You need a spark to start an engine! Da! So, the first step, to see if my dad’s bike was going to go somewhere, was to find a battery… a battery for an Indian Scout 741!
Wait what? Oh, you may have missed the part where I explain that I’m starting a new adventure with my dad, which is to rebuilt his vintage bike, an Indian Scout from 1941! You can read all about it on this page which explains why I’m doing this. Once done, I’ll probably go on a road trip with this bike! But that’s going to take some time!
A little adventure
Old engines were apparently equipped with 6V batteries, not 12V like the newest models of pretty much everything with an engine.
OK! 10AM Saturday morning, I take the car and go to the first shop where they sell batteries and other stuffs. Told my dad, I’ll be just gone for 30 minutes. But then, this is how it went:
Me: “Hello, I’m looking for a battery for a motorcycle”
Clerk at the shop: “Yes, no problem, come this way…”
Me: “It’s a 6V”
Clerk at the shop: “Oh?! Sorry we don’t have those in stock. Try going to …(insert shop name) “
Me: “OK, thanks”
Repeat this conversation 10 times, in 10 different shops and picture me coming back home 2 hours later, empty-handed and pissed!
I was not going to be defeated. Repeat a few more time in the afternoon and I finally come home with… a toy 6V battery, which I was praying would make do. My dad managed to install it and… it worked!! That felt like a miracle!
To be honest, I don’t think it’s doing a great job but it was not made to start a motorcycle either, so I can’t complain too much. And it does not recharge so that was just a temporary solution.
So what next?
The perfect battery for an Indian Scout 741
I ended up ordering on Amazon the perfect YUASA battery. YUASA is a brand that apparently equips 80% of all motorcycles in the World so I guess that is a statement!
Things I’ve learned:
- Usually batteries come dry but do require sulfuric acid to go inside. So you also need to buy the sulfuric acid.
- Also after filling it up, you need to charge the battery! So you need a charger (make sure it does 6V not just 12V).
Thankfully, those are not too expensive items. Between the battery, the acid and the charger, you will spend a bit less than 100 euros / dollars. Still that is just the beginning.
The batterie I got is the: YUASA 6N11A-1B
What happened next?
By the end of that afternoon with the toy battery I had managed to find, the engine roared and I was such a happy bunny!
(You can see a little video of it on the main Indian page. I’ll make more videos in the future. I might even create a YouTube account for that!)
Finally, I was going to have my first test drive!
Mount the bike, rehearse the steps. Foot clutch on the left, foot brake on the right. Throttle on the left hand, don’t touch the spark control located on the right, 1st gear up…. OK I’m ready. Let’s do this… And… stall.
OK I can do this. Let’s try again… and … stall. Damn!
Me: “Dad, what am I doing wrong?”
Dad: “Nothing, the clutch disks must be stuck”
Me: “What does that mean?”
Dad: “You won’t be riding today”
Me: “Darn”
OK, my dad and I speak French but it is an exact translation!
So there it was, the day had gone by, looking for a battery I ended up ordering on Amazon. No test drive. Just dreams that will have to do until next time.
Next step?
Unstuck those clutch disks, of course!
That will be in the next article. Not as funny as this one and a bit more technical. Stay tuned!
For the ones of you who noticed, I confirm that we’ll have to change the battery case as well. It’s on the do to list!
Oh wait now it’s done! I did get a battery case and it looks smashing!
You can pin this for later if you wish!
