31 Years in the Saddle

| Originally posted on Indian Motorcycle Community Forum|

East Texas Iron Indians - Fandango Tribe

President

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After getting my first Indian ( '09 KM Vintage ), I've ridden more over the last five years, than the previous 26 combined. This bike has awakened all my senses and taken my life to a different level. Every year that goes by, I get more caught up in it all; more miles, more trips, more bike related good times...... but.. before I bought an Indian, I took the rice burnin' path to this final destination.

Thirty one years ago I got my first bike. In the early days, I'd done a couple of extended multi-State Rides ( Sturgis, etc ) , and a lot of quick rides out enjoying the wind, way too much bar-hopping, but just never embraced the lifestyle so to speak. I've always loved my toys ( "He whom dies with the most toys wins!" was/is my mantra) , but riding bikes back then was just part of having fun; the rush.

The First Bike / 1983. While stationed in San Angelo, TX my neighbor was selling his bike and I was going through a divorce, and that bike was calling my name. Started off on a Kawi' 440 (damned that was small!), and got my legs under me. Took everything that bike had to move my big ass down the road. Bike has 27HP (??) and I paid around $1200.00 for it. In that same condition today , it worth 2x that .. who'd of thunk' it? They claimed a top speed around 95mph... but.. I'm not sure I was ever able to get it over 75 and it felt like it wanted to implode at that point! If there's any good news that came from that bike : they say "its not if but when you go down?" .. well , had my major snafu' on this one; hopefully my one and only. Back to my story; every time I rode, I found myself wishing I had one of those new LTD 750s with 4 cylinders; but at the time, that was just a dream. But I held on and kept at it, gaining riding experience. After a year of riding, trashing the 440 and now up in NE, a buddy of mine let me ride his Magna V65. Game Changer; grabbing a lil' throttle would pull the front end off the ground. WTF?!? I couldn't afford that bike, but I found new ( 2 yrs old, still in the crate) Kawi' 1000cc for $2300 that fit my budget and began truly having fun on a bike. I put something like 11k miles on that bike in a 2 year span; they were HARD miles....I beat the crap out of that bike, but lord did we have some good times together (!). Couple years later sold it due to a move and went a couple of years dreaming about the next one. Upon return from a tour in Panama, for Fathers Day mama' got me a used Suzuki GL1100; damned that bike had a monster motor for HP and Torque. Ugly as sin, but what a teaser.

My whole life I'd never been in one place more than four years. In '95 we moved to Greenville TX which would be my last duty station. Texas had been calling my name my whole adult life (spent a LOT of time in TX over the years thx to the military ) and finally I found my home . Ok.. back to the story ....later on after moving to TX , I moved to a Vulcan Classic 1500. When I was looking over the Vulcan , next to it was a Drifter. Damned that bike was beautiful. Full, flowing fenders.... the stance .. the overall look. I knew at that time it was similar to an Indian, but I didn't truly grasp 'why' ( the history of the Drifter). With a solo seat, I thought it was beautiful; with a two up seat, butt ugly. I assumed my wife would be riding with me ...so.. I passed. Had I realized the next 5 years I'd be riding solo, I would have brought home a drifter that day. Back to the Vulcan, it was a big bike; bigger than any HD I'd sat on .. physically and motor wise. I'd almost gotten a Valkyrie, but ... out of my price range (almost 50% more). Kawasaki had a Finance Promo' going and the owner of the dealership went into full sales mode. Took it home for $7500, no payments for 6 mos. However, I forgot one thing. To get permission from mama' . NOT GOOD. Spent the next 3 days in a living hell with her not speaking a single word to me. I'm not sure she would even look at me. Surprisingly, my Mother n' Law came to the rescue and explained life to her and we mended ways. Lets just say, I'll never do that one again! So.... Life was good for the next Seven Years; Fat, Dumb and Happy. I had a new Garage Queen that I'd barely ride , unknowingly setting the stage for the final chapter ( I sold it 7 years later to one of best friends in perfect condition with only 5k miles on it )

'02 Vulcan 1500 // Pre-Indian days...

( The ol' rice burner , looking good thx to my daughter )

My first contact with Indian Motorcycles was around the 2000/2001 time frame. Before I'd gotten the 1500, I worked at NetApp which had done the Data infrastructure for Gilroy Indian. Consequently, we ended up with 2 new , meticulous, beautiful Chiefs in our main headquarters for years. Two of them in the Big Picture window for all to see, in all their glory. One was gray/silver and the other was a gorgeous brown with matching leather on each. For several years I stared at those every time I flew out to San Jose . That, is when I fell in love with Indians. Interestingly, I hadn't come around to 'baggers' yet. The concept of a windshield and bags were a few years from my embracing. I wasn't aware of the Scout model; had I known, I'm sure I'd have bought one then. ( note: I came around to bags hanging off the bike when we were headed down to ROT in '06. One of the group's riders on an HD broke down in the middle of nowhere on a humid 99 deg day . I'm dying .. wishing I had a cold one, when the guy next to me opens his hard bags and he's got a case of Bud's stashed on ice. I bought bags that trip!)

Back in early '03, less than a year after buying my Vulcan, I'm down in Mesquite (a satellite city of Dallas TX) and checking out the Indian Chiefs and Bourgette choppers. I've been riding solo. Long story, but mama at that time wasn't riding anymore since our daughter was still in school ; she didn't want a cager to take out 2 parents in one shot , so that chopper is looking pretty cool. I keep looking at the Chiefs out of the corner of my eye, but I'm mesmerized by a Fat Daddy Chopper on sale but damned expensive. Its beautiful. It fits me . Its almost perfect. I just can't make myself part with the money. Crazy part is, the '03 Chief is about 2/3's the cost of the chopper and I'm thinking that's too expensive as well. I've been brainwashed by the 'value' of a Rice Burner ( cheap! ). Well, I puss'd out that day and didn't execute on either bike. Of course, I had no idea of the issues the Gilroys had been having or were on the brink of going under. Soon afterwards, I heard about Gilroy IMC going under; wasn't sure what to think except that I'd gotten 'lucky' not buying them before they went under. Never occurred to me to get a 'cheap' Gilroy and fix it up. In retrospect, this is what I should have done. However, 5+ years went by without me thinking about it much. Content with my Vulcan, was working my ass off and not riding enough .... but then..

Fast forward to '09. I've been putting around on my 1500, knowing I want more but haven't been able to figure it out. I'm almost convinced a Boss Hoss is my next bike; my last bike. I'm at the ROT Bike Rally in '09 and I'm sitting on a 'hoss debating... not 100% 'feeling it' ... A new one is crazy expensive and has me twitching and overly thinking the whole process... which is good because....

....the group I'm with has moved over to the next vendor staring at their bikes, waiting for me to notice. This is when I stumble across the KM Indian Trailer with a dozen to die for bikes sitting out in the Texas Sun. Amazing. Beautiful. Rolling Art. After sitting on one, I knew right then and there I had to have one. I knew it was a first year bike. I knew they might go out of business again. I knew they were 'stupid money' expensive. I didn't care. There we awesome and they were calling my name......... Done!

Personal+Pics.jpg

ROT 2009 / First Time I'd ever sat on one! Changed the course of history!

( my wife took these so I could contrast rider <> bike ; first bike I actually fit)

Since that day, my love and fascination with Indians has grown exponentially. Along the way, I've been blessed with the opportunity to acquire other bikes for specific reasons/purposes.

To date, I've got seven Indians that I cherish and ride the most. The '09 Vintage is my first and has my heart. It's got a soul; it's a monster of a bike and I call it the beast. Will vibrate your teeth loose, and I love it. My '13 LE is one of the most beautiful paint schemes I've ever seen on an Indian; my wife agreed and it was my 52nd B'day present from my bride. It's what we currently ride whenever 2 up on the Indians. My Chieftain is being setup as my main over the road 2 up bike. Rides like a dream and has more than enough torque to make you almost forget about all other bikes out there! The '00 Millennium was a Craigslist find; a costly divorce forced the sale and now its mine 'forever' . Our '03 Scout: I bought that for my wife unseen, with MSO ( never titled ) . When it rolled off the truck, I thought .. "WTF"!?!?" .. It was a full sized bike. Duh . Good news is ; it's mine now! Finally, I had to get an 'original' . Found my '47 recently restored for a great price out of central FL. Hell, I may never ride it; too friggin small for my frame! But, I've got it . The last Chief I got was Sep '14. Forum was talking about a '12 low mileage Willow/Cream Vintage; I made the mistake of looking on eBay while sipping adult beverages.. whoops.

Unlike many on this forum, I'm not adverse to riding other brands. In the garage tucked away is a fully customized HD RG that I beat the shit out of; Down In Galveston I keep a bone stock HD RK that I cruise the coast on and watch it rust ( couldn't make myself park an Indian down there full time and risk it rusting or becoming a post hurricane salvage bike); awhile back, got a pre-owned Triumph RIII that I ride for the thrill of power / speed ; For years I traveled to Wichita KS on business and salivated over Big Dog Motorcycles ( they were produced here). In '10 I finally got my wish; a rigid Big Dog Chopper with a 330 on the rear that fits me like a glove and is a blast to ride; a custom bobber with a 97ci S&S that is the ultimate bar bike ; and a Ridley for my Bride.

Still ... ... Indians are what truly trip my trigger and have me always on the lookout for another. The 2010 Silver Bomber is on my radar. I'd also like to find a '99-'01 low cost Chief for a custom build. I was initially concerned that the '15 model year would catch my attention , but.. safe for now. Though the 2015 Roadmaster is a work of art, I'm not a fan of Tourpac's ,and my wife literally hates them. And with the Scout being under 1200cc , it's not on my radar. I feel like I'm safe for a few years until the Inline 4 is resurrected!

In the meantime...... a Slingshot will keep things interesting?