Sutherland
Club Member
As you can see, the bike is an interesting thing, American Ironhorse Forks, Bendix carb but with a Linkert cleaner (from a 40s Knucklehead??), big old oil tank (also knucklehead?), aftermarket oil filter, non-stock rear mudguard with no brake light, no idea where half of it came from but it's a runner and I got it for 1300 bucks so why not have some fun. The plan is to tackle all the oil leaks and any mechanical problems first, buying good parts, doing it right, doing it once, but keeping the aesthetic cost to a minimum until it's roadworthy.
I've sorted the tank, cleaned and back to black. Got a speedo and tachometer systems and front mudguard but the front mudguard doesn't fit the forks, I guess spacers will have to do.
Need to find an air filter that'll fit, this is the only one I can find that has the same shape as the air cleaner: https://bit.ly/49OiXwC .
I need to decide what to do about the rear mudguard and break light, there's only one light on the rear light currently and the front brake doesn't activate it, the current mudguard is wrecked and doesn't seem to fit well. I was thinking of getting or making a custom or an old stock one. Any suggestions for a custom mudguard set up?
Not sure if it is worth keeping the oil cooler, cooler oil means better lubrication and longer lasting parts right? But is it necessary in the UK weather?
Planning to make and weld a dipstick to the cap but I will need to work out how much oil will be in the system with the oil cooler cooler and filter and bigger tank. I know the filter is aftermarket but I'm unsure of the oil cooler, no mention of it in the parts catalogue or service manual. On a stock bike, the low mark is 2 quarts, the high mark is 3 quarts. is this a big deal? Any idea how I should work this out?
The big thing is, I'm probably going to rewire the whole thing, the electrics do work but they're jerry-rigged, seems straight forward but I haven't done much electrical work before so might be challenging, any tricks much appreciated.
Finally, what is that thing that has snapped off the photos??
When I test rode it it wouldn't go into neutral, I hear that is a clutch adjustment issue. Also will need to adjust carb, youtube should help with that.
I have done a fair amount with old trucks and cars but assume I know nothing! I've never worked on a bike or a carburetted vehicle before so any knowledge will help.
Cheers!
I've sorted the tank, cleaned and back to black. Got a speedo and tachometer systems and front mudguard but the front mudguard doesn't fit the forks, I guess spacers will have to do.
Need to find an air filter that'll fit, this is the only one I can find that has the same shape as the air cleaner: https://bit.ly/49OiXwC .
I need to decide what to do about the rear mudguard and break light, there's only one light on the rear light currently and the front brake doesn't activate it, the current mudguard is wrecked and doesn't seem to fit well. I was thinking of getting or making a custom or an old stock one. Any suggestions for a custom mudguard set up?
Not sure if it is worth keeping the oil cooler, cooler oil means better lubrication and longer lasting parts right? But is it necessary in the UK weather?
Planning to make and weld a dipstick to the cap but I will need to work out how much oil will be in the system with the oil cooler cooler and filter and bigger tank. I know the filter is aftermarket but I'm unsure of the oil cooler, no mention of it in the parts catalogue or service manual. On a stock bike, the low mark is 2 quarts, the high mark is 3 quarts. is this a big deal? Any idea how I should work this out?
The big thing is, I'm probably going to rewire the whole thing, the electrics do work but they're jerry-rigged, seems straight forward but I haven't done much electrical work before so might be challenging, any tricks much appreciated.
Finally, what is that thing that has snapped off the photos??
When I test rode it it wouldn't go into neutral, I hear that is a clutch adjustment issue. Also will need to adjust carb, youtube should help with that.
I have done a fair amount with old trucks and cars but assume I know nothing! I've never worked on a bike or a carburetted vehicle before so any knowledge will help.
Cheers!