The Iron Indian Riders of Australia have always been one of the more progressive clubs & the most progressive Indian group in Aussie let me reflect a little, the website around 10,000 hits a week catering for new & heritage Indians, our custom made clothing bags,caps, windcheaters, neck scarves,belts etc our 16 month Calendar, (available next week) option of electronically quarterly magazine “Smoke Signals” or hard cover if you desire professionaly edited, electronically monthly magazine “Smouldering Embers” monthly meetings & monthly ride days with 4 rallies a year including 1 x Midnight Express Run, Association discounts, Breakdown assistance ,new Indian & all Indian Riders & enthusiasts welcome in the Association with provision for non- Indian members as Associate Members, change of executive positions of the committee every two years (no stale committee members) Free Machine examination for Red Plate Permit Scheme. So why am I blowing the horn, Paypal we have now set up a account for your conveince most of you have used Ebay to buy your spares & will embrace this method of payment, we are a 21st Century Association and the world never stopped in 1953 so again we have moved with the times, your membership can now be paid by this method & anything you wish to buy ie: a calendar for example is only a click away.
Mark Barthelmie
Steve York
This time of year after the AGM you get changes in committee, actually three this year with Mark Barthelmie (President) & Steve & Chrissie York ( Secretary & Social Sec), a lot of time goes into these positions that we all take for granted & of course we should’nt. Mark is a example of this, a true leader for the last couple of years, he was “Green” when he took the job & steered us through tough patches, then went on to help set up a lot of our Regalia, became a perfect P.R person & was our front man for talks with Polaris-Indian, signed up many new members, and organized advertising, not to say anything of his tireless work setting up our 16 month calendar soon to be available, plus being a person I personally & all our members regard a a close friend, as a new member recently told me “I feel at home here already” Mark of course & his wife Sandy were behind all of this. Steve & Chrissy are the same types of people always at the meetings working behind the scenes, and Chrissy setting up great unforgettable Social Functions, & Steve beside her doing Secretary type of work & doing back-up on runs. Great people all of them & be sure to tell all the Committee occasionally Thank You
Vincent Series D from Indian
The Indian name has always been linked to Vincent in 1955 Indian were still selling Vincent in USA although that was two years after the last V-Twin Chief. Vincent were doomed by December that same year, and ceased motorcycle production, makes you wonder if the Indian-Vincent or the Vindian venture had happened in 1949 wheather both firms could have survived
Thanks to Indian motorcycle Club of W.Aust for the above article, Rhodes Motor Co continued to be Indian agents till 1937, it was then taken over by Cottman’s M/cycles the famous Triumph Agents. Then in 1955 Milledge Bros sold Indian Brave 250’s till 1957 only 10 in all, these were some of the last Indians sold in Australia by a agent till 2013
Around two years ago I was thanking you for the fact we hit close to 20,000 hits, even I could not foreseen that it is now over 300,000! Sometimes I wonder who wants to know about until recently a machine that in its heyday is now pushing 70 years old, if Indian had stopped in 1953 would it be as popular in 2013, somehow I think not, the fact that the Floyd Clymer’s and Californian M/cycle Co (Gilroy type Indians) came about only ensured interest in the marque. About 1999 Henderson was tried to be resurrected with supposedly $90 million behind the venture unfortunately there was no interest in the brand anymore few people could remember the last new ones and less the brand name, what has happened recently has proven people recognise Indian as a brand, all that had to done was make a machine that people will accept, this has now happened whether you like or dislike current versions is irrelevant but it needs supporting no one wants to see another motorcycle brand fail, the more the merrier.
Recently the Indian Arrowhead TC on Facebook page have had a debate going on about “real ” Indians, this of course is a follow on from the current version recently launched. This a great subject and one dear to my heart so I added my thoughts interestingly so did quite a few others, one guy even went to the comparison of saying is a Four a real Indian as basically it was a ACE and Indian sold it as such for a short period, another chap was saying if you a splitting hairs then anything after Hendee’s were border line! This a great debatable point same as that “old hoary chestnut” about Indians that were not built in the old State St building in Springfield. Indians have had many owners and have been built from Springfield to Europe and back to the USA, but you know what, it doesn’t matter there all Indians the same as the current version “A Indian is a Indian end of Story”
Always wanted a 3 speed Indian Scout with a comfortable seat, average brakes, and chain drive and a lot lighter than a Chief at a price under $1000. I wonder if a Indian Princess is any cheaper for my wife as she would not have to worry about how heavy it was as well, maintenance is a “doodle” and the enclosed chain guard although brief looks functional, although takes a little off the “Sportbyke” image, thinking about it I could have the pair for under $1000, by the way it’s still a Indian!
Funnily enough last week I was in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, I commented on the bicycles there, I find this period poster appropriate but wonder how much things would have changed since that era. There are tram tracks the bane of all motorcyclists world wide (including Melbourne my capital city) in the wet they are treacherous, dogs,bicycles and Scooters are a huge problem now. Scooter riders share the bicycle paths extensively throughout the cities these run beside the pedestrian footpath and if you step on this path and get hit you are fined all bicycle riders have right of way. Traffic is a problem some roads are still cobblestones or in medieval areas wooden blocks, personally riding any Indian of any era would be a hand full, the older ones more so, the whole of Europe has similar problems fuel is expensive, parking more so Autobahns are very fast but boring, and country roads can have cattle being herded along them for half a hour or more with cow manure in abundance . I can see why small vehicles are the way of life
Recently I wrote a article about early Indians and the problems that you had in 1903, which brings me onto a subject that all motorcyclists have had over the years since they were first manufactured a guarantee or now days warranties.So what are some complaints in those days we would be unlikely to find a claim going to Polaris-Indian today, of course mechanical engine failures have always been a issue through the era’s however these days are not at all common. Now in 1901 wood borers on your wooden wheel rims and handlebar grips, of course Ferrous Oxide (rust), lead fatigue, on soldered joints on fuel tanks and oil tanks,weevils in the horse hair of the padding under your leather seat cover,magneto failure, cracked frame, wheel bearing failures, optional gas lighting rubber hose and accumulator deterioration from carbide corrosion, mechanical Klaxon horn wear, manual oil pump plunger leather washer damage, return oil pump breakdown (total loss),rear chain failures, air filters were not any problem as they never existed, as were riders handbooks or workshop manuals as either the local blacksmith or bicycle mechanic fixed your machine.We mentioned in the previous article finding fuel and oil of any quality in a rural area could the difficult or non-existent, plus the roads were made for horses which is probably why you sold it to by a motocycle from Indian, therefore long distant touring as it is now known would be the next town. Polaris has never had it so good, Indian was suffering flywheel problems into the thirties with oil pump problems as well and in 1932 cast alloy fuel tanks were only a one season model we all know why, vibrations! I wonder what problems a 2014 version will have I bet none of the above.
What can you say about this?
Riding a Indian on the wall of Death takes large testicles, but on the other hand what does driving a car with a Lion in the sidecar take, no testicles if your a woman. Then to make it even more difficult when you stop,there is the guy still circling above till the Lion and you get out.Today in our “nanny state” full of Civil libertarians, RSPCA, EPA protection, Police, Licensing authorities, is would not be a problem because it would not happen. Notice the painted white line on the top edge of the perimeter this was for the participants to regulate where they were in the Wall otherwise any higher and you went out of the drum usually killing a number of spectators if not yourself, one of the many reasons these were closed down and only a handful survive today. What I would not give to see a spectacle like this today