I recently approached the Classic Club President of Victoria Ian Snadden about his editorial in the recent article in Sprocket on “true classics” and the old “bogey” on what’s a Classic raised its head again as it has done in the past in the IIRA. The CMMC have an ageing membership and are worried that as they have nearly 500 members and they are looking at 1/3 probably becoming inactive within the next decade for age related reasons & with not many younger members who are joining to replace them, seems similar to most clubs at the moment but not all. The best thing that ever happened to Indian was that in 1999 the game was on with Indian making a comeback and the roots of this are with the new Polaris Indian’s today, remember the hiccups with Indian, Gilroy, Kings Mountain, etc till we are now at a point where Indian’s are no longer the “new kid on the block”and are a serious threat to the Motor Co, for the IIRA it is and was a blessing in disguise as a small number of original souls formed the Iron Indian Riders decided the future of Indian would have roots in the past but we would embrace the future, others did’nt see it this way and of course, the end will be inevitable how that turns out as time passes. The IIRA has had it ups and downs but we embrace all Indian’s and as a result have a decent mix of all era’s and late model owning members have sometimes bought early Indian’s and visa-versa this can only lead to a viable and healthy future for us and the enviable position some clubs like the Velocette, Vincent, AJS, Ariel owners can only dream about. But back to Ian’s great article its good to see another club looking to the future and not relying on the past we are all people that like old bikes and not want to see them in the scrap bin, surely the basis of anybody’s future.

Harley as you know last week closed a factory in Kansas and also here in Adelaide, with more to come and the announcement of electric motorcycle range by 2019, should just about see the nails in the coffin. The problem with “painting yourself into a corner” which has happened with Harley catering for baby boomers and the 1% “knuckle draggers” is the that customer base has and is getting older and smaller, its alright to carry on about Evolution but that means nothing to a gen X or Y and millennium customer they don’t care and brand names aren’t a big deal a Coke or a Pepsi its still a soft drink! Indian like Triumph cater for traditional owners but are not reliant on it, the killer now is the Trump administration (Make America great again) announcing today that all made in India motorcycles will be taxed at the same rate as that country charges the USA which at this point in time is 75% but will be soon 50%. So big deal you say a few thousand Royal Enfields will increase in price, err yes but the H-D 500 and 750 are re-imported back to USA from India and will be subject to this tax unlike the Scout which will be in comparison cheaper in that home market, two things to remember that Harley are no longer as “good as gold” as the advertisers were saying in the noughties you will not get back more than you paid for your H-D, they were “anchors” at Mecum’s Auctions in Las Vegas last month and good models were selling under $5,000, also Wille-G-Davidson said the break even point was 190,000 units per annum, they are 48,000 units from going bust again, and Indian sales are up 17% and growing annually thats got to hurt the Motor Co as every Indian sold is one potential Harley sale.

The last couple of weeks I repeated my last years “pilgrimage” to Mecums Auctions in Las Vegas and it was interesting to see what is classed as valuable in todays markets with over 1700 bikes up for auction, interestingly Clymer Indian’s a now being appreciated even more than some Springfield models, what with a Indian mini-mini 50cc selling for a staggeringly smart price of $11,000 USD although a Z50 Honda beat it by a margin at $11,250 USD ! Then to ramp it up a Clymer Indian 125cc sold for $7,500 USD a Gilroy or two held up well at $7,245 & $9,500 USD, a 1968 Clymer Indian electracycle seemed reasonable value at $3,000 considering Harley announced yesterday that they are ready to produce an electric bike (as usual Indian beat them again at this) and shut there plants in Adelaide and Kentucky due to falling sales which I have been saying since 2013 will see them bankrupt sooner than you think. Harley prices at the auctions were miserably low, and many “chromo-sexuals” would be stricken with grief with some bikes approaching almost scrap prices after seller premiums were taken from the results, still I digress at Bonham’s a Vincent Black Lightning which I called “Caesars Axe” as it was purporting to be Jack Ehret’s Australian record holder (which part) that sold for $1.2 million or a cyclomotor attachment Vincent Firefly 50cc for $20,000, the world has surely gone mad

www.mecum.com/auctions/las-vegas-motorcycle-2018/lots/motorcycles

Things are quite at this time of year but it kicks off with a bang next week starting with the Midnight Express Saturday 20th, then the week after the world famous Great Race 2018 held in Mansfield Victoria on the Australia Day Weekend 27-28th  run by the Indian M/cycle club of Victoria (not to be confused at all with the IMCA) and former Harley City proprietor Dave Readie, then on Tuesday 30th a General Meeting at Pascoe Vale Hotel. February the Sitting Bull Rally at Inverloch will have you primed for the International Gypsy Tour 2018 in March, time to change your oil ready for the year.

JS King & Sons in Brisbane st Launceston were a huge franchise selling among cars, and motorcycles Indian’s as well recently I decided to visit the old site and its a massive building and under those “Zap” signs cast in the concrete facia the huge Indian logos are there, although currently covered. I have seen where Rhode’s Motors in Melbourne is and I intend to visit the other main state dealers shops in different I visit, strangely  lots of the old dealership sites are still there

John King and Sons history