New Members

This year with our change to the constitution introducing B.E.A to 1976 has started to see a growth in new members averaging one a month so far unsurprisingly most are Triumph owners but also BSA and Norton as well. It’s kind of history repeating itself as the original importers of Indian Milledge Bros in the twenties started the Indian-Triumph club so a full circle there, it seems that both brands share a strong bunch of enthusiastic owners so thats good. Some things will alter such as the Smoke Signals magazine will not be solely based on only Indian subjects, Martyn Goodwyn your editor has already agreed to reproduce some of the articles he produced in international OVR magazine he edited for many years as one of the most professional e-mags around so that will help in keeping interesting subjects in the magazine. The picture above is a Harley Knuckle engine in a Triumph Trophy frame, weird.

Same as us, and Crazy Horse fun

Yes the Classic Club of Vic has the same rider etiquette as us so we are not unique please acknowledge these at all rides or rallies that you attend. Speaking of which, the last weekend’s Rally seemed to be a resounding success, but for your webmaster pictured in Wangaratta Hospital at the half way point to the rally I was struck down with severe cramps and vomiting caused by Kidney stones, the first time and the worse pain ever, after 6 hours they released me and my son drove me home, so no rally for me, but Mark Barthelmie tells me the weather was great and the ride organised by Gary Hogg was fantastic I’m looking forward to it already.

Indian Pony

I’ve never seen one of these but one has turned up in Australia it looks like a Honda Z50 and I can only suppose it was a dearer product hence its rarity. The Crazy Horse Rally is on this weekend at Corryong and its been our only Association rally this year so man I’m looking forward to it.

ONLY 2 WEEKS TO GO

Two Weeks to go to the Crazy Horse Rally in Corryong , and am I looking forward to this the best part of Victoria to explore with a local Gary Hogg leading the ride on roads he has ridden for over 50 years, to top it off the weather forecast looks superb. This will be our only rally this year and considering we used to run four a year there has almost been a drought! You can still book at the Mountain View Motel right now  02060761766 the Association will be putting on a free BBQ on the Friday night so thats some of your subs back this year already please mention the Iron Indian riders so you can get a room close to your fellow members

The good old days

CHAOS ON SYDNEY ROAD

Cottman’s Triumph & Indian dealers

When I was working at Frank Mussett & Co Triumph Importers in the early seventies I noticed the older parts books were stamped Cottmans & Co and I knew they were Triumph dealers up to about 1959/60 till Frank bought them out and got the agency for Triumph & Velocette. What I never realised was they sold Indian’s post war, as Milledge Bros had done pre war these recently unearthed photos show in 1948 they proudly sold the brand with Velocette and other makes, Indian were heavily taxed post war though and only small lots would have been sold before Indian closed in 1953.  I expect with the amount of Army surplus machines for under 5 pounds and mountains of cheap spares there would be little profit in American machinery, Triumph on the other hand were selling like hot cakes and Velocette with their victorious KTT racer setting a trend would have been a nice brand promoting MAC & MSS models as well.

Wow that’s confidence

B.E.A ?

B.E.A whats that mean to IIRA members, it is British, European & American up to 1976 recently you voted unanimously on the changes to our constitution to include these different brands. Indian basically did the same with Matchless, Brockhouse, Vincent, Royal Enfield and of course Clymer models had Indian-Velo, Indian-Norton, Indian-Triumph, and Indian-Ducati as well, only thing that never happened of course was the mythical Indian-Harley which Harley considered at one time buying the trademark thank God that never happened. As you can see by the period photos above they were looking at marketing a long before times like today where machines are rarely home content and most components come from countries far from America or UK for that matter, one thing I have noticed is that most members in our Association is they all usually have other brands as well in the garage. The next question is why the age and the nationality limit, thats real easy most massive development of motorcycle design happened between the eighties and the nineties and we did’nt want that or being overun with Evolution Harley’s and UJMC (Universal Japanese Motorcycles) the Vintage Japanese motorcycle Club is excellent for these machines, and the HOG Group works well for post shovel head owners. Of course we are founded as a Indian Club and we encourage those of absolutely any era that has’nt changed nor the fact that a club run you can bring whatever, what does change is some club events that are run will be for eligible machines like the 2024 Gypsy Tour of Tassie, there will be others in the future but we are a B.E.A club and hope to cater for those members as well.

Spring is in the air

It started off with a bang now its back to winter the Fathers Day Ride did’nt happen this year the first in over 10 years we hav’nt had one and of course seeing there was’nt a ride on the weather was magnificent! Anyway I had domestic maintenance to do although and that did not help my mind frame, Dave Kimpton asked me about perhaps if anybody wants to list a ride that is not one of our quarterly events  what would you do, easy contact either your webmaster or put it up on our Facebook page that would work for anybody that wants a weekend ride away over a couple of nights as well. We are just over 6 weeks out from the annual Crazy Horse Rally Corryong  in October, time to pull your finger out and book the Mountain View Motel all the details on the calendar , also the Gypsy Tour of Tassie 2024 if your thinking of going book the Ferry NOW as some of the departure dates are booked OUT already, which means you will have to leave a day earlier. This has been listed over two months now so don’t complain, remember only association eligible bikes which is  Indian’s of any era and B.E.A (British,European,American) up to 1976 the Expression of Interest was in your last Smoke Signals and are also available if you ring me 0400922022. We now have a new Secretary Wayne Smith as Phil Pilgrim has at last found somebody to take up the position which he took over reluctantly 12 months ago, congratulations Wayne. Lastly if not least if you hav’nt renewed your subs by now after all the reminders and messages we can only expect your not going to & if you had a red plate bike with us it is now not registered and will need to have a RWC to transfer to  another club thanks for your time with us.

Goodbye old friend

In 2003 I bought my 1944 Army Chief from Adelaide it cost $25K and had lots of chrome with a Dusting Sidecar body on a Indian Chassis, my first job was finding a Indian sidecar body that took a fair time but eventually I got one in a nearly matching colour. Then I stripped all the chrome and spent years tracking down all the original air cleaner, blackout lights, bash plates, radio suppression equipment, exhaust system, windscreen etc. I then put 80 cu flywheels in with Bonnieville cams and followers while I was at it a 4 speed overdrive gearbox it literally went like the clappers and was doggedly reliable eventually I created the TLS  front brake conversion and this was the bike it was tested on to go on to sell around 30 of these leaf spring brake conversions. The reality of my ownership is I’m 71 now and after riding this bike to Sydney fully loaded with my 10 year old daughter in the sidecar and back in 2009 and many other long distance rides unfortunately its time to sell my old mate. The divorce of the sidecar being with the bike was hard as they spent 78 years together I had one mate that wanted the sidecar and another that wanted the bike so I parted them!  A fortnight ago I rode it as an outfit for the final time and on Saturday I rode it as a solo, a stark difference I was sad to see it leave my possession last night, farewell old friend.