THE TIMELESS APPEAL OF TWO WHEELS
P84
FEATURE
An unexpected twist in the
tale of two opposites is the fact
that the Indian Motorcycle and
Royal Enfield brands have actu-
ally intersected in the past. After
Indian Motorcycle went under in
1953, the company was acquired
by Brockhouse Engineering, that
imported Royal Enfield motorcy-
cles from England and rebadged
them as Indians from 1955
to 1960. Again in the 1960's,
Floyd Clymer began branding
Indian Motorcycles with Italjet
frames powered by Royal Enfield
Interceptor 750 engines. It was
interesting to find the common
history between the two brands.
The Tesla owner at the winery
asked to have his picture taken
on the Meteor. "I'm all electric
now," he said. "But this… hmm."
I envisioned the devil horns ris-
ing in his mind at the thought of
spark meeting fuel, and the soul
of a living, breathing pulse be-
neath him, thumping the way no
electric vehicle without a base-
ball card in its spokes can offer.
Most people we encountered
had an appreciation for both
machines. The Suzuki V-Strom
1050 rider at Home Depot
zipped across the street into
the hotel parking lot on Sun-
day morning when he caught a
glimpse of the Meteor's red tank.
"I saw you guys and had to
come over," he said. We chatted
for nearly an hour, along with an-
other hotel patron who wandered
out to inspect the goods. The
V-Strom rider wanted a photo of
the Meteor to text to his girl-
friend, a perfect fit for this bike in
his mind.
"I thought you were at Home
Depot?" came the response.
The honey-do list was sud-
denly the furthest thing from his
mind. He was equally enthralled
with the '39 Indian and pointed
out the timeline of powersports
After riding Peachy
Canyon Road, you'll
swear it was made
by a motorcyclist.
