Indian vs Harley,Triumph vs BMW

Just read a interesting statistic on Triumph marketing on their Tiger model against GS 1200 BMW, it has halved there market in Australia! In 1991 your webmaster was at the launch of the resurrected Triumph at the Cologne show in Germany they were directly opposite the BMW stand, even then I could see they were aiming for BMW riders  with their Trophy range the CEO BMW welcomed the return of Triumph  little knowing how in the future how  their market  worldwide would be effected I bet they regret that welcome now. So what’s this got to do with Indian, plenty it’s a bit like the “Mouse that Roared” skeptical types laugh that Indian will not ever be able to match H-D, sorry they have a multi billon dollar company company behind them with Polaris, their share price is $125 against Harley’s  $7.00 & they have a larger network throughout the world , they are “gunning for H-D”.Harley is severely under threat with old tech engines Indian is testing brand new engines that won’t have design flaws that can’t be changed because of buyer resistance. In my 40 years in the trade I have seen trends range from cafe-racers to scooters, then to choppers onto big -bore Jap bikes, then American cruisers, Euro cafe-racers & now scooters again! A couple of years back Wille G Davidson said that one of his major problems was not the japaneese machines, but a more pressing problem was earlier model H-Ds that were a couple of years old and were selling with low mileage at half the price, so much for the “Solid Gold” campaign the motor company ran a decade ago. This coupled with the fact that Willie G is retiring is probably about as bad as Steve Jobs dying in the Apple Company, goodluck H-D you will need it. The 2 adverts above are now in the Period Adverts area of this site along with many others recently added, there are other areas that are updated regularly including the Trading Post check them out as well

Travels with Guido: Hand me that shifter

Ever wondered what it was like to wrestle a 60-year-old monster with a hand gearshift? Guido didn’t, but found out anyway…
 Over a quarter of a century down the proverbial track, I should know better than to respond when long-term trade identity Phil Pilgrim gets on the speaking trumpet and says, “I have a plan…”
It has at various times led muggins into all sorts of weird and wonderful situations, such as working for Triumph (a long story for another day) and, more recently, buying my own Gilroy Indian at great expense to management.
The latest wheeze was something along the lines of, “You’re going on the Great Race (note the lack of choice here – Ed), and it’s about time you grew up and learned to ride a proper hand-change motorcycle.”
Okay, I’ve had sillier proposals, and wasn’t about to dispute his judgement or generosity. For those not in the know, the Great Race is a Harley versus Indian classic bike trial, which this year attracted 160 entries.
In case I missed the point, he turned up one morning on Black Bastard, a 1948 Chief with stock 74ci powerplant and three-speed ’box, looking a little rough around the edges. I liked it, though riding the beast could be a whole other nest of vipers.
“Listen up,” he began, “you use full choke and give it a few priming kicks. Then, back the choke off to two clicks, switch it on, give it a touch of throttle and boot it.”
Okay, that I can live with. And the catch?
“That’s the clutch,” he explained, pointing at the left-side pedal. Now that’s a silly bloody place to put it. “This one will be easy,” he went on, “it’s got the throttle on the right-hand – standard, they had them on the left.”
So I guess that means the giant knob on the left of the tank (normally on the right) is the shifter? Yup.
“Don’t dither,” went the briefing, “once it’s running just shove it home. You’re really gonna have to practice with this thing. I don’t want to see you stuffing up on the Great Race start line by not getting away – they work to two-minute intervals.”
Great, so no pressure then. Eventually, I got around to borrowing BB for a morning (pre-race) and used it to lower the real estate values of the leafy suburb of Ivanhoe for an hour or so.
I’ve ridden foot clutch motorcycles before – one was powered by a Subaru engine and the other a Chevrolet V-eight. Neither had hand shifters and, in fact, the builders hadn’t bothered with anything as refined as a gearbox. Though holding their own terrors, neither experience was much use.
I wobbled out of sight of Pilgrim’s workshop and managed all of five minutes’ riding before I cocked it up and stalled. No worries – BB was in a good mood and we got going again.
The process repeated a few times until I finally worked out the secret. An Indian twin, even one this old, has a ton of grunt and is quite forgiving. So forget finesse. Just squeeze, turn and release the appropriate levers and concentrate on making sure it was pointing in the right direction.
Riding in the suburbs is one thing, doing several hundred kays through the Snowies is another. And this is where I got the biggest surprise.
The handling was primitive and vague, but perfectly predictable and stable. Its brakes were nothing to write home about, and I’ve used worse.
What really shocked me was how comfortable it was. It could teach a lesson to a lot of modern cruisers.
Cut loose on the open road, that big and lazy powerplant is a gem. I’ve ridden a variety of Brit classics over the years (and own a Sumbeam of similar vintage), but this big American was a whole other experience. Just give the damned thing its head and it would pull through.
Okay, so the odd first-gear switchback sometimes had me scrambling for levers in some weird frenetic dance, but we got there.
Black Bastard and I became friends. I really didn’t want to give him back. Dammit, where’s that cheque book?
(Thanks to Motorcycle Trader & to Guy Allen 09/08/12)

Chris is Famous

Lone rider: Chris Knoop is the only Australian entrant in the testing Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run from New York to San Francisco. Pictures: Mark Griffin

Chris Knoop has made the big time at last, yesterday in the largest selling Victorian newspaper Herald-Sun & today in the Herald & Weekly Times. I would like to thank these major Mastheads for their interest in our Association member & encourage you to go out & buy the papers or even subscribe.

Weekly Times article  click on highlight to read about Chris’s adventure

 

 

Little River Run

Happy travellers at Little River: (l to r) Daryl, Chrissy, Steve, Phillip and Mark.

Saturday’s Little River Run turned up an interesting mix of machinery – even by our standards – plus one of two challenges for young Chris Horner.The bikes included two Gilroy Chiefs, a Kings Mountain bike, a rigid frame Army Scout, a plunger rear Sport Scout (albeit using Holden power rather than its own) a BSA Hornet, two Bonnevilles, a Virago, plus a Springfield Chief.Horner’s lovely Sport Scout is still at the being-sorted stage and ended up throwing in the towel. Which meant Peter Kime dashed off to the rescue with his trusty HR Holden. That wasn’t before Horner had the unusual thrill of pushing a motorcycle over the Westgate Bridge.So does he have any advice for anyone thinking of undertaking this unusual form of exercise?”Don’t,” is the emphatic response.”And if you do, don’t look back!” Apparently the sight of six solid lanes of angry traffic heading straight at you is a somewhat daunting one.It all ended well. The Little River pub was flat out and serves a pretty decent meal. Also, Ian Rhook did his usual great job of finding some weird and wonderful back roads.

Ian Rhook on his Scout.

Meanwhile, work on the next Smoke Signals magazine is well under way and it should be out soon. This will be the last edition on your ‘old’ membership – so don’t forget to renew.

Our Clubman of the Year

Pete Kime 2012 Clubman

The IIRA has only one award in the year & as such it is a honour for the recipient to receive it, last year our Ride co-ordinator Ian Rhook won it for his attitude to get on with the job with no “mucking about” and set a lot of our excellent monthly rides without anyone getting lost & encouraged many new members. This year it was given to Peter Kime for his enthusiastic support for all things in the Association but most importantly for the trouble he personally went to last year in helping a fellow member stranded on the road with a bad insect bite. Pete arranged the rider to be taken to hospital then organised to get the Indian Blackhawk home so his day was ended looking after a fellow member. The whole idea which some members don’t quite understand is the meaning of this award or what it’s for, not the fact that you attended all the meetings or rode a Indian to all the runs/rallies etc these are great  things to do to support your Association but & it’s a big but, the main thing is the tolerance & the human element thats shown to your fellow members or even other motorcyclists whatever brand or year motorcycle they ride. Congratulations Pete

Two Little Indian’s & a Invincible J.A.P

As you know we are supporting Association member Chris Knoop and his  Australian Invincible J.A.P that he is taking to the Cannonball Run in the USA, he is pictured behind the near completed machine  with our ex-chairman Lindsey Urquart. The next two pictures were sent by John Smith (Prez) they are of his 2003 Indian Chief  his “Caddy” & the limited edition Les Gibson guitar only 100 were made & I believe 15 only in this colour

 

Indian News & More Indian’s than Custer

Thank’s to W.Aust Indian Club & President Murray Morell for some more copies of Indian News Magazine.  I have 5 issues in the Section News Area just scroll down to W.Australia they are great a great read on a winters evening I will be putting them on once a month. That man the Vice-Prez Mark has bought the Indian Four above 1941 I believe, a year ago Mark never had a Indian & was a staunch Harley-Ferguson owner he has a number of Springfield models & two King’s Mountain models, for sale is there no stopping him? Hmm probably the wrong choice of words at least on the Springfield models. The other photo’s are of the “Electric Clog” so named by Phillip White as the Tony Leenes Dutch electric start conversion for 1941/50 Chief’s, the first picture is of the “cog” belt generator pulley kit you get with the kit presumably to step-up the charging rate on a Auto-Lite generator I can only assume this wouldn’t be needed with a Cyclecraft generator, there is also the infamous sprag to the right which is driven off the flywheel(ring gear) by the chain.The great thing about this starter is it retains the standard k/starter, the sprag is mounted solidly & the starter is a Bendix drive like most cars unlike the Timmerman version, although it looks bulky it all fits in after removing the battery carrier Phillip White wrote a great article on fitting it last year this is now off the public area & in our Members Area( read here, encourage joining our Association)

John Smith finds his Pocahontas (Tesha)

Our current President John Smith has announced his engagement to Tesha Lidden congrats to the happy couple pictured above. One marriage our Vice-President Mark to Sandy( a month ago), and a engagement Stevie Higginbotham to Chrissy Henshaw means three commitments this year, we are a romantic group are’nt  we?

You know you need it

Every year I suggest that you re-new your Motorcycle Australia cover, just to update you on what they do beside providing the IIRA of Aust  with insurance so we can run rallies & events

2 Callouts a year, 50 klms of free transport anywhere in Australia: metro or country, Jump start if you need it (on any of your motorcycles) & fuel if needed. On any of your motorcycles in any state of Australia 7 days a week 52 weeks a year  all for $29.00 a year if you are in our Association (normally $39.00) and @ .56 cents a week how can this not be the best deal you ever had on your Indian or any motorcycle (click on logo above for information)

 

Entries are out for the Crazy Horse november 3-6

In the past I have put out upcoming Rally entries above under the Town Crier I have put the Harold Parsons Winter Rally Form (next month) & the Crazy Horse Rally now on the Melbourne Cup Week-end November 3-6 this was mainly due to people wanting a 3 day event & in summer so now you have it. These are also on the Upcoming Events area, so no excuses for not knowing. This year at the Crazy Horse there will be a cut-off for the catering but you can enter up to the week before although this is not advisable as you will miss out on a Rally pack, remember the accommodation can be tight for the Mountain View Motel I have already booked! Somebody sent me this picture of a Indian Prince Chris Knoop has a couple of these I reckon this may inspire him to fix his

Last years Crazy Horse Rally 2011 was a successful event so don’t miss out  (click on Highlight)