A swede here with limited knowledge about Indian bikes. The most of you seem to know almost everything there is about the bikes. So hopefully you will provide me with the info I need.

I´m going to buy my first bike and intend to ride it untill I die. I want to use it for long, long rides across our continent or long rides overall.

Would it be a terrible idea to buy a vintage Indian Chief that has been restored to it´s former glory? Am I better of with a japanese bike in the begining and move up to a Chief later on?

Is it hard to get spare parts to an old Chief? (expensive perhaps?)

Thank you very much for your replies.

Clas

The statement that “It is clear that the company is not in a hurry to release new models” is news to no one, since we are going on the fifth year since the last bike. Furthermore, “new models” is a bit of a dream since Stellican has publically stated that its only model is the Chief.

The entire article is loaded with more predictions. I will dress up my entire body with goose feathers if a 2008 Chief shows up for sale on a dealer floor. I will buy the thing and drive it naked down the main road in Sturgis. This will not come to pass because we have all been reading this predictions since 2003. Good luck to Stellican but their fuel injection power plus has already been on the market for years.

I’m anxiously awaiting your reply = because if Gilroy is mentioned on that site anywhere besides the blogs I guess I’m having a hard time finding it.
Not saying it isn’t there–just wondering where it is.

I’ll also bet he can’t actually take the shirt off most Girlroy riders. BRANSON BABY! 34 DAYS AND COUNTING !
Nothing but Indians and friends with similar class!
I’ll be there, doogy, riding right next to your prescious springfields and lovng every minute of it!

When I ride with Pop thats not the image I get, nor do I think anyone thats ever met Pop gets that image when he pulls up on his Gilroy.

Damn thats funny!

You “Vintage” or “Legacy” owners as IMI calls you need to get over yourselves, us Gilroy and soon to be Kings Mountain Indian riders are here and here to stay.

As Butch Baer said to me once “It doesn’t matter what Indian you ride as long as it’s an Indian, and soon you’ll be able to say you ride a Kings Mountain Indian”

I’m all about all things Indian…The $$ i’ve blownon clothing, my collectibles and memorbilia, etc could support a small country for a year or two…I own two Gilroy era bikes–bought because my friends (some who ride Springfields) advised me to buy new, as I was not an experienced wrench..( I laugh at the irony in that now)…I hope to own Springfield era bikes soon, and more than likely KM era bike(s).. a bike with help from Kiwi Mike or Starklite, etc would also be an awesome addition.

IMO, as for aesthetics, Gilroy got close to producing what Springfield would have been producing in contemporary times..if you think Indian would be building something that looked like a 53 chief currently, you’re simply mistaken…maybe there would be a retro model, but not an entire line of bikes. It’s growth and evolution….Chevy isn’t making Z06 vettes look like 58 vettes…I personally was not a fan of the Eller bike, and as for the engine–I think it was only a wood mockup, and never made it to the test stage (could be wrong on that)…

I see names i’m familiar with –POP, KC, Ant, Kiwi, RCH, etc and have met all in person or online. We have varying opinions and beliefs..varying degrees of personal and financial interest in what KM does, but we have all managed to help each other at some time or another, and have no doubt anyone I’ve met would not offer assistance if needed..

It amazes me that some in the contemporary camp and in the vintage camp choose to not respect each other. My vision (and from my speaking with the KM camp, their vision also) is for a unified brand; with Springfield, Gilroy and KM bikes riding and enjoying each others company and rides.
There has been much movement–the ’09 bike is in final testing and pre-production w/the PowerPlus 105 engine format; the factory owned dealership is progressing as planned; check out their website..join the Iron Indians at the Branson Rallly in May–one of the largest gatherings of Indians (mostly Gilroys, but a growing number of Springfields) in the country. Indian will be there, you can judge then and Gilroy owners for yourself.

We always bitch about the egos of HD owners..and yet we sure the same elitist attitudes when dealing with each other…to threaten and invite physical harm to another because of the type of motorcycle one rides is not only immature, but may also point to some underlying problems one may need to seek help for…the good thing about the anonynomity the net affords is that it often lets you decide in advance who to ride with, and who to ride by..
feel free to check out my site at http://www.indianmcinfo.com –support info for Gilroys and I have some support info i’m acquiring for Springfields that I will put on…if you have something that would be a good addition, please send it…

-eric-…Indian owner, rugby player and closet musician….

Yap, Lennie picking Travis/Atkins style is like nothing i ever heard.
And i’ve been a Less Paul fann since his TV days.

Randy Bachman is putting out CDs with everything Lennie ever recorded.
Even has an interview with his mom.
(see guitar archives inc.)

RE:
“…his daughter still lives here …”
If you ever see her give he my regards and sing her dad’s praises.

It’s weird how many Bikers ya run into are “closet” musicians too…?
Thanks much.

-nicker-

Lennie lived in my town off an on – his daughter still lives here – she did a bio-documentary a few years back. There’s a great anecdote – when he met Chet Atkins he played one of Chet’s tunes for him, and asked if he’d got it right – he wan’t sure he’d figured it out properly. Chet apparently shook his head and said something to this effect: “Man – I double-tracked that – and you just played both parts at the same time!” You are right – there has never been another like him. Too bad he was cut down in his prime by nefarious means.

OBD

P.S.: I did catch a snippet of Jeff Beck’s wunderkind bass player. Amazing. If you want to see another up and comer, search “Sean Sullivan” on Youtube, and pick the clip of his 10 or 11 yr old kid trading licks with Buddy Guy. If this kid even improves by 20% over the next 10 years, it’s gonna be a scary thing.

PPS

RIP, Jeff Healy.

Dude…!
RE:
“…infantile rantings of those with severe personality disorders …”
“…For God’s sake (and I mean that literally) GROW UP…”

What part of “Biker” is it that you don’t understand?
(-BTW- that’s a rhetorical question)

Ya, it’s like Clapton hailing Robert Johnson “uber alles,” cause BB king never had hands like that.
And i’ll tell em all, no one ever played like Lenny Brau, when he was clean, anyway. The dude does Travis-Atkins double-time with harmonics!

Time to pop in Crossroads-07, get down the Gretch-n play along with the boys.
Did you catch the 16 year old girl playn bass with Jeff Beck on disk-2…!?
Man, She makes Jocko Pastorius look like a piker!

-nicker- …………..

I’m with Pop. I’ve spent 2 weeks short of 60 years on this planet and I can’t believe the crap I’ve read in this thread. The few voices of sanity, like Pop & IronHorseman88 are drowned out by the infantile rantings of those with severe personality disorders – who probably shouldn’t be allowed to own a motorcycle. I shudder at the thought that they might even own a gun. Now THAT is a scary thought. If they came upon a stranded GI or KM rider in the night, they’d probably shoot them in the back for the heinous crime of owning a bike that had “I****n” on the tank. Hell, that’s worse than child molestation!

I’ve been through this same crap with the music that I’ve been playing for 40 years –

- you’re too young to play the blues
- you’re too white to play the blues
- you can’t play the blues with an electric guitar
- you can’t play the blues with an acoustic guitar
- you’re too old to play the blues

and on and on and on and on ad nauseum.

For God’s sake (and I mean that literally) GROW UP.