Hitchcocks Forum

Anyone comment on how they compare in build quality, strength and use?



I've currently got a late 1950's gearbox, probably off a meteor minor, which I could possibly use/use parts of/modify to fit my bullet project (feasability of this still to be investigated, it was actually fitted to the bike when I got it but the clutch release isn't ideal for my purposes).



By tomorrow I will also have a 2003 Indian 4-speed bullet gearbox in my hands so I can compare and contrast parts/fittings.



My main question is (as above), is this worth persevering with? Is the Reddich gearbox likely to be any better than the Indian one? I know the gearbox on my Indian 350 bullet is pretty awful. Graunchy, imprecise and generally agricultural in operation (The only worse one I've used was on an Estonian Home market Ural 650). If the Reddich one is a significantly better/smoother/stronger box, I'll look into ways of making the clutch work (A mate has a line-boring lathe so I could even have the mainshaft modified to take the clutch pushrod). If it's no better, I ought to be able to sell/swap the Reddich box in favour an Indian one of similar condition without losing out.

Both British and Indian 4 speeders can work very well, but a 4 speeder from a British twin will have a slightly longer mainshaft, so your engine and clutch sprockets would not line up properly, as I understand it..

Cheers. The mechanics of fitting it is not so much of an issue. It's actually already been fitted to a bullet with a modified Indian clutch basket, spacers and a a scissor clutch plate and I have a mate who is very good at light engineering/fabrication/modification of parts of this kind.

It's more if the gearbox itself mechanically any better. I remember putting 1968 gearbox internals in my 1998 Jawa 350 and even to the eye, they were better made with proper undercutting and case hardening. Rode like a different bike afterwards.

If there is likely to be a significant advantage in use with the older Reddich box, then great and I'll go ahead and make it fit. If there isn't much difference, then it's putting in a lot of work when I could just bolt an Indian one on.

Should an Indian 5 speed box come your way at a decent price, don't turn it down, they can be right-foot shift converted and retro-fitted to older Bullets. Worth having.



A.

The scissor clutch (Meteor Minor/Connie) mainshafts are the same length as fitted to the Bullet: The scissor clutch main shaft is not drilled for the pushrod.


When rebuilding Post 57 Redditch gboxes, I always use Indian made parts; no problems. For pre 57 g/box, Indian made gears can be used, but you need to fit both Mshaft and Layshaft pairs of gear, as the later (stronger) cogs have less teeth, and will not interchange individually.


The only 'failing' of the scissor action clutch are the two E10 Angular contact bearings fitted to the pressure plates. ALWAYS select neutral when stationary!!! Otherwise, if the clutch is lifted for lengthy periods of time the original bearings can overload/heat and will wear rapidly. I fit sealed 16100 ball bearings; same load capacity as the E10 but being sealed they dont end up running 'dry'. Much cheaper too.

One well-documented weakness of the Indian 4 speed box concerns the flexing of the outer cover when the clutch is operated, our hosts came up with a stiffer replacement cover as well as a stiffening kit for the existing cover, which is a bit cheaper.

Both Redditch and Indian built gearboxes are agricultural. Unless you really want a 4 speed save your money and go strait to a 5 speed. Get one off Hitchcocks with the right hand shifter already fitted. Hitchcocks 5 speeds come with every thing that you will need to fit it onto your motor. You do not have to take your motor out of the frame to fit one of Hitchcocks 5 speed gearbox. Redditch and Indian gearbox parts are not interchangable. I went to a 5 speed after months of frustration and useless spending of money on upgrades for my 4 speed gearbox. Fitted a 5 speed and instantly all my problems were solved. The clutch worked perfectly, my RE rode along beautifully and it is always in the right gear.

Here is a 4 speed Indian gearbox,unmodified, doing its' stuff on a tuned 350 road bike. While I would not use one for racing [as there is still that huge gap between 3rd and 4th], I will offer a tenner to anyone who can find a missed gear in this video ...

Sorry, here is that video ... https://youtu.be/bKEEeFoGZCE

In my experience, Tornado (Indian 4 speed) select 2nd, then use neutral finder for neutral

Kevin the Meteor Minor (Redditch 4 speed) push gently down from 1st and it clicks into neutral (or up from second).