Advanced as the Indian may have been for its era, it's still tricky to balance the action of a left-hand twist throttle and a right-hand valve-Iifter and so get away to a smooth start. Steve has it off pat, but the result is still a heart-stopping hop into action and - away! Mind you, the twin is tame(ish) now compared to the first time Steve rode it some 15 years ago.
'The night before its first Brighton Run, we didn't finish work on it until 2am' he explained. 'So it was a totally new experience when I finally got it on the road. First time I really gave it some throttle -- it just took off and flew along the slip road. The boys behind me in the car had to chase hard to catch up - it was pushing 80!'
That impressive top speed was counter-balanced by a refusal to pull cleanly much below 25mph, which made the rest of that particular Pioneer Run something of a clutch-slipping experience. Steve has since swapped the Indian's rear sprocket for an H-D item so it is at least vaguely manageable through traffic, and this has dented its top end somewhat, but this version of the V-Twin was intended when new to be comfortable maintaining speeds of around 55 to 65mph. And that it certainly is - Steve and the Indian have clocked up several round trips from the West Country to Holland, and when we visited he was getting ready to take it over to Ireland for yet more miles in the saddle.
Ah yes, the saddle. Titch Allen particularly disliked its height thanks to 'my particular problem of only being able to touch the ground by tip-toe' and, at 33 inches, it does indeed appear to be halfway to the heavens. Perhaps youthful Americans were especially long in the leg? Steve isn't a shorty himself, and handles the Indian with familiar ease, but I noted with some dismay that when it was parked on its rear stand the bike's saddle was on a level with my waist. ..
Happily, I was distracted by the Indian's splendid rear end. Indian was one of the first manufacturers to adopt rear wheel suspension, using a leaf-spring system similar to those found on automobiles of the era. They boasted that it provided 'the most luxurious riding motorcycle ever sent upon the highway' and said that 'the new Indian cradle spring frame is the greatest comfort device ever applied to a motorcycle, giving the rider the sensation of a steady, forward gliding motion.'
Perhaps ... but it nearly bounced poor old Titch Allen into tomorrow; 'I expected great things from the sprung rear end with its curly leaf springs. When I tackled a hummock, expecting the frame to bear the brunt, all it did was catapult me up off the seat.' So presumably Americans were taller AND heavier, then!
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