The Greatest Race!

James LambertBlazing Saddles!JenkinsStraw victorious

The Great Race 2013, wow what a event, Harley-Ferguson won this year, after three in a row for Indian we had to give it to them, Iron Indian Riders were competing with “Blazing Saddles Straw” on a 1928 Scout with a horse saddle (see above) winning the Slow race in his class & the 20 second time trial. Members John Gee (Straw) Phillip White, John Fontanella,Rodger McGregor, Jon Munn, Daryl Colt, Daryl Jenkins,Mark & Sandy Barthelmie,Ric Barthelmie,Robert Gosper,James Lambert, and your webmaster to name a few were all in & after 700 klms over 2 days pretty tired, weather was hot, damn hot, then rain with hail heavy enough to break Rodger’s ammeter glass, some people with open faced helmets had bruised lips! Daryl Jenkins & Jon Munn last year rode Powerplus’s this year both were on 1947-48 Chief’s, so that really affected the final tally on the points scoring. Guido Allen tells me this months Smouldering Embers is out & he will be writing a full report in the next Smoke Signals Magazine about the Great Race there is more written on this by Tony Blain in our News & Articles Area. Guy also sent me a link to a great Indian Resource from the Indian Motorcycle Club of UK I have put it on our Links Area, have a view

Sitting Bull Entry, & 180,000 Hits, and no time to cut the lawn

sitting bull 2013

It’s on again the N.S.W Section has got the dates out for the Sitting Bull 2013, ask for Mark at the Boomerang Hotel (02)6025 1711 for bookings in the courtyard there are only 8 rooms left in this area although there is plenty of accommodation in other areas of the hotel. All details are on the Upcoming Events Area, this is only a week-end event & a short trip up the Hume Hwy for a great time, book now. This weekend is the Great Race in Jindabyne run by our friends at Harley City & the Indian Motorcycle Club of Victoria (not IMCA) there is over 160 entries so it will be a fantastic time.Within 2 weeks the Lakes & Craters weekend will be on at Camperdown, we have our first monthly ride on the 3rd of Feb to make sure your Indian won’t be covered in cobwebs. This year there is another Gypsie Tour, riding the length  of the mighty Murray River, with the annual Crazy Horse Rally at Coroyong, Daryl Colt has a full calender going for our first Sunday of the month rides & our Social Sec Chrissie York has a few surprises beside the Christmas in July Event, so after doing all that my lawn will be higher than a “Elephant’s Eye” as the song goes.Don’t forget our first Meeting of the year next Tuesday Night at the Pascoe Vale Hotel. The W.Aust Indian Club has sent another 2 magazines which are on the the site in the Section News. Happy New Year to our Affiliate Club Members there, lastly 180,000 hits & they “said it would’nt last” bollocks to that it did & would be the most current Indian site with up-to-date news anywhere in Australia if not the World, thanks for all your support

Your R1 needs This

Ackerman1

Solid tyres wear well  they say, a bit more on the Ackerman wheels is on our YouTube Area. I wonder if the wheel would distort at 300+ KPH (joking)

Indians in the snow

winterfrozen chieffrozen Indian

These scenes might look pretty cold & natural if you are living in the northern hemisphere and a dose of reality, for us in the southern hemisphere they are a dream with a sweltering 35C last night & 42C+ yesterday these scenes are really refreshing!

Holiday fun in the Hot Sun

564604313_2afacc3ff4c5387_Indian_3931651408_c77df14748IndianOutboardMotor2fishing reel

With the Summer temperatures approaching 40C & some areas 50C  time to put the sidevalve Chief in the shed & drag the Indian Silver Arrow out for some boating fun a spot of fishing perhaps, I think waterskiing may have this Indian drowning. The odd thing is that out  in the world, there are people lovingly restoring these outboards, with my views as a cynic of global warming we may if we listen to the great unwashed of the world need Indian to manufacture the Silver Arrow again because they reckon we will be in “Water World” like the movie of the same name,bring on Kevin Costner

 

 

A Mixed Bag

Indian Fire DeptIndian BeerCigar cuttercigar cutter 1_

I’m back from holidays so a few things Indian “stolen from the Facebook page, the first one, This customized Indian appeared in the February 1947  issue of Popular Science. It was used by the Douglas Aircraft Company at their facility in El Segundo, CA. A motorcycle was chosen over a standard  firetruck because it could fit down the narrow aisles and into other confined spaces of the large aircraft manufacturing plant. It was outfitted with two 30 lbs Du-gas extinguishers, two 15 lbs carbon-dioxide extinguishers and two 2 lbs carbon-dioxide extinguishers. The platform for this vehicle was a standard Indian Dispatch Tow, which used a 45″ Scout side valve V-twin motor.This confuses me in the way it mentions narrow aisles, I wonder what the equivalent is for the modern Firefighters is, do they use Polaris 4 wheel all terrain vehicles, I think not. The second photo is one that Indian could sell today with no compliance issues you could market it world-wide, does the Milwaukee Tractor Company sell beer, probably Vodka I think (potato,potato,potato) which is what they reckon the exhaust note sounds like, personally I say it sounds like a 750 GT Ducati with a stuffed big-end running on full retard. The last two photos could help to cause a fire, a Cigar Cutter, after putting it out then drink a Indian Motorcycle Beer

Dakota 5.1/4 gall Tanks

5.1/4 gall Tank

5.1/4 gall Tank

A lot of people don’t realize there were two other tank optional sizes available for late Springfield Chiefs, the largest pictured above is very noticibly wide on a machine with a “strainer strap” to support the extra weight of the fuel off the original 3 point mounts. The 4.1/4 gall is more attractive the gap between the filler caps off the dash is not as noticible & it has not the “strainer strap” of course if you are contemplating buying a set from Iron Horse Coral remember they are now welded and you will find sometimes your gear change lever will need to be different as in some cases it is a tight fit on side of your oversize tanks. Your webmaster has a set of 4.1/4 gall on the Vindian and they are great for distance touring

Happy New Year to all our Friends

Pin-up

To all our friends wherever  they are in the world all the best for 2013 & particularly Polaris-Indian with their exciting plans for a new Indian in the coming year

Rusty Indians

Rusty Indian 2Rusty Indians

I am always amazed at rusty Indians, how many have survived”Walking Wounded” you may say although the one on the right is along way off walking. I have in the past owned a 1921 Scout in similar condition, that took little to get running again, some people call them “time capsules” maybe they are but are they representing neglect or a era that they were never in eg: when they were new, only problem is they never looked like this new!

Buying Indian number 2

The powerplant is basic and rebuilt to within an inch of its life – which is just what I wanted.

Not sure how this happened, but I am in the throes of buying Indian number 2 (I already have a Gilroy Chief Vintage). It’s a 1947 Chief.

The process started at the 2012 Great Race, when I borrowed Black Bastard (RIP) from webmaster Pilgrim and had a great weekend. Though tempted to make an offer at the time, it wasn’t going to happen.

What led me into the latest folly was I just loved Black Bastard, a 1948 Chief in solid if not perfect condition. It was comfortable (more so than the vast majority of modern cruisers) and, unlike many bikes its age, would hold modest highway speeds without stress.

It could get a little unruly at times, but that’s fine – it’s just a matter of keeping your nerve.

Okay, it was also a little quirky to ride and was in no danger of setting lap records. But it felt damn near unburstable.

Some months down the track, I’ve agreed to buy a 1947 model. Phil Pilgrim is putting it together for me – which is both game and kind, given he knows I have the attention span of a rat on speed and absolutely no patience when it comes to coping with mechanically ‘challenged’ motorcycles.

The decision has led to me selling many bikes from a hopelessly over-grown fleet, which is not a bad thing. (And, in an attempt at rank commercialism, if anyone out there wants an exceptional GSX1100SXZ, aka a wire-wheel Katana, now is a good time to shoot me an email.)

In the meantime, I’ve booked in to the next Great Race. Hopefully this time I’ll feel less like an imposter, if I’m riding my own bike.

Despite all sorts of recommendations and offers, I’ve stayed with a basic 74ci (1200cc) powerplant in stock trim, with the standard three-speed transmission and kick start. The poverty pack. (Though it’s a definition of poverty that was previously unfamiliar…) That’s enough for a reliable 60mph, which is fine. If I want to go fast, I have an expertly modified 220hp Hayabusa. Or a few other modern rockets from Italy and England.

The only issue so far has been selling enough motorcycles to pay for this one – but it looks like we’re getting there. Wish me luck…

In the meantime, here’s a pic of the ‘new’ engine.

Guy ‘Guido’ Allen