I didn't even get a box Pete, just a tag with my address wired to the head tube. Lots of dirt and some flash rust. Hopefully you're rust isn't so bad.

 

[PeteMcP]

Still plugging away with Jen's care. Getting her through another day at a time is the best and only way to look at it. She's barely eating enough to keep a mouse alive and we would have come to the end of our journey weeks back if if it weren't for the supplement drinks (basically 300 calorie meals in milkshake form) keeping Jen going.
But it really was the sh- - iest day today after having to have our beloved tortoiseshell cat of 19-1/2 years, Tilly, put to sleep. Vet diagnosed a suspicious large abdominal mass and assured me I was making the right decision. Hadn't been anything wrong with Tilly in all that time until a week ago when she suddenly stopped eating and began sleeping in places she'd never slept before - including her litter tray a couple of times. She was the last of 18 cats Jen and I have raised during the 46 years since we met. So it's the end of an era. Tilly bestowed us with almost 20 wonderful years. She'll be a huge miss.

 

[fasteddy]

Hi Pete,
I can't fully express how sorry I am to hear about Jen. The stress on you is immeasurable as you spend every waking moment and a lot of the few sleeping hours you have, devoted to her.
She is fortunate to have you by her side.

Then to have a favourite pet who has been so much of your life for so long depart is heart rendering. She will indeed be a huge missing part of life. I can only hope that there is a Rainbow Bridge and we gather up all our companions as we continue the journey.

Steve.

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

I wish the best for you both with what you have to deal with. You are a true hero! The loss of your long time cat and having gotten sick, so sorry to hear. Take care as best.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

You are sorely tested Pete, your devotion to Jen, is beyond my comprehension. Did you have children to help?
In the US we have a product, Ensure Plus.350 calories, in three flavors. Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry.

Cats? Mona and I have had more than a few. Kinda fun, especially the quirky ones like Ashes, Dwarf Norwegian Forest Cat.
Her favorite perch was sitting with and in a table lampshade.
Mind your own health Pete, for Jen's sake and yours.
Tom

 

[PeteMcP]

Thanks for your thoughts and kindness guys.

Our cats substituted for the kids Jen and I never had. Wasn't for the sake of trying - following years (and $$$) worth of medical tests in our thirties, 'unexplained infertility' meant it just wasn't meant to be. Never bothered either of us, so just moved on and enjoyed life to the fullest sans progeny. Thought I'd enjoy a life without having to change nappies (diapers?) but ....nope. Wrong on that score. lol.

Tom, that Ensure Plus product you mentioned sounds exactly like the Fortisip shake-like drinks Jen consumes. Same three flavours you mentioned, plus Tropical and Banana.

 

[indian22]

In my prayers as I worship this morning Pete.

Rick C.

 

[PeteMcP]

Quietly been stashing a few bits and pieces for my next build, using the Chinese-built drop loop frame I recently purchased from AliExpress.
Splashed out on a new drum braked 1.40"x18" rear wheel from a Honda CG125. The frame's 170mm drop-outs were spread slightly to 190mm and the axle slots were drilled to accept the 15mm axle. The wheel will be shod with the 3.50"x 18" VeeRubber tyre pictured - giving a total wheel/tyre diameter of 25".
Engine-wise, I'm going with the 125cc unit I just won on eBay. It's a very low mileage (800kms) motor from a Skyteam Ace that the original owner replaced with a 250. I've always loved the little Skyteam Ace's (see pic), which are Chinese copies of the desireable - and now very expensive - '60's Honda Dream racers. Ace's have been available as 50/125/250/300 capacity machines and have all the looks - if not the performance - of the Honda originals. Still, for the kind of little money an Ace costs, you get what you pay for. And have fun eaking out more power and better handling with the many available aftermarket options. This 125 I bought will be more than up to the job for me - and I reckon the motor's electric start will be the first thing to make it onto the cast-offs pile.
Plan is to add the girder forks I have stashed for this build - and a matching drum-braked front wheel with 275 or 300x18 tyre. Basically the same tyres I fitted to my Honda Solo.
For a tank, I'm going with another home-built unit. I've purchased a length of 4-1/2" dia aluminium tube and a cnc'd alloy filler pipe/cap. A local metal spinning company are quoting me for forming the pair of domed ends for the tank.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

I'm liking it Pete!
Electric start going, just to tidy up a bit? Seeing how robust this build is, your braking choices I envy. Your fuel tank build with the spun ends. I have a text book on metal spinning. Scares the pee out of me.
Tom