I have a 344 Chief and I”ve never thought of it as life saver, sometimes it has done the opposite as a life ender with seriously inadequate brakes, average lighting and antiquated suspension but I digress as that is my 2015 view of a 1944 machine and technology. To judge anybody or machines on todays standards is difficult for example Fangio, Hailwood, Surtees, Bradman Ned Kelly of course vehicles are the same E type Jaguar, 1956 Chevy’s, 1966 Ford Mustang & motorcycles 1944 Chief,Indian Four”s, Harley Knucklehead, Vincent Black Shadow etc what you need to do is put yourself in the particular era then you can see how great or important the machine or person was, its hard to do if you have a 70 yo plus machine because many owners were not even born. Some legends and horrors are forgotten when I was a lad of eighteen summers I remember everyone that knew anything about Indians said ” Don’t buy a 741 Scout they are a s**t heap and slow and run hot and unless given one for under $25 don’t even contemplate it” so whats happened here to make 741″s desirable have they got faster, more reliable or better running, well no, but the old timers are all dead now and the legends and stories have altered and grown, people now don’t think of a Scout as a poor mans Chief anymore they buy them and like them and they are accepted amongst all Indian owners as a good bike and seem to change hands for $16,000 to $20,000 and more which proves “Time waits for no man or machine”
