blueldr wrote:During, or perhaps in preparation for WWII, Indian Motorcycles built a
V twin that had the engine oriented with the crankshaft longitudinally in the frame. I sort of remember it maybe had a shaft drive too.
Harley Davidson made one with a 180 degree opposed engone and disc wheels. It was a pretty grim piece of junk and the milatary was selling them off as surplus in early 1944. The Indians too, for that matter.
They must have decided that the Jeep could do the job better.
BluElder....did you perhaps get the Indian description mixed up with the Harley? Here's a pic of the 1942 experimental drive-shaft Harley XA. (They made 1,000 of them for test, but the Jeep was what killed it.)
Article at: http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/classics/bike.asp?id=71
The only pic I have to post online of a 34 Harley VD similar to my VLD (improved engine) is this orange one.
(My Harley is a BEAUTIFUL RED with silver accents....matching exactly the same colors as my 53 170-B!)
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
Ken is going to wonder wether he joined a 170 group or a motocycle group.
We need to find him a nice 170 project before he goes over the the Cherokee Pilots forum!
Morning Guys, Thanks for the warm welcome! My current ride is a rtestored 1968 T-120 Bonnieville. Always wanted one but the first exwife kept stopping the purchase with lines such as "we need to make the mortgage payment". Glad to be finished with that one. Bike riding here in north Georgia is awsome. Old Brit bikes are supported by lots of folks around here.
MY c-170 is out there somewhere looking for me. I'd rather have a later moded if possible. Not sure of my hanger situation. I'm just looking for a solid vfr flyer. I do enough ifr flying at work.
Thanks to you all!
Ken
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'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
George,
I can't tell by the picture you posted, but I'm almost sure it the HD that I remembered had a 180 deg. opposed engine similat to a BMW and, for sure, disc wheels.
We figured those wheels would be dicey in a strong cross wind.
The most that I remember about the Indian was the engine was a transverse V twin.
My mount in those days was a '35 HD 74" flathead, very similar to the '34 you posted, with the famous Stewart Warner "Castrometer". A speedometer cunningly designed to cleanly remove any male apendages in the event of a head on collision.
I suppose they figured you wouldn't be needing them anyway.
Dick
I think your memory serves correctly. Both Harley and Indian at the request of the Army built a transverse twin with shaft drive as the Army was quite impressed with the performance of the BMW twin in North Africa. The Indian was the "Guzzi like" V-twin and the Harley the horizontally opposed. Each built 1,000 of these bikes for evaluation by the army but that seems to be the end of the production run as combat motorcycles were mostly replaced by the jeep. Horsepower on these ran low twenties and weight between six and seven hundred.
BluElder, yes... but are you sure it was a Stewart Warner? My 34 has a "Corbin" castrometer mounted on top of the gas tank. (5700 original miles)
Both those pics I posted, and the articles linked, discuss the bikes made for the Army test. HD virtually copied the BMW engine while Indian created an all-new longitudinal V-twin design (which Moto Guzzi later modeled.) Both bikes used drive shafts. (Chains don't last long in the desert sand.) I've always been disappointed that motorcycles continued to use chains as long as they did, and I still don't care for drive belts.....they look "sissy" to me.)
I used to have a black 1951 BMW R51, which was a horizontal twin with an exposed drive shaft. It was a long/low machine and really was a pleasure. It's now languishing in a family friend's garage.
Don't have pic, but it looked almost identical to the R69 here (except it had prettier, classic-flared fenders, and it did not have the leading-link front forks):
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
gahorn wrote:Ol'Gar tole me he had an old BIKE too!...
.and he sent me a pic of it to post here for him.
.
NOW GAY HORN U WARNT SPOSED TU PUT THU PICHER OF MY TRAININ UNERWARE FER ALL TU SEE. NOW URE IN FER IT.
On the note of 'cycles, crotch rockets, bikes and other fine two wheeled rides - - I have had a few. From the fine whine of shaft driven BMWs to the awesome power of a 1200 Yoshimura Kawisski. On my first wedding anniversary I brought my darling a 1957 Triumph 'Trophy 110'. It had ape hangers, a black and white pleat and roll seat, high pipes and no front fender. She cried when she saw it and I thought she was really happy! Later I found out it wasn't happy tears she was shedding! We lived on a ten acre place north of Kansas City and had a motocross track that drove our neighbors crazy. From the Spanish two-strokers, Bultacos, Maicos and Ossas, to a couple of BSA singles and some Italian four strokers. Friends would come out on the weekends and it didn't mater if they had a bike or not they would always have something to ride! Those neighbors were really glad when we took up flying and let all the bikes go at an auction to pay foe the planes.
If I can figure out (again) how to post it, I have a picture of one really rare Vincent Lightning that my youngest brother has restored. It is '50s vintage and has the big "V" twin that held many early land speed records for stock motorcycles. I am going to try to post the photo later. He also has quite a collection of rare bikes. From a 1936 Harley to a couple of XR 750 racers, and one Factory Honda road racer previously owned by Vance and Hines and raced by Fred Merkle.
AHHH those days of thye wind in your face, bugs in your teeth and lots of scrapes and bruises - - thet was FUN?
OLE GAR SEZ - 4 Boats, 4 Planes, 4 houses. I've got to quit collecting!
You could have fooled me.......at first "ol gar's bike" looked like the new improved distance limiting "astronaut britches" or maybe a picture of a "B" model 170 from the front....Flames to follow I am sure
Haydon wrote:You could have fooled me.......at first "ol gar's bike" looked like the new improved distance limiting "astronaut britches" or maybe a picture of a "B" model 170 from the front....Flames to follow I am sure
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