Before "The Blob"

I can't get the old Indian Chief I ran across here in rural NY off my mind.  Much poking around the internet has made me realize that chopped Chiefs aren't worth as much or as coveted as their Knucklehead counterparts of the era, but man, they're still really cool.

While researching chopped Chiefs I ran across a great article about Steve McQueen's bike "The Blob".  I'm sure that many of you are aware of this, but it turns out that McQueen's bike was actually a clone.  A gentleman named JD owned (and maybe still owns) the original version and McQueen tried to buy it from him, but he was unwilling to sell it, so McQueen just had him build a replica.  The rest is history. 

I don't want to paraphrase the original author's words, so please take a look here if you're interested in learning more.  With the red on the tank and the flatter fender, I like JD's bike just a little more than the version he built for McQueen, but both are still very cool.

 

Race for scalps?

How is this for one amazing race bike. Put this on the street and watch-out free world. A pal shared this with me and I thought it would be rude to not share this scout with you. Anyone know who this may be? I'll send ya a sticker pack if ya do!

Nic, nic, nic...Indians.

Seattle is a good city. It's surrounded by water, has mountains looming in the distance and has great in-town riding. Depending on which way you point your machine, you can be on the coast (101), in the mountains (Olympics or Cascades), in the desert (Eastern Washington) or in a temperate rainforest (Northwest) within 1-3 hours.

In addition to the great scenery and riding, there are a surprising number of vintage cycle and auto collections up here. One of these collections belongs to a gentleman named Jerry Chinn. Jerry's an interesting fellow, having a past in the antique business, a present in the film industry, and an uncanny knack for finding crazy old Indians and Harleys with race pedigree. What sets Jerry apart from a lot of collectors though, is that he races the wheels off nearly everything he owns. This old privateer built Indian is no exception.

Of all of the bikes I've pointed a camera at, this is the one I lust after the most. Owning it would change the look of our living room. The family couch would be gone with a quickness.

chopper of the day

Chief choppers are so badass