[Adrian II]

+1. If you have a torque wrench and a Bullet, make sure you keep them at least 100 feet apart AT ALL TIMES.

The subtle art of wrenching (or spannering in these latitudes and longitudes) means learning to tighten up threads (especially in Indian alloy) by feel, and yes, most of us learned the hard way unless we were very well taught from day one.

A.

[tooseevee]

I hope it is not the conrod bearing. If it something on the timing chain or the valves, it could be something I can work on. I will keep you guys posted! Much appreciated!

            Don't worry about timing chains. Your engine doesn't have one 

[Arvind96]

My bad...I stand corrected. And I looked through some manuals on how the gears and the cams work..really fascinating!

[stinkwheel]

You need to check inside your rocker blocks for more aluminium swarf because that's the next stop for any bits that made it through the screen.

I once had a bent pushrod cause similar findings as it shaved alloy off against the side of the pushrod tunnel. In any case, you need to find out where that's come from.

That first screen is the crankcase pickup which doesn't bode well for the above suggestions of conrod/floating bush failure but it's also possible it could be a bit of piston (Indian 500 pistons fail for fun) or even a poorly cast piece of crankcase that's been knocked off. Or best case, a random thing someone has accidentally dropped in the engine while servicing it.

Did you cut the oil filter open when you changed it? There could be more bits in there.

[Paul W]

My 350 iron engine had some worrying looking non-magnetic metal shavings in the oil filter when I first got the bike, with approx 3200 miles on the clock. I don’t know the service history from that time.

I checked the filter again after a few more miles and it didn’t recur apart from a few small silvery flakes. I was initially concerned the floating bush might be on its way out, but the bike ran well and was quiet for an iron engine. When I changed the piston for a Meteor Minor one, some 3,000 miles ago, I couldn’t detect any play at all on the conrod. The bike has now done over 22,000 miles and it still seems very sound, despite it being worked really hard at times.

So the flakes might be normal, for whatever reason.

[stinkwheel]

If it's a very new engine, or the crank has been replaced, they were very bad in the factory for not dressing the casting marks off the inside of the crankcases, to the extent the flywheel can rub on them. I had this when i fitted a new crank to mine, I thought there was some sort of problem with incorrect spacers stopping the crank turning but it was actually just shoddy workmanship which was soon fixed with a die grinder.

Here's a before and after picture of a 500 crankcase, the flywheel was rubbing on the raised casting marks over the cylinder stud "tubes":

[Arvind96]

@stinkwheel I will inspect the rockers in the coming days. I just received the oil filter cap and installed it and changed the oil a couple of days back and still found some metal shavings in the pan ( Bike just idled for a few minutes between the last oil change and now, was not ridden). I did find a washer sitting by the valve length adjustment nuts in the tappet cover. I do not know where that has com from. More to dig

[Arvind96]

Picking this back up again. I finally got the time on my hands to work on this! With the engine split open, I find quite a bit of shavings, and the crankshaft is shot. Has a good amount of vertical movement. Needs a new one. Sucks cuz I barely put 50 miles on it after acquiring the bike.  Any leads for replacement within the US is much appreciated! Thanks!