Misfit Board Tracker

[Ralph hop]

This predator was originally purchased years back for a "mud motor" on a boat but was traded to me. Been roto tilling with the Kohler brand equivalent of this motor today, just hope I can get the predator running smooth on this bike. Time will tell if the exhaust will want to shake undone but some say stainless is a pain to unbolt after being exposed to heat. Also, I did a double take on the engine size Moto, think I need rest lol.

 

[Tony01]

This predator was originally purchased years back for a "mud motor" on a boat but was traded to me. Been roto tilling with the Kohler brand equivalent of this motor today, just hope I can get the predator running smooth on this bike. Time will tell if the exhaust will want to shake undone but some say stainless is a pain to unbolt after being exposed to heat. Also, I did a double take on the engine size Moto, think I need rest lol.

What kind of head is it? Rtc-_?

 

[Ralph hop]

RTC-8

 

[Tony01]

RTC-8

Nice. Big valves. Not that old.

 

[indian22]

The motor does look small in there. It has a 3/4 shaft and it's wide as heck so must be a 212. It's an older one, non hemi.

Ralph I like this build. The loop & frame is quite large and that to me is a plus, though you've had to fight it some through no fault of your own. Vertically the motor and mount fill the frame perfectly, the open space under the motor and mount can be filled using plates on each side of the frame, bolted together....lots of examples on this forum of loop frames built this way. The open area in front of the motor can be filled with a fake magneto housing (can double as a box for electrical components) Indian motorcycles used the front mount position for the large magneto assembly and that empty space up front just begs to be filled. Both Indian singles and twins used the front magneto mount for many years, so it's a proper look for an Indian style build. Harley used the rear magneto position. Your fuel tank is an Indian style component as well. A front motor mount can still work with both these changes.

These are just suggestions for your consideration Ralph. However you chose I'm certain your bike will turn out well.

Rick C.

 

[Ralph hop]

Thanks Rick, the open space doesn't bother me much at the moment. It should provide for more air flow. I can't really complain on most of the fitment issues since I never contacted the seller about measurements and I'd say I've enjoyed the challenges brought to me. Even though most of this bike is nuts and bolts type of building not everything can be bought so I've learned. These problems and solutions are what will make the bike mine. With that said.. I still feel like a poser but this is something I'll never have if not starting somewhere. Tony had sited concerns over the front turnbuckle mount and it's got me adding some things and changing others but I'll share that when it's together. Instead of removing 2mm of material from the rear dropouts for a 12mm axle I've decided to build extension plates with three bolts on each side and also adding other things like axle adjusters and the rear drop stand that came in. With the rear wheel moved back there should be room for a feaux oil tank to house some circuitry. I much like the idea of a top mount tool box after watching an episode of Leno's garage which featured an early Indian that participated in the cannonball run. Looking forward to seeing Tom's tool box project to see if I might use some clever ideas.

 

[Ralph hop]

Went ahead and welded up the Schwinn today. It's straight but still needs some cleaning up.

 

[Ralph hop]

Still waiting on parts for the misfit but I decided to complete the Schwinn as a pedal bike for now with what I've got on hand, minus weld rod, discs and what have you. So, I've set out to build a seat and gave myself a crash coarse in shaping metal. Didn't do too bad but it's not a safe seat. I'm now confident with hand hammering. I gone ahead and shaped this out with a tack nail hammer and a railroad ties, but with the right tools I really would like to hand shape. I cut the practice piece from an old obsolete tv dish. Haha

 

[PeteMcP]

Unusual source of raw materials Ralph. Once it's finished and you're sat aboard though, be careful where you ride. You may be sending out all the wrong signals and end up with a different kind of reception...

 

[MotoMagz]

Cool stuff! Perfect placement of satellite dish ..as we all know they stick it up you a$$ anyway they can.

 

[Ralph hop]

To cure some winter boredom I first mounted a tv antenna in front of the dish and aimed it at the local tower, didn't help much. Then I used it for a short wave radio antenna and it worked okay. I even put a microphone in front of it, shush! Found a tree works best for a radio antenna and have switched to Oh aRe Bee whY tv, very customer friendly. The programming can be changed from an online account from month to month and we can cancel at anytime. With out having good internet service it's been a good option for tv.

 

[Ralph hop]

Not a ton of progress has been made, mostly measuring and gathering small bits and pieces but the parts no longer arrive in the same sequence as when purchased, not complaining here but it's just the situation. I mounted the steering damper and it does what it's supposed to do. The adjustment knob can be reached easy from a riding position. I chose a modest 8hp muffler and was a bit concerned with how it might look but I like the look of it now that it's on. I'll try a soldering paste I've found for the pipe connections to keep them together. The paste is a flux with bits of silver solder blended in. Next will be mounting the rear hub to get everything aligned.

 

[indian22]

Ralph I'm digging on the look with the forward mounted exhaust & muffler, as well as the catch can. These help fill the large void up front. I find the look quite appealing.

How's the turning radius with the damper installed? I hope the bike will not demonstrate stability issues that would necessitate a stabilizer to be used, but if required they really are effective. Your stabilizer install is very sanitary.

Bike is looking great.

Rick C.

 

[PeteMcP]

Nice job. I'd be happy to forget about paint on a build this clean. Just let the parts tarnish a little, then wax it or shoot it with clear coat.

 

[Ralph hop]

Without measuring there's about 110 degrees of steering. With the wheel straight at 90 degrees there's about an even 35 degrees steering on each side. I chose the damper mainly to provide some resistance and I sure won't be going fast enough to worry about speed wobble but these hardened headset bearings are quick. I am leaning towards keeping bare metal but not a fan of rust on my own rides. If I decide to keep the bike bare the bike will come apart and a rust disolver "evaporust" used to clean surface rust before coating in penetrol or some other oil based preventive. I'll choose something that can be degreased to leave the option of paint open in the future as I'm sure I'll paint it eventually. Either way it will have to be moved out of the basement and into garage space at some point, I've painted myself into a corner as they say..

 

[indian22]

Hot oil finishes are really very attractive on bare steel.

That's plenty of range for riding and I've had some headsets that were way too slick as well; the stabilizer should offset that. As far as death wobble, the stabilizer is the answer, and I 've ridden motorcycles on which wobble occurred at speeds under 60mph when road surfaced were less than smooth. In my experience it's the bumps, sometimes slight, that induce the wobble, but specific setup has to be a part of it as well.

Rick C.

 

[Ralph hop]

Still slowly chipping away on this early Indian tribute. Not much has been done. I'm guilty of being a cold weather builder but it's easier to think with a cool head. It's helping that I wrote notes which helps me remember better in this dog days heat. Some things I've done since the last post and will share pics.. mounted longer swept back handle bars, added a rear "torque strap" to accompany the front limiting strap, worked on the tank fitment using some brass spacers and using shrinkwrap on the top tank straps, also I'm in the first steps of mounting the rear hub. Pictures should tell a better story.

 

[Ralph hop]

 

[Ralph hop]

The rear drop out plates are kept square to fit square in the drill press vise until the final adjustments have been made. The goal is the keep the "through axle" mounting holes and not have slots for adjustment. Still in the beginning phase on the rear for awhile. The engine still needs to tilt back more by belt sanding the motor mount blocks. I sorta guessed on the axle location from measuring the top tube so I hope that the rear mounts won't alter the ride height by much but I won't know untill it's rolling but I gotta go forward maybe backwards yet still. I'm hoping to get the top of the valve cover parallel with the top tube, just needs to tilt back an eighth inch. The tension rods are matched to 1/2 inch shanked bolts to the hinged frame clamps and 5/16 shanked bolts to the engine with bronze bushings. The rear torque strap is mounted to the chain guard screw hole located above the TAV mounts using a special 5/16 x 24 tpi shanked bolt if memory is correct.

 

[PeteMcP]

Great to see this build thread back in gear.