Rally celebrates the mighty Indian

AN American who befriended Kiwi icon Burt Munro during the years of his world speed record attempts, as immortalised in the film The World's Fastest Indian, was a surprise guest speaker at the national New Zealand Indian Owners Register rally at Tauherenikau at the weekend.
Marty Dickinson, now in his 80s, just happened to be in New Zealand at the time of the rally.
"It was quite a coup," Les Poole, president of the Wairarapa branch of the Vintage Car Club, an Indian owner, and one of the organisers of the rally, said.
"He was in Pukekohe and heading for Christchurch," Les said. "We were able to bring him here, and all it cost us was an airfare to Christchurch."
Marty Dickinson shared yarns about Munro (whose film reran on TV on Sunday night) and remembered well the man and the movie (in which he had a small part).
Wooden Indians greeted members of the register when they arrived at the racecourse on Friday.
They were the only ones not doing any talking as enthusiasts from around New Zealand joined locals for a barbecue meal and noggin and natter.
Fifty of the classic American motorcycles were registered, and they came from Auckland in the North and Haast in the south for a weekend of fun activities. These included a rally, out through Admiral Hill road, followed by a gymkhana on Saturday, the annual meeting and dinner on Saturday night and return home on Sunday. There was little rain, just enough to lay the dust, Les said.
The rallies are held alternately in the North and South islands, with Haast being hosts next year.
According to Wikipedia, the Indian Motocycle (sic) Manufacturing Company in Springfield, Massachusetts. Indian was America's oldest motorcycle brand and was once the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world. The most popular models were the Scout, made before World War II, and the Chief, which had its heyday from 1922-53
In 1904, the so-called diamond-framed Indian Single, whose engine was built by the Aurora firm in Illinois, was made available in the deep-red colour that would become Indian's trademark. By now, the production was up to over 500 bikes annually and would rise to its best-ever 32,000 in 1913.
In 1907, Indian built its first V-twin, and in following years made a strong showing in racing and record-breaking. One of the firm's most famous riders was Erwin "Cannonball" Baker, who set many long-distance records. In 1914 he rode an Indian across America, from San Diego to New York, in a record 11 days, 12 hours and 10 minutes. Baker's mount in subsequent years was the Powerplus, a side-valve V-Twin, which was introduced in 1916. Its 61ci (1000cc), 42-degree V-twin engine was more powerful and quieter than previous designs, giving a top speed of 60 mph. The Powerplus was highly successful, both as a roadster and as the basis for racing bikes. It remained in production with few changes until 1924.
Competition success played a big part in Indian's rapid growth and spurred technical innovation as well. One of the American firm's best early results came in the Isle of Man TT in 1911, when Indian riders Godfrey, Franklin and Moorehouse finished first, second and third. Indian star Jake De Rosier set several speed records both in America and at Brooklands in England, and won an estimated 900 races on dirt-tracks and boards. From 1962 to 1967, Munro used a modified 1920s Indian to set several land speed records, as dramatised in the 2005 film The World's Fastest Indian.
In 1930 Indian merged with duPont Motors. Founder E. Paul DuPont ceased production of duPont automobiles and concentrated the company's resources on Indian. duPont's paint industry connections resulted in no fewer than 24 colour options being offered in 1934. Models of that era featured Indian's famous head-dress logo on the gas tank. Springfield's huge Indian factory was known as the Wigwam, and native American imagery was much used in advertising.
The first 1922 model Chief had a 1000cc (61ci) engine based on that of the Powerplus; a year later the engine was enlarged to 1200cc (73ci). Numerous improvements were made over the years, including adoption of a front brake in 1928.
In 1940, all models were fitted with the large skirted fenders that became an Indian trademark, and the Chief gained a new sprung frame that was superior to rival Harley's unsprung rear end. The 1940s Chiefs were handsome and comfortable machines, capable of 85mph in standard form and over 100mph when tuned, although their increased weight hampered acceleration.
In 1950, the V-Twin engine was enlarged to 1300cc (80ci) and telescopic forks were adopted. But Indian's financial problems meant that few bikes were built, and production of the Chief ended in 1953.
The Indian Scout rivalled the Chief as Indian's most important model. The Scout was introduced in 1920 with a 596cc (37ci) engine. The engine size was increased to 745cc (45ci) in 1927 in response to the popularity of the Excelsior Super X. The most famous version was the 101 Scout of 1928, which featured improved handling from a new, lower frame.
In 1932, cost-cutting led to the Scouts using the heavier Chief frame, which was less successful. The negative reaction to this Scout led to the creation of the Sport Scout of 1934, with a light frame, Girder forks, improved carburation and alloy cylinder heads. The Sport Scout won the first Daytona 200 in 1937.
Many Scouts were used in World War II ? large numbers were imported for the New Zealand Army. They were hugely popular and these machines form the base of the current club membership ? but the model was dropped when the civilian production restarted in 1946. In 1948, Indian built just 50 units of the Daytona Sports Scout, one of which took Floyd Emde to victory in that year's Daytona 200 mile race. Smaller 500cc (30.5ci) Scouts were also built from 1932 to 1941, known as the Scout Pony, Junior Scout and Thirty-Fifty.
In 1945, a group headed by Ralph B. Rogers purchased a controlling interest of the company. On November 1, 1945, duPont formally turned the operations of Indian over to Rogers.
Under Rogers' control, Indian discontinued the Scout and began to manufacture lightweight motorcycles such as the 149 Arrow, the Super Scout 249, both introduced in 1949, and the 250 Warrior, introduced in 1950. These bikes suffered from a lack of development and poor quality.
Production of traditional Indians was extremely limited in 1949 and no 1949 Chiefs are known to exist.
Manufacture of all products was halted in 1953. Brockhouse and Royal Enfield bikes were imported from England and badged and sold as Indians through the rest of the 1950s.
Publisher Floyd Clymer eventually owned the Indian name and attached it to imported motorcycles, including a single-cylinder Velocette model in 1969. A new company with facilities in Gilroy, California, began manufacturing motorcycles badged under the famous "Indian" name in 1999 after purchase of the Indian trademark. The model was based around a newer version of the Chief. Scout and Spirit models were also manufactured starting in 2001. These bikes were made from off-the-shelf S&S; engine, but nearing the completion of an all-new engine design the 100ci powerplus, the company went bankrupt again in late 2003, after a major investor backed out.
There is hope the production will resume in 2007. On July 20, 2006, the newly-formed Indian Motorcycle Company, owned largely by Stellican Limited, a London-based private equity firm, announced its new home in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.