Indian’s Founder Hendee’s 72 anniversary

IMG_0715Hendee medalsHendee racer highwheelGeorge Hendee 1904George Hendee MasonIMG_0507IMG_1322IMG_1273IMG_1300

 

George Hendee died in 1943, as you know one of the founders of the Indian motorcycle Co, he had retired many years earlier so was well out of the day-to-day running at Springfield. What a lot of people don’t realize was he was a famous high wheel racer before the turn of the century and also a leading light in the Free Masons so always a public figure. As today is Harley Friday we see a few more of our poor cousins, the dumped Evo shows what that owner thought of it, a shame he has littered the beach, the last photo is a Harley ballet dancer Id love to see that sidestand bracket snap

Sidecars are go!

IMG_1291IMG_1292IMG_1236IMG_1223IMG_0635

 

Winter has hit with a vengeance and your bike is sitting in the shed with a cover over it because it could fall over on a wet road, well how about a sidecar on your Indian plenty of models pictured fitted onto both new and old versions. Sidecar riders these days are treated with suspicion because you can’t have the same fun on one as I was once told, that was before I took this misinformed individual for a ride after screaming to let him out after a few minutes I realized I was having more fun than him, still I have ridden them for 45 years and raced them as well for some years I gave him the ride of his life! I own two outfits at the moment and would like another the only problem is they take up the room of a small car and two solos fit better than an outfit in a garage, riding solos is a lot of fun but only half as much as a well set up chair you can potentially on a late-model outfit blitz any car on the road and they handle better than a sports car to boot I never could see the attraction of MG’s I could outhandle, outbrake, and outperform any of them on a rigid frame Triumph Thunderbird and it could carry the same amount of passengers and you got wet in bad weather in the MG as the T-Bird, so think about it you will never use your stand again have plenty of room for gear and even for an extra passenger. This weekend the Rain in the Face Winter Rally is on a nice time for a outfit you can put a thermos of hot soup in, spare gloves a umbrella and all your gear will be dry with spare room for the dog even

What’s Horner’s Bobber looking like?

imageimage

 

A number of members have been asking what Chris’s Indian Bobber that he bought as a rolling chassis over 12 months ago shaping up like? Well in between bad back, and planning your International Gypsy Tour 2016 next March he’s assembling it slowly, Ray Drever from Geelong did the stunning paint work the frame is Gunmetal colour so a contrast, considering it came surface rust from Kiwi Indian it’s quite a transformation I reckon it will hit the road in time for the the Crazy Horse Rally in September

The latest W.A Indian News is in

preview

Click on image to view

The new W.Aust Indian News is in if you wish to read it click on the image it takes about 10 secs to download the other 40 are on the Section News area

The Smoke Signals is out & time to vote

smokesignals1505769fcbdf1939cbdf43002be6e4330e9c.936x690x1

Lots of reading this month in the latest magazine, also the nomination form for the AGM, which brings me to the point Daryl Colt is at the end of his tenure. When the Iron Indian Riders started we drafted the constitution to have the executive committee changed every couple of years this was because I have been in other clubs in the past that have executive members staying so long in their post that they eventually treat the club and members as their own! So as we are more liberally minded & we change these top men over regularly as it keeps interest going and new blood with new ideas, this also means that if you are President etc you’re not stuck there forever so it is more attractive to stand for the job, just imagine being stuck with Julia Gillard for years! So we want you please think about a post and remember you’re the one that will benefit

RACV Roadside Assist cover

IMG_1296IMG_1185IMG_1187

Recently someone in our association asked me about break-down cover, we offer NSW Motorcycle Alliance cover but personally I go with RACV Roadside assist. Now a number of years ago I swore I would have nothing to do with them (RACV) after having my father-in-law suffer a heart attack in Queensland and unfortunately died I rang the RACV to ask them to bring his car and trailer home, him being a member for 50 years accounted for nothing as they said and I quote ” He’s dead so we no longer cover him and you will have to find means of returning the vehicle yourself, if he was in hospital alive we can offer this service as part of his package” after driving a CM Valiant & trailer 1800 klms back to Melbourne over 2 days I was”nt overly impressed. Recently after a mate (Chris Horner) broke down in Bright I had second thoughts he rang  and within half an hour they picked up the bike and delivered him back to Melbourne, and if he was on holiday he was offered another vehicle, and or accommodation if his bike was being repaired, not only that they covered if he was driven or driving someone elses bike/car that broke down he was covered and this vehicle was picked up as well, top this off with your wife’s/ partners vehicle was on the same coverage and any car or motorcycle that you own! Well all that for $220 a year I’ve got 14 vehicles covered, my missus had her car on a factory emergency assist thing at $160 a year and it only covered her vehicle needless to say I joined cancelled her factory cover and I am happy. So I suppose there is always a sheep nearby in a paddock to tow your Indian but you know $220 is bugger all when the sheep gets tired.

Now I really need to re-order again

SubstandardFullSizeRender SubstandardFullSizeRender SubstandardFullSizeRender SubstandardFullSizeRender

 

Sandy Barthelmie’s 2015 Scout the way the factory should make it, isn’t it a knock-out?

So you want a Indian but only have a worthless Evo

image

 

New 741 & more are coming

image-1

bottom-image

 

I just want one (without the Tomson M1)! Its the start of the new platform for Scouts out in June, the Sports Scout with wire wheels of course thats my next bet, we know it will be sometime before they land here in Australia with the log jam of 2015 Scouts on order locally, but dont be fooled there will be new production models shown as I predicted very soon. The Dark Horse was one out of the bag denials everywhere from the local importers but blow me down its out and for sale in months, Scouts are running on two assembly lines now to catch up with demand this wont take long.

741 is the first of the new range  (click on highlight)

1948 Chief vs 1947 Knuckle, did it ever stand a chance?

imageDSCN0072-300x224

Peter Kime sent me this article from Indian Illustrated 1997 & its worth reproducing, I bite my tongue as I say this is probably the only Harley I’d have if I had a Colt 45 aimed at my families heads, that said I would own even a Honda step-thru in front of the Hog, but a good article anyway. Pictured above a year earlier Chief & the Knuckle in its original setting.

 

Chief vs Knucklehead