Thanks Stan: Good price if they are in fact forged. Egge tells me they also make the pistons for one or two other Four Cylinder rebuiulders with thier name on em. In thierWebsite list they include Henderson as another four cylinder piston among hundred of auto pistons for many years. I would hope they have the bugs out by now...Joe
Partsnut,sorry it took so long to respond,we had a hard time fitting them up and they didnt seem quite right from the get go had may problems afterwards and was only 20 over,after I took them out and bought esle where my problems have only been from riding smoke free and face cramps from smiling sooooo much when I ride !!
Well inline:- I'v never ridden a Indian or any four cylinder. Heard em idle is all till I finally got mine running after ten years of hard work on it. Almost ready to take er out for the first time soon. After the long long wait, hope it makes me smile Egge Pistons and all. A smile like yourself, hopefully. Thanks for the reply......Joe
Partshunt, I have been working on my 36 four since the middle 80's. Seams like somethine else takes my time or money. I am retired now and will be able to spend more time on this project. I had the lower end done when Ken Young was still in long beach. Have most of the sheet metal except for the chain guard. Still missing a few small items, but have the more hard to get items. Hope your four runs out ok. Stan
I have nothing againts egge pistons, I just went with venolia and was very pleased. Inlinefournut - glad your four is doing so well and your smile cramps cracked me up. Stan - its a crack up I know a couple guys like you. Do you know Ed Metsner? He has a KJ, he has had for about 40 years, he just got it done and is ridding it some. He had the bottom end done by Ken too in the 60's I think. He is here in So Cal to, I spent many an afternoon in Ken Youngs shop in the 80's, you get that four done and sometime we can all get together and go for a ride around palos verdes. If you dont mind ridding with Hendersons :-), I do it regularly on my Deluxe. It would be quite cool to have a couple four cylinders run around the coast.
Hope things start going smoother for you Stan, I would like to see ya out on that Indian.
Stan, Tom:-
Dennis has helped me a lot on mine and some of the engine work for me. He is a great guy, had to take over after his Dads passing. He had a lot on his shoulders for a while, musta been rough on him. Tom Fickau makes very nice chain guards, I have one of his on my 402. His parts are identical to the original piece, right down to the crimps and original creases here and there. I am close to the first ride in a coupla weeks I am hopeing...Joe
Dennis has helped me on a few parts needed for a 41 Four I have anintake manifold his dad had made! It now runs soooo nice! He has been a little slow as of late getting stuff back to me but when it does get here it is always just what I need so I guess good things do take time
Stan good luck and I do hope you enjoy your retirement I know I do mine even though at times money is tight !!!!
Four...that first ride
Howdy Chaps
..Joe, working on it 10 years, first 4 ride will be on your very own? Man, how sweet it’ll be, that's how I did with my Vincent in the signature below. I was just reminded of my first ride 15 years ago on my then newly acquired 440 just lately having finally gotten this 441 on the road again after much determined effort.
There’s nothing more exhilarating than a crisp winter day to fire up a machine that’s not turned a wheel in over half a century under its own power. Made all the better by completing a 13 year restoration saga (10 of which spent learning a valuable life’s lesson or two about sending one’s motor off to the hinterlands) when you’ve done everything yourself in your garage except the plating and machining.
All is forgotten now, looking at these scarred-up gnarly nubs for fingers and recollections of hundreds of hours spent in clouds of dust, sparks and paint fumes. Though I’ve ridden my other one for 15 years, the sweat, worrying and improvements made setting off on this one like riding a 4 for the first time all over again – and I was reminded, you’ll be blown away – and there’s nothing quite like these machines despite their foibles.
First pic is of the day I collected it from the seller, the last of his dozen 4’s and last old motorcycle. To diminish the pain, he departed in the opposite direction in his Model A as I trailered off his machine he’d had since the 50’s, in 1995, still on it’s 1958 open dealer title from his m/c shop. JWW, as Calvin will attest, your chrome chap’s work is simply over the top. Those are the original rims, which naturally, I had to lace with perfect original single butted .175’s and .343 nipples cad’d up nicely. The Crocker steering damper looks like jewelry, I’ll never use anyone else.
Regarding Robbins/Egge’s, it’s not that they are inherently flawed - have run them for 10 years in my 440 - it’s just that piston/ring technology has made huge advances and CNC equipment enables small/individual runs in intermediate sizes at reasonable prices. Where you can run into problems with these pistons are hot weather/high speed riding with lean fuel mixtures/incorrect ignition settings – primarily from intake manifold leaks on 38-42’s – wherein these thick 4 ring pistons using tension technology, rather than gas expansion - have you closer to the thermal limit. Throw in one of those variables and you may either lightly soft seize at the skirts or wear your bores prematurely. It is not uncommon to shut a motor off so equipped in hot weather and then have it very difficult to kick through with the ignition off till the pistons cool/contract. Good luck with yours. [B]
Four...that first ride
pic 2
Four...that first ride
pic 3
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote