Today’s our Christmas

Today’s the Christmas in July at  Garage Classics. Meanwhile I am still hard at the Vindian, finished the brake pedal yesterday as the boss & spacer needs to be increased to 2″ , the wheel hubs  have been finished by Ray Drever (0402 988284) & given to Brian Dyson (03 9499 2826) for lacing into the new rims bought from Starklite with Buchanon spokes these are going to be ready next week.I have started a article on building a Vindian which will appear in our Members Area when finished, so another good reason to join our Association, this reminds me your Annual Subs are due ,please pay them  to Peter Kime A.S.A.P to ensure you can keep up with events of the most progressive Indian Association in Australia

Bloody Winter! But We Have Christmas Coming this week-end

 

The I.I.R.A Committee have decided that our members need something to cheer them up at this time of year as it’s wet & freezing, therefore Chrissy Henshaw our Social Secretary is organising Christmas in July 08/07/12. This is a great idea as we don’t have one at the real time anyway,what else can you do at this time of year? We are having it at  Garage Classics in Williamstown with all the trimmings 2 types roast meat & Plum pudding or Pav included, keep your  eye on the Events Calendar details are there &  the date is on  8th (Sunday the week after the Association Run) . The bookings will need to be confirmed with a deposit, so why not pay at the meeting next Tuesday night? This is The Social Event to get your Wife,Girlfriend, Mistress,Boyfriend or Man-friend out ( did I miss anyone), so they can see what you are doing & with whom every month remember all the details on the Association Calendar.

Indian in the Attic

Indian Motorcycle This story is from our friends @ Indian- Polaris web-site  (click on the highlight) please view their website for other great stories

  • Story submitted by: Annette Van Essen
    In June 1959 my grandfather spotted a motor cycle in an old garden shed in De Bilt, The Netherlands, thinking it was a Harley he alerted my father who had owned a Harley before and was looking for another bike. My father bought what turned out to be an Indian 741B for a song (20 Dutch Guilders, less than $ 12.50!!). The previous owner had bought the bike in 1953 when it was still in the army version. This owner had been in a crash and the bike was in a bad state of repair. Between 1959 and 2009 my father had to divide his time between family, work and the Indian (not necessarily in this order ) to restore the bike and converted it into a civilianised version. It is unclear how the Indian ended up in The Netherlands; it may well have been left behind in Europe after the Second World War.
    The Indian has always been (and still is) a part of our family history. I can remember the Indian being craned out of the attic (don’t ask why) where my father had started restoring the bike. Some days we could not have dinner at the table as my father was lacing the spokes in the wheel rims…One day we caught him on the bike (in the attic, still without the engine) pretending he was riding it, doing his own version of the potato potato sound!
    When he came home on the bike we kids would fight over ‘the spin around the block’ sitting on the fuel tank in front of dad. Those days you were still allowed to do fun things like that, nowadays child protection would get involved! He of course always maintained a very moderate speed in first gear. Sitting on the bike as a child you had to choose; either your right or left hand on the handle bar, it was too wide to hold on to both sides. It was good to see the next generation having the same problem when they sat on the bike with their grandfather. In 1986 we had our wedding pictures taken on the bike.
    My father has taken part in many veteran motorcycle rallies and won prizes at times. Last year, on his 80th birthday he decided that the time had come to retire the bike, it is now well wrapped up sitting in his garage gathering dust but we suspect that every now and again he sneaks to the garage and pretends to ride it for we recognise the familiar sounds coming out of the garage, sounds that remind us of the bygone days when the bike was still in attic!

OUR NEW LINE IN CLOTHING

As usual the most progressive Indian Association in Australia (IIRA) has done it again, for all the prices & details go to the Caps, Clothing & Accessories Area  or (click on the highlight), for  the ordering details, you can also buy the cap, & the ultimate “gas mask bag” for your phone, iPad etc 

Another Article from the past on Indians

 

Continuing the theme Dick Renstrom on Indians this article first appeared in Motorcycle Action in October 1975 (click on the the Highlight) I like the note on Indian fours ” A poor design that gave lots of expensive troubles”! Mark Barthelmie (the Vice-Prez) take note

Aust Motorcycle Action  Oct ’75 D.Renstrom – Stateside

Indian-Polaris News: “75% of H-D owners want a Indian”. Gasp!

2012 Chief Vintage
The Sunday Telegraph recently ran a article 10/06/12 on Indian, it is a well written article by Mark Hinchliffe (click highlight below), he interviewed Peter Harvey (IRRA member) at  Victory Motorcycles a interesting statement was made “Market research says 75% of Harley-Ferguson riders would buy a Indian” can’t say I would blame them as Indian was always a better product although slightly dearer. Many people know that I often ask H-D owners “Are you still saving”, then encourage them to persist as they will eventually be able to have a Indian, but we all know, a H-D is only is poor man’s Indian.

Sunday Telegraph article : “Icon puts on warpaint”

 

The Old Naylor & Root

I just love this advert from Dick Grylls in the Northern Territory, Naylor & Root are a company in UK, (they still exist click on advert)  in 1947 they disposed of ex Army Indians & Harley’s after WW11 I wonder if any are still  out the back. You know our Vice Prez soon to be Prez Mark Barthelmie has just got married over in UK, a little bird told me today a member has proposed to another member in our Association, two people this year getting hitched I know we are adventurous, but romantic?

 

Queen’s Birthday, Cruel Brittania

Just a bit of humour for the Queen’s Birthday Week-end holiday I could have been all patriotic & put a picture of our ruler in UK, you know the one with the corgi’s & all the other hanger on’s that make up the royal family, but I thought something more appropriate, a girl who thinks she’s a queen Paris Hilton & the princess Nicole Richie on Indian’s much better to look at than the real one

Sam is Fine & on the mend

I went & paid Sammy Vella a visit yesterday it was good to see him at Brunswick Private Hospital in Moreland Rd, he seems in good spirits considering he is waiting for a operation on his leg hopefully next week. Sam was a little amazed at the venerability of motorcyclists who are always at risk from motorists who are so cut-off from their world in a “tin-top”, Ian Rhook who always seems to have the right piece of philosophy at hand posted the above statement on the Facebook page which I have reproduced, this piece of seemingly  logic is appropriate beside our mate Sam. Getting onto other subjects, women the other photo probably taken in the mid thirties seem distracted, half of them including the cute little girl are looking in the opposite direction I wonder what was, coming maybe a Harley Ferguson, the last one is a knock-out of the ultimate in faired guards, the ideal camper with a canoe on top, certainly beats a Toyota Land -Fill (sorry Land- Cruiser) with a huge caravan & a “Tinnie Topper” taking up all the highway we see so often these days

How Quick are You?

Chris Horner sent this in as a test to see how fast you react, for instance when you see a car doing a right-hand turn in front of you which is exactly what happened to poor Sam Vella last week-end coming home from the Association Run. All the best Sam, we are all thinking of you, he is in Royal Melbourne Hospital with a broken leg & the Sport Scout is fine for people who are curious. Getting back to this test it is one way to see how quick you react to a emergency, my average is over 3 seconds, so the ideal time I believe in under 2 seconds give it a test (click on the link below) The pictures above are of one of my favourite Indian’s & one of the best a Clymer Indian -Velo 1972-73 what a horny bike Classic Style has this beautiful Indian for sale so give Jon a ring for a piece of unique Indian history

Reaction Time test