custom lil indian

jim210

jim210

New Member
#1
#1
lil indian flat track style

I got my first minibike 23 years ago when i was 7 years old. Growing up with a family full of mechanics and two older brothers our garage was full of minibike parts so none of our bikes were original. I never knew the make of the bike but i just recently found out it is a lil indian. my dad helped me build my first engine and I built my second engine by myself in third grade. At sixteen i got my first job as a gokart mechanic at a local recreational track. Around this time i got t boned by a car on the minibke. I straightend the bike out the best i could but it has always needed be redone. Then i worked at a lawnmower shop for a few years and even got certifed as a briggs and stratton master service tech. I used my friends bike for a few years so i could run a 5hp since they don't really fit in a lil indian.

After ten years i got the itch back and decided to finally rebuild my childhood bike. My plan is to build it the way i always wanted it when i was a kid. Build pics coming soon
 
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jim210

jim210

New Member
#2
#2
Here is a pic of the bike from when i was 12 years old. Notice the u bolts on the head stem.
 
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old-timer

old-timer

Scamming Member
#3
#3
I'm a Briggs 5hp flat top man myself. Maybe it's my age but that's what I grew up with myself. I raced go karts for a number of years, and learned my way around a Briggs pretty well.

I'm looking forward to following your progress :thumbsup:

Vic
 
Clayon

Clayon

#4
#4
The Briggs flatheads are my favorite engine, they are so straight forward to work on. Really nice story, and welcome to OldMiniBikes. :thumbsup: Looking forward to seeing more on your build. :thumbsup:
 
jim210

jim210

New Member
#5
#5
Thanks guys.

My first time welding was 14 years ago when i removed the engine plate to straighten it after the accident. I remember welding the top and bottom all the way across and it still falling off when i hit it with a hammer haha. Needless to say i had someone else weld it fpr me and i kept practicing on scrap metal.

This time i replaced it with an azusa plate because i wanted to widen the frame a hair and the slots were worn out from me not running the correct washers thoughout the years. I wanted to widen the frame because if the chain fell off before it used to grt stuck between the frame and sprocket. Not only was it scary for the back wheel to lock up at full speed but it would ruin the chain.
 
jim210

jim210

New Member
#8
#8
I grew up going to the races at Ascot since we lived around the corner from it. My buddy and i used to ride ours minibikes there after it was closed down. We even tried to clean up where the flat track was so we could race on it. We never finished it but we were able to have some fun on it. When i heard about the flat track event in simi valley this month my build plans changed a little. Plus a dirt minibike will be great for riding with my two year old son that is learning how to ride a pw50.
 
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jim210

jim210

New Member
#9
#9
I ordered a rear tire for it yesterday and last night i bought an edger off craigslist for the engine. I still have a lot of engines but i only saved the 5hp flat heads and all the big ohv engines. Im going to keep the 3.5 stock appearing but it will be heavily modified. One day i might build a new frame for one of my big ohv engines but my childhood bike has to stsy oldschool with a flathead. I borrowed the 3hp from my friends bike just for mock up.
 
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