Indian Motorcycle Bearing Data
Bearings & Related SubjectsUpdated 11.28.99
Original bearings for Indians are rarely available. Fortunately there are modern equivalents for most of them. On this page you will find 2 charts correlating original Indian bearing numbers to modern, readily available, bearings.
On this page:
- "Chief" -Bearing chart (Indian/modern replacements) for Chiefs (and some other models)
- "249" -Bearing chart (Indian/modern replacements) for Verticals
- "149/249" -More info on replacement bearings for Vertical Indians
Here is a list of Indian Chief bearings to commercial numbers. It was accumulated over the years and hopefully includes no obsolete numbers. I did not include suffixes as they seem to have different meanings between makers. I'm listing them as: Indian#, commercial#, where used, and (comments). I have Torrington# B810 needle bearing listed to replace Indian #39313 generator sprocket bushing in the inner primary cover. Use with CR 4911 seal. I have a number for the clutch release bearing but when I tried to order, I was told it would be special order and the price was terrible (I don't recall if there was a minimum order or not).
The number is INA # 2041. It measures 1.687" ID x 2.375" OD x .562" thick. It looks like the only difference from original is both races are grooved. Someone mentioned a metric replacement that requires some modification to the clutch worm. Hope this helps someone. I believe this is an accurate listing as the numbers were gleaned from original bearings where possible, but any corrections are welcomed. The only changes I made were to add current prefixes to some of the numbers, ie: 6207 for 207, etc.
The transmission mainshaft bearing recommendations have been updated 11.13.99. Please see the "comments" page for the reasons! Moen
| Indian Chief Bearing Cross Reference | ||
| Indian # | Mfg # | Location |
| 40446 | SKF# 5205 | Front brake drum'37-'53 and rear brake drum, '53 back to at least '36, (also 4's) |
| 191017 | Torrington# 912 | Needle bearings used with girder fork links, '46-'47, (recommend upgrade to bushings as the hardened shafts used with the bearings are no longer availailable) |
| 189010 | SKF# 7206 | Lower fork stem '46-'53 |
| 189005 | SKF# 7205 | Upper fork stem '46-'53 |
| 38854 | No commercial equivalant, replace with Timken cone # 08125 and cup # 08231 | Lower fork stem for leaf fork, (both cone and cup required also fits S/Scout & 4's) |
| C18120 | .250" balls | Upper stem bearings for leaf fork, (21 required also S/Scout & 4's) |
| 100229 | SKF# 6202 | Generator drive end, (use sealed two side version, fits autolite generators) |
| 100226 | SKF# 6201 | Generator commutator end,(use sealed two side version, fits Autolite generators) |
| 39216 | Special automotive 207 Please see comments! |
Tranny main shaft clutch side |
| 39923 | SKF# 6207, BCA I207S or 207
Please see comments! |
Tranny main shaft sprocket side, (I recommend sealed one side version with seal next to sprocket) |
The Bearings in this table are for 249 vertical twin Scout. They may also fit the Warrior and single cylinder arrow, except the crank case ball bearing, which is probably different.
| Indian Scout, Warrior, Arrow Bearing Cross Reference | ||
| Indian # | Mfg # | Location |
| 1189006 | FAFNIR 206K | Crank case ball bearing (drive side) (twin only, not correct for single cylinder) |
| 1191004 | Torrington B-1812X(Or 8-1812X)? | Needle bearing in wheel hub |
| 1189005 | FAFNIR 204KLD | Ball bearing in wheel hub |
| 189005 | FAFNIR 7205W | Fork neck lower |
| 189004 | FAFNIR 7204W | Fork neck upper bearing |
