REBUILDING THE INDIAN.
WRITTEN BY FRED HAEFELE.
Story on the restoration of his Indian.
As a 51-year-old tree surgeon and ex-professor with an unsuccesful novel under his belt, Fred Haefele was in the mood to do something foolish…like rebuild an Indian. These legendary motorcycles, as stylishly beautiful as Harley-Davidsons (some say more so) but ten times rarer, have achieved major cult status : the holy grail, the pile of junk squirrelled away in a barn that turns out to be the perfect restoration project.
There are rules of course :
1. If you buy an Indian, buy a Chief – the flagship of the line. They made more of them than other models, so parts are relatively easy to come by.
2. Learn to accept the 5 / 10 law : If you buy a Chief basketcase for $5.000 you will end up putting another $10.000 into it.
3. Whatever you do, don’t buy a basketcase. They are pigs in pokes.
Rules, of course, are to be broken. Which is how Fred Haefele winds up in a frantic race against the clock as he dreams of taking his gleaming, rebuilt, restored Indian Chief on a joyous ride to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, epicentre of all things Indian.
New book, soft cover, 210 pages, English text.
ISBN : 0-75380-843-9