The last month’s meeting someone mentioned to me about being in the Harley Appreciation Club, well not quite although the banter between Hog & Indian guys has been going on now for over a century now. I get a lot of photos sent to me many are unsuitable, the ones I reproduce no one was killed but many owners would have the adrenalin going, for instance how do you end up on a roof? The problem with the poster at the end is it was another two years before Harley was smoked as they did not exist till 1903.

Electric start Indians the option they should have stuck with above all the others, then we would have no need for either the Timmerman(German) or the Leenes (Dutch) Kiwi (Yank) kits that are on the market. The best of the lot are the Dutch versions as the Leenes version retains a working standard kickstart which the Kiwi one doesn’t have and the Timmerman version is severly modified to the point of weakening the lever, the reason this is so bad is all the versions use a sprag clutch, which when running in the inside of a modern motorcycle engine thats fully lubricated is great, unfortunately in your old Chief they don’t, after awhile they do collapse or as I found rust out, and the sprag is over $200 not at all cheap. This was all fixed by 1999 as the first S&S engined Gilroy Indian hit the market, hard to believe Indians have been going 15 years already and 45 years (1969) since Indian Sales closed the doors and stopped selling Indian motorcycles, thats right Clive not 1953!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gary Nixon was the hot-shot US Triumph mile circuit rider in the late sixties, he got the Number 1 plate and with Gene Romero wrought destruction on the Boat Anchor Brigade from Milwaukee, they were unbeatable on Triumphs, so now the Milwaukee Tractor Co are using a picture of their most hated opponent for advertising a great help for their dealers, anyone who remembered would cringe! I reckon about now there would be a vacancy in the advertising dept, the person(s) obviously never saw Gary on his leathers or the twin exhausts, but I suppose you see the people that they are appealing to does it matter such a individual is pictured, a few years ago in their museum with pictures of past models exhibited, one was of a armoured police bike with a machine gun attached that was made in the thirties, only problem was it was a Chief,the giveaway was the Leaf Spring forks

 

What’s that you say Free Honorary Membership in the best Indian Association in Aussie well yes for 12 months but only for Indian owners, any model (we may require proof if your interstate) and a Free Indian calendar worth $30(while stocks last) with the quarterly association magazine Smoke Signals chucked in as well.  A couple of conditions, first we need you to return the membership form which is available below so you can receive your Smoke Signals, also you will need to send us a stamped self-addressed large C4 size envelope with postage stamp $2 if you want your calendar. So what don’t you get for nothing, no  free red-plate inspection, no enamel Association badge, no voting privileges, no access to the members area on the website & no Smouldering Embers monthly e-letter, no hard copy magazine only email version, everything else remains the same as a fully paid up member. We would of course enjoy your company at a meeting and an Association Rally or Monthly Run if humanly possible, that’s not much to ask is it, the full membership can be paid to upgrade at any time

honorary membership form2       (click to download)

 

 

 

Link to Cannonball Baker History