SPEAKING OF DISCOVERIES—Bikernet Australian Correspondent recently toured northern California in search of rare motorcycles and exotic tattoo talents. Here’s her report:
Whilst travelling north toward san fran, stopped at a rest stop, I saw these two bikes parked. I could not resist the call of the chrome or the tinkling song of the cooling engines, so as I made a b-line towards the aroma of gasoline fuelled steeds.
From the terrace above I hear, “So, do you know what you’re looking at?”
Truth was, I thought I did, but the more I looked, the more confused I got. At first glance, an Indian, but the engine….hmm, Vincent….and that’s not right, but look at that…
and so on. This thing is a hybrid of sorts, but built so well, it looks just like it was a factory model.
And sat next to it another classic machine, another british ex-pat.
So after striking up a conversation with the owner, a worldly guy by the name of Dennis, and his exceptionally good looking son, Domenic (I am only human), I was invited back to the mansion; A haven of pure motorcycle love and intellectual overload, at a secret location.
–NMB
Dennis Magri here.
My description of this motorcycle is: The Vindian, Series II, design by Dennis Magri
Build year: First ridden May 2012, many years of design and development.
A little history: Indian and the Vincent Companies principles met in 1949 and from that meeting it was decided that a feasibility study would take place. The idea of repowering the Indian Chief with a Vincent v-twin engine would take place.
A 1948 Indian Chief was sent to England test ridden, evaluated and measured. It was determined that with a few frame and fuel tank modifications it could be made to fit. The chief engineer at Vincent was the very clever Phil Irving.
The prototype was built and road tested within a couple of months of very hard work.
Then the bad news came, the Indian Co. was in bankruptcy and the receivers had no interest in product development. The Indian Chief was stripped of its Vincent engine, being too valuable to leave in place, and sent back to America.
So that was it. What it could have been! Would it have been a commercial success? Vincent motorcycles where notorious for their speed records being set in almost every racing venue.
About 15 years ago, I began to think about pairing two of my favorite motorcycles. Having acquired an Indian Chief frame and an engine, the process of “mocking up” began. It became quickly clear that this was not going to be a fast build project. The genius’ of the original prototype builders had a lot of hidden secrets up their respective sleeves.
These being the primary items along with other priorities. This motorcycle is a completely different design from the original prototype. You’ll notice with some study that a large section of the frame is absent. The engine, as in Vincent practice, is the primary structural component. The chassis and ancillaries are all redesigned only a few parts have not been modified. It is so modified that it looks stock, but it is not!
Then, after years of work, my list was getting shorter, I wrote a note to myself that said, “Its time to get it running!”
