Wise Potato Chip Route

1912 Indian Eight Valve Racer



So here we sit in the 21st century, feeling oh-so-smug on modern technologies. You've got your four-cylinder engine. You've got your liquid cooling. You've got your four-valve heads.

You are not cool?

Unless all been done before, long before you were born there.

Four-cylinder motorcycle? A Belgian company with the name of FN was done in 1905, with slide bar and to boot. Liquid cooling? The Scott-down bike that had a two-stroke engine, no less than in 1908.

, four-valve heads? Take a look at this machine, an authentic re-creation of the factory riders Indian Motocycle Company was the production in 1912.

Based on Indian twin-cylinder engine introduced in 1907, the eight valves (four for each of the two cylinders) was created solely for the purposes of competition. The few that were made were reserved for the stars of the factory racing program of class A and for qualified customers.

These machines are used primarily in board track racing, where riders kicked around steep banks Oval built with planks of wood. At a speed of 90 mph or more. The 2 1/2-inch thin tires. Without brakes.

"It is true daredevil stuff," said John Parham of Anamosa, Iowa, the owner of this machine, currently on display at Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum at AMA headquarters in Pickerington, Ohio.

Parham notes that checks were rudimentary at best. The pilot spun the pedals or has a bump start the engine light. Then he had only three things to work: the right rotary control, which operated as a standard gas, the knob on the left, who worked a spark advance and compression release, and a kill switch.

"Often," said Parham, "they'd leave open the throttle and hit the kill switch for speed control."

Parham notes that this particular car was never raced. Rather, it was painstakingly assembled parts from that era.

E 'was built for him by Dave Ohrt, starting with a rigid frame, which is the style voluto tutti i regatanti.

Ma il trucco veramente bit sono quelli esotici quattro valvole teste, gestito da una coppia di sottili aste di spinta. Al momento, la maggior parte delle moto sono state utilizzando inefficiente insenatura-over-valvola di scarico disegni, e questi sono stati i unobtainium fabbrica parti dei loro giorni.

Parham's spettacolare otto valvole Racer è uno dei centri della nuova mostra: "Un secolo di indiani", come l'apertura di ricevere questo problema. E 'inoltre rimarranno in esposizione nel museo e la fine del 2002.