From our friends at Twin City Indian & you can purchase the postors (click on each pin-up for a close-up)
Your quarterly Smoke Signals magazine is out next week & we now have “Guido” (Guy Allen) as our new editor, at this point I would like to thank Chris Horner for his previous job as editor, a preview of the current cover is available below please click on highlight, I am told it is a “bumper edition” at the printers so lots of reading on the toilet. Remember next Tuesday night is the Association Meeting, plenty of things are on the agenda including a wrap up of last week-ends Crazy Horse Rally,for members that have ordered Tim Pickering’s book at the last meeting, they will be available at the Highway 31 venue on Tuesday. Meanwhile a couple of photos of early Indians supplied by our friends at Twin City Indian in USA these prints are available for sale with many others
Smoke Signals cover 09/2011 preview (click on highlight)
Recently one of our members was stopped by Victoria Police, the constable on viewing the machine realised he was on a Club Permit, checked the label, the Club Permit log book, & then the rider’s licence, all was fine the next question wasn’t, proof of current financial status in the Club/Association, this is unusual although it can & was requested. Luck was on our members side as he had his Membership card in his wallet, a anomaly exists so we suggested that as proof your membership card is carried at all times when you are on the road although strictly not legally required by VicRoads,it can be asked for by the Police. Other Clubs have had members asked for the same thing, recently there have been assumptions not backed up with proof sent out by other Clubs on this issue, hence the above title in Latin from Mark Twain. I have had confirmation officially from VicRoads and their stand on this matter & you will see what I mean, always check our site for proof, not speculation. ( Almost forgot the translation “Never let a good story stand in the way of truth”)
Last week-end’s Association Run to Healsville has been put to bed by Stevie Higginbotham a ripper read now on the Section News Area Click the highlight for a very good review
Healesville Run Review by Stevie Higginbotham
Your V.P (President of Vice) or Vice-president in our case sent a list of Indian Regalia which is highlighted in the Advertiser’ & Regalia area under Zorro’s Advert, Indian Products plenty to buy from the man.
The Vice President’s 12v conversionThe most important article to be printed on Springfield Indian’s since the Old Factory went Bust has to be the Electric Moccasin by Phillip White, we are releasing it first in Smoke Signals magazine October for all our paid-up members then it will be going on our Technical Article’s Area on this web-site in November for the public this is our gift to the Indian community in good faith, so no unscrupulous people can exploit the non-mechanical owner.There are a few YouTube posting’s on Timmerman starters on our Images & Video’s Area but this latest one I have posted here about a unsatisfied customer click on this highlight Electric no-Start
If it’s all out there then anyone can upgrade their own starter with some help, initially this was going in our Member’s Only Area but this was not fair, we believe in sharing all upgrades or information whether it be on Springfield,Gilroy or Kings Mountain Indians as they say “A Indian is a Indian End of Story”
Just got off the phone from Cam Cuthill from Indian’s parent company Victory Motorcycles, they are keen to support us as a advertiser on our web-site & sponsor a $200 gift voucher for the Crazy Horse Rally which is only a mere 15 days off. Thanks Victory for the kind donation,all advertisers that need paraphernalia included in our Rally packs please send now so it can be included A.S.A.P.
We are going full bore on the International Gypsie Tour 2012 it was decided to have 2 events one group now flying to Perth & your machine sent by container, we entertained a rail trip but RailAust do not send bikes unless on a trailer with a vehicle attached! At the last meeting a lot of people voted to have another group ride from Melbourne -Adelaide with a stopover on the way there & back so Chris Horner or Murray Morell are the men to contact for the Perth-Birdwood & Phil Pilgrim will do the Melbourne-Adelaide part. This is on in Sept 2012 so organise what you are doing now Expression of Interest Forms will be out in late November with a deposit form.
For the people that ordered Franklin’s Indian’s by Tim Pickering we have negotiated a price of $70 which is $14 off retail price for Association Members only from Pitstop Books thanks Andrew,they are available next week contact Phil Pilgrim, and lastly Happy 60th Stevie Higginbotham for Sunday
Tim Pickering’s New Book
Just had a call from Tim Pickering about his new book on Charles B Franklin designer of early Indians, which is available from Pitstop Bookshop in Perth, next day delivery ring Andrew or Bob on 1800 622422, Also another Tin Basher who will make anything from a tank to a chainguard for any model Indian provided you have a sample Keith Love 03 99740609 Keith is now listed in our Parts & Repairer’s Area this & the Links area have had a lot of extras added recently
Recently I was prompted into doing research on the generic name Gypsy Tour since 1916 & was very surprised how many Clubs & Associations have used this name in the past at the moment there are 70 pages listed on Google alone, the most infamous was the Hollister Gypsy Tour of 1947, Marlon Brando played the lead roll in the movie depiction “The Wild One”. This group were The Booze fighters a group of bikers from L.A I have added a couple of links below. There have been remarks that our proposed International Gypsy Tour in 2012 from W.Aust to Birdwood S.Aust that we have been organising over the last 8 months has a similar name to a Gypsy Tour to Sydney that was run in 2008 by the IMCA, possibly, therefore we will change the name to International Gypsie Tour 2012 spelt as it was on the original in 1917 so now everyone will be happy. The Brass Monkey Rally has been run by 3 major clubs in Victoria, Vintage Motorcycle Club of Vic, Classic Motorcycle Club of Victoria, IMCA, and again last year Vintage Motorcycle Club of Vic, as far as I know none of the other Clubs have ever asked the Vintage Motorcycle Club if they could use this name,in 2010 there were 2 Rallies run by to separate Motorcycle Clubs using the same name not counting various Automobile Clubs! The IIRA originally asked the Vintage Club if we could use the Boat Anchor Run a name they had used in the past, before we changed it to the Crazy Horse Rally, someday some one else may have a Crazy Horse Rally ,Sitting Bull Rally, or a Midnight Express Run, Father’s Day Run etc so be it.
Ex-Chairman Lindsay Urquhart recently mentioned the Broadford Bonanza held on the Easter week-end’s featured bike will be Indian so plans are afoot to beat BSA GoldStar numbers that turned out this year. The other is 25th March we are considering moving the Sitting Bull Rally to this week-end to mark Burt Munroe’s (as in The Worlds Fastest Indian) 111th birthday, this Rally will heavily be advertised for Scout Owners, it does not mean Chief Owners will be turned away, but if you are fortunate to own a Scout & Chief it would be great to see you on the “Little Chief”. Scouts from the early 20’s are very unique, your webmaster started on a 1921 Indian Scout in 1986 which is now the machine owned by Greg Hutchisin, I have many fond memories of it including a valve cover cap blowing out of the one-piece cylinder head on the road to Templestowe much to my wife’s dismay who was pillion at the time, the already mediocre performance dropped to zero, stopping at traffic lights with all the choof-choof noises didn’t help with the image I suppose. The cap was launched into the surrounding countryside as is probably still there to this day!
Just been reading through a really good link which I have loaded on the Links Area its called Motorcycle Forum, probably one of the best around with a good spread of Indians of all era’s, check it out.
A45 Details (Click on highlighted link)
John MacDonald’s final chapter on the A-45 Hillclimber, a very interesting read