mike wilson

Cook's NLG-Peugot of 948cc, World Record Speed holder 1908?

One of Curtiss' early speed record monsters? About 1904?

Head gasket......

Suzuki TR500?

Yamaha R1 350?

Happened to me. Filter supplied and fitted by the main dealer. It's one of the reasons I loathe and despise them. The follow up was fun, though. I was in full bellow mode in the showroom and they wheeled in the "technician" who had done the work - who turned out to be a 16/17 year old apprentice. I pointed out, at full volume, that, if I was paying £50/hour labour charges, I didn't want a trainee working on my vehicle. Think I lost them a few sales that day.

That sounds most likely. Small block sump gaskets look, er, broadly similar to big block ones but have a circular pit where the oil filter goes and an oil gallery hole. You can change the oil filter on small blocks without dropping the sump. Ahem. Look here: http://www.isdal.dk/images/mc/lario/crankcase_covers.htm you can see the filter cavity at the back of the sump - the gasket goes around there. On the left hand side (this is all as you are looking at the diagram) there is an oil gallery that the gasket goes around, too. Look familiar, Gil? m It will_slow_ the movement of oil to the back of the machine (and away from the oil pickup) under acceleration by lowering the height to which it can easily climb. For all practical purposes, it seems that this is sufficient to reduce the incidence of oil pressure drop to a level that is acceptable.

Suzuki TR320?

At first, I thought it was one of the "Y" series Yamahas from the late sixties and I'm still tempted slightly that way. A lot of the acilliaries look wrong for that, though. How original/authentic is this?

As you didn't even spell it correctly, I assume you meant **shorten**? 8-)))

It's _nowhere_ near as simple as that. Running plain bearings without oil pressure for _any_ length of time will incur damage, the amount dependent on speed of rotation and load. Repeatedly installing a filter dry and then running the engine to fill it and get oil pressure up _will_ shorten bearing life.

That's the technique I have used before. I was going to mention that it's usually just not worth bothering if it's a rust hole, as there are usually millions more of the little bastards waiting to leap forth. Your situation seems different. If you fill the tank with water, block all exits and then turn it so that the hole is uppermost, you should have little difficulty soldering it shut. Use zinc chloride flux, rather than resin. mike

I don't do it for the competition, I'm just interested in motorcycle and motorcycling history. FWIW, much more information here: http://www.allamericanindianmotorcycleclub...le_club_110.htm search for: The Inside Story About and read on......

It's from before that time. The Floyd Clymer Indians, with Enfield Constellation and Velocette Thruxton engines in Italian frames, were 1970s machines. (Much kerfuffle about his use of the Indian name, BTW) This is all Indian's work. I dismissed Indian as a possibility at first because the exhaust usually exits on the other side. Apparently, this is a prototype "modular" design engine that was supposed to reduce build costs by being available in single, twin, triple and four guises but that's the limit of the information I can find online.

The smell's so bad, it makes your eyes water?

I use that technique for lubing control cables. After a very messy, expensive and untimely demise of a recently refurbished chronometric speedo, I only use a light coating of grease on speedo/tacho cables. The oil I used to soak it had been (as far as I can tell) "archimedean screwed" up the cable and into the instrument, where it spread, yea, even unto the face of the instrument. Took a while but it got there. Of course, if the spiral faces the other way, it will help to keep lubricant _out_ of the instrument.

I can see them now..... Work is frigging around with the permissions, so it was probably their fault. So... not a Wilkinson or Vauxhall. Far too young. Doesn't look like an Indian four either. Unless it was this prototype. http://www.cycletownusa.com/proto4rt.jpg 8-))) "Here is a four cylinder prototype ( left and right ) that was developed during the 1940s using Indian's modular Torque engine. A variation of the engine did see production in the form of the single cylinder Arrow, and the vertical twin Scout and Warrior." I would guess 1000cc, date and model as above (when exactly does a prototype come into existance?) and that should cover it. A very un-American looking machine.

I can't see the pictures 8-(( From the description, it sounds like a Wilkinson.

OK "Will contain" is maybe too strong but I think you are right that it should lessen the probability of audible detonation. Your second point reinforces what I have been saying about squish in four strokes. Unless the head is designed with that form in mind, it can be difficult (if not impossible) to provide any functional form of it by reworking. Concentration on providing a clean combustion chamber shape, free of as many potential sources of detonation as possible, is a more useful use of energy. Not even approximately? 8-))

Thanks for the sketch. If I'm correct, this is a section of your combustion chamber across the top of the piston (avoiding the valve pockets) _after_ you have modified the head? The apparent ring around the periphery was something best removed. I am not, however, convinced that you have introduced an effective squish band. General concensus seems to indicate that about 30% of diameter is needed before this is acheived. If you look at a two stroke head you can clearly see it. There are other, complicating, factors with four strokes. I think that removing areas where mixture can do untoward things is probably the best you can hope for with the standard head. This is all conjecture based on your drawings. I have been unable to find engineering drawings of the V11 motor, nor have I ever seen one dismantled. mike

With the garageful you have, you manifestly just want to buy another bike. Why ask us to validate? 8-)

That interpretation of the head design [drawn on a napkin 8-)))] does not seem to be favourable. I'm not convinced, though, that any of the pistons shown previously will deal with the "problem". Looking forward to proper measurements.

So you get on the phone and offer the insurance company $4K for the "wreck". Then you have _your_ bike and $6K to spend on it. What's the problem? You're probably too late.....

That's Madagascar, Greenland and the Sakhalin peninsula done for.