2015 INDIAN CHIEF VINTAGE
RIDING IMPRESSION
P120
I'd had fleeting moments with an Indian
while in Australia. Moments of cruising the
coastline between Sydney and the Gold
Coast on a Chief where the only thing I had
to worry about was whether I'd make it some-
where to watch that night's MotoGP. But
that experience lacked the authenticity of an
Indian in the Land of the Free, the land of its
birth. For the Indian marque is one so dear
to American hearts—it's part of the subcon-
scious that makes up the American identity,
like big burgers, Marilyn Monroe and yes,
Harley-Davidson.
One hundred years ago Indian made the
fastest machines in the world. Machines
of speed and lust that saw men like Ralph
Hepburn and Jake De Rosier hurtle around
wooden bankings at speeds that made them
heroes for not just their's but generations to
come. If you've never seen an Indian board
racer in the metal, put it on your bucket list.
It'll give you a new appreciation of the forti-
tude of our motorcycling forefathers. These
were real men.
But those days are long, long gone and
Indian's torrid past full of businessmen with
good and bad intentions alike has meant this
storied brand could have been lost forever
had it not been for the mega dollars of Polaris
and a nostalgic board that could see the
value of the past.
Even though this is a new machine, you
get swept up in that feeling of riding on his-
tory with an Indian, especially if you're a for-
eigner like myself riding one in America. And
I also get a sense that the locals are bursting
with pride now that this most American of
brands is back on the road where it belongs.
And rightly so.
There's 1811cc of American muscle pumping
away underneath us as Annabelle and I take
the coast road in rather heavy traffic down to
San Diego to do the tourist thing. Lions and
polar bears can be found at Sydney's Taronga
Kick back and
relax and let
the Indian do
the work – the
Chief Vintage is
all about letting
the ride come
to you.
