Presenting Partner:

January 2018 - Issue #36

Let's Make a PlanThe new year has started off with a lotof work. Some of it’s been here awhile, some of it has been waiting forthe customer’s okay, and other projectsare in process. The new year is a good time to take agood hard look at things, form a battleplan and HONESTLY move forth onthat plan. How is your plan going?Mine’s working fine and I’m keeping itthat way. Honestly! Mike Tomas, PresidentKiwi Indian Motorcycles Inc.

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Springfield Goes Vegas

Conde’ Nast Traveler recently posted ontheir website about the new MGM casinocomplex in Springfield Mass, a city whoseplace in the American Industrial Revolutionis unquestioned. But slot machines mixedwith Americana?According to the article, historic emphasishas been respectfully integrated into SouthEnd neighborhood location, including anIndian Motorcycle of Springfield satellitestore. After all, this IS the home of theoriginal Indian Motorcycle factory!Read more here: https://bit.ly/2M8RXyz

1 + 1200= Fun

The 10th Annual One Moto Show inPortland, OR, this February welcomesa new partner in Indian Motorcyclewho’ve stepped up as title sponsor ofthe event. To celebrate the newpartnership, the show’s founder, ThorDrake, will unveil his custom FTR 1200that won’t only be displayed but alsoraced at The One Pro Super HooliganRace that weekend.The One Show has grown from itshumble beginnings to a one-of-a-kindmotorcycle event known forshowcasing a variety of unique,unconventional bikes and serving as agathering place for riders from all overthe world. As title sponsor, IndianMotorcycle will feature a display thathighlights the FTR 1200 and thestripped-down, blacked-out ScoutBobber along with a variety of customsby builders like Roland Sands andCarey Hart. Along with Drake’s custom FTR 1200,RSD’s Super Hooligan race team willcompete at The One Pro Race aboardthe all-new FTR 1200 as well.The One Moto Show Presented byIndian Motorcycle takes place February8-10, 2019. For more information andticketing for the show and racesvisit The1Moto.com.

Cannonball Run 1919

When Vahan Dinihanian bought a1918 Indian Powerplus from the familyof its original owner, Erling J.Hangerud, he got a bonus in the deal.See, Erling had kept a diary of the ridehe’d taken from Portland, OR to NewYork City in 1919 and that diary, alongwith photos and memorabilia, came toVahan with the bike. Vahan wasdelighted and intrigued by the historyrevealed in the diary and turned it into abook: “Cannonball Run 1919, ATranscontinental Motorcycle Journey.”The book re-lives Erling’s cross-continental trip with his cousin, relatingthe realities riders faced when travelinglong distances in those uncertain days.Check out the website:cannonballrun1919.com. And we’ll tellyou more about how Vahan came tobuy the 1919 Indian Powerplus nextmonth.

New Section!

Kiwi Mike is a curious and creative guy. So it’s no surprise when messages likethis arrive and demand to be placed in the Kiwi E-news:“I was thinking it would be a cool addition to our newsletter to ask our readers tosend in pics of either their bikes or their in-progress restorations - along with afew brief words about them. It’ll be of interest to other readers and, to tell you thetruth, I like to see what people are riding and working on myself!”So there’s your mandate, readers. Show us your bikes and your projects. Email:bigchief@kiwiindian.com

It's Las Vegas Time!

Welcome to fabulous Mecum Las Vegas! The 2019 Mecum Las Vegas auctiongets underway at South Point Hoel and Casino on January 22 and runs tillJanuary 26. With more than 1,750 motorcycles and hundreds of Road Art itemsit’s one you don’t want to miss. See the lots on offer and register here:https://www.mecum.com/motorcycles/.And we’ll also mention the Tiny Strider Bikes being auctioned on Wednesday,Jan. 23. They were built for the Flying Piston Builders Breakfast, unveiled at theSturgis Buffalo Chip last August, and now head to new homes before the 2019class of builder is announced. Proceeds benefit Motorcycle Missions andTechnical Education. Visit https://www.theflyingpiston.com/flying-piston-charity-program/ or on Facebook. Register and bid at www.mecum.com.

CelebratingChopperfest

Kiwi Mike and Carolyn never miss DavidMann Chopperfest, the SoCal celebrationof all things Chopper. Sure, it’s in theirbackyard, but they say it’s also like hangingout with family. Their son, Ross, grew uprunning around the Chopperfest grounds.Here’s a look at the gatherings details,compliments of Biltwell. See more images– and a video – at the link. Thanks for thefabulous coverage, Biltwell!www.biltwellinc.com/wtf/2019/01/custom-motorcycles-chopperfest-2018/

Ross Tomas Award

Each year at ChopperFest a specialaward is presented to a distinctive bike inhonor of Mike & Carolyn's late son, RossTomas. Promoters Tory DuVarney andDave Hansen commemorate Ross's lovefor the event every year.This year's winner was Roger Herbisonwho had a very cool '36 Chief Bobber. Congratulations Roger!

Meet, Swap, Ride

If you’re busy filling in your 2019 calendar, here’s the first batch of AMCA NationalMeets to add. Find the rest at www.antiquemotorcycle.org.

February 22-23Omaha Chapter National Meet Fremont, NEwww.omahachapteramca.org March 8-9Sunshine Chapter National Meet, New Smyrna Beach, FLwww.sunshineamca.org April 8-10Cherokee Chapter National Road Run, Kerrville, TX www.cherokeeamca.org April 26-27Perkiomen Chapter National Meet, Oley, PAPerkiomen Facebook Page May 17-19Southern National Meet, Denton, NCwww.amcasouthernnationalmeet.com May 24-25European Chapter Meet, Raalte, Netherlandswww.amca-europe.eu

Nepal Adventure:Part 1

Kiwi Mike’s latest epic riding trip was tothe Himalayas and he’ll be telling usabout it in the next few issues. Tobegin, he lays the groundwork; wherehe headed, why, and how he preparedfor this rugged, overseas adventure-riding experience.

Many people ask me: Why ride inNepal? Well to be absolutely honest I’minto riding motorcycles anywhere in theworld. I didn’t even know where Nepalwas until a week before I left. I’d heardabout a planned trip there a fewmonths earlier, then met up with acouple of guys in the motorcycleindustry at Sturgis who said they weregoing. It was all on from there to get mystuff in order. Part of being in order meant businesswise, visa, overseas insurance. Theother part was motorcycle related likemy motorcycle riding gear. It’s warm inthe lower regions of Nepal but can becold way up in the Himalayas. Thenthere are the river crossings which canbe shallow or deep and short or long(they change from day to day.) Sokeeping your feet dry and the gear onyour bike dry is the challenge. You ain’tgonna dry out easily in the highaltitudes and cold conditions.Since everything is pretty much rockand dirt, one has to also prepare for atopple, so good safety gear isessential. In fact, one has to preparefor all sorts of circumstances andvariables. Now keep in mind if youforget some item of motorcycle gearthere’s no bike shop to stop into andbuy it. You are going without. Bigbummer.Thankfully I covered my bases well -until I lost my left glove on day 2. I wasfarting around with my helmet videocam and I was sitting on my left glove.Then I hit a section of road that was

About to dip my toes in the PersianGulf in Qatar.

This scene in Kathmandu gives a

rough (which is most of Nepal) so Istood up on my pegs. I didn’t realizemy glove was missing till about an hourlater. Luckily I’d packed a second setof winter gloves and I don’t even knowwhy, as I didn’t duplicate anything else. Another thing to keep in mind is totravel with minimal clothes. I usuallyhave spares of clothing just in case thepants get wet or shirt gets dirty. Just 4pairs of socks, half-dozen undies,couple of T-shirts, couple of wintershirts, 1 pair spare jeans and I’ll call itgood, planning to wash them along theway. The more you travel the morestreamlined you get.There is no way around motorcyclegear as it’s just plain bulky but you’rewearing it for most of the trip so it’s notlikely to be in your luggage other thantraveling to and from (flying). I evenwore some of it on the plane to keepmy bag minimized. The more you take,the heavier it is and the more stuff yougotta lug around. Nepal is all mountainsso everywhere you go there are steps.After a longs day’s ride, do you reallyfeel like lugging a heavy bag up stairsto your room? I’ll answer that questionfor you: NO. Some asked why I didn’t take myIndian. Well, some parts of the worldare just not suited for such a bike andNepal is one of them. It just isn’t goingto work there, nada, no darn way. I did meet two guys on BMW 800’s andthey gave up part way into the trip.Their bikes were too big for that kind ofterrain. Sometimes it’s best to go withwhat the locals advise. After all it’s theircountry and they know best. Next issue I’ll get into the ride. Till then,as they say in Nepal, Namaste.

whole new meaning to the term "awiring bird's nest."

Paying one’s respects.

These bare feet have walked a lot ofkilometers.

Michael Lichter tries out a singingbowl.

Nepal Postscript:

Makes perfect sense: NOT!When I disembarked in Kathmandu, Nepal, I filled out some paperwork and got inline. It was an old airport which, to describe it properly, would be to say it’s onebig room made from wood from a long time ago: simple, smallish and ratherstuffy. I finally got up to the counter and the guy tells me I need to go to that oneover there first and get my permit. Not a sign anywhere that says any such a thing.Not to mention, I did all of this online before I left home, but apparently that was awaste of time.To the right of this counter was the money exchange office so I figured I betterchange my U.S. bucks to Nepalese money first. Logical thinking would be theydeal in their own money, right? Well, when I got back in line to get my permit, lo

and behold, I had to pay it in U.S. bucks. Nepalese money wasn’t accepted at all.What the heck?!Oh well. It was early in the trip. And the one thing you’ve gotta do in foreigncountries is maintain your cool, don’t sweat over anything even though you’re tiredand worn out. Some stuff doesn’t make sense but YOU are a visitor in THEIRcountry. And the bigger picture is: we represent the country we are from so that’simportant, too. Yeah, ya just gotta roll with the punches. -- Kiwi Mike

Damn Yankees in Thailand Part 7From Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai

In case you’re new to this publicationor the holidays faded your memory,let us bring you up to speed: Kiwi Mikeand his good mate Dennis Bolduc,who owns Indian Motorcycle ofSpringfield Mass, traveled to Thailandlast February. We’ve been telling –and showing – their trip in sections. Inthis episode, they finish their miles onmodern bikes as they arrive in ChiangMai, one of the top tourist destinationsin the country. Tune in next time asthey wrap up the trip on vintageIndians. Eager to start our day we jumped righton our bikes in the morning after aquick breakfast of coffee and toast.Hey, it is Thailand. No bacon and eggshere. In the cool morning air weheaded back up into the mountains.Once again we had great corners. Wewould climb a mountain and thendescend down into lush valleys. Thescenery was awesome in the morningsunshine. Farmers were out workingthe rice paddies in the cool morningair. Our big American V-twins rumblingthrough the fertile valleys were the onlyvehicles on the road. Talk aboutawesome!Our first stop was the fish cave, a verylarge spring which comes out of thebase of a mountain. The fish gatheraround the mouth of the spring to enjoythe cooler water and local villagershave capitalized on that, selling fishfood to tourists. It was a beautiful place.After a quick lunch of pork neck, ribsand intestines from the food vendors

on site, we hit the road. Porkintestines? Once again, it is Thailand.Our next stop was the Doi Kiew LomView Point and the view wasincredible. Thai mountains as far as wecould see. There was a public swinghere like nothing you would see in theUSA. Four people rode on it and at thepeak you were about 20 feet off theground. Another biker had run out ofgas here and being Thailand thevillagers are always quick to seize anopportunity. A villager was set up herewith gas in Pepsi bottles and a funnel.You pay a premium price but it’s fullservice.Back on the road again we headedinto Pai. Here we had nice riversidebungalows waiting for us. Thank youLee! The town was full of college kidsfrom Europe having fun. Guess it’s apopular spring break location.The next morning we had a normalbreakfast of sausage and eggs. Wedidn’t ask what was in the sausage butit was good. We fired up the bikes andheaded out to our first stop, the Tai PaiWWII bridge, a.k.a. “The Bridge on theRiver Kwai.” This was not the bridge inthe movie, which was fictional, but areal one built by POWs during WWII.Cool history! Getting back on the bikeswe headed up to Huai Nam DangNational Park.A very tight one-lane road led us in.You did not want to meet a truck on thisroad. Steep drops were on either side.Thai people are very serious abouttheir national forests and any poachingor unlawful use is dealt with veryharshly. We were told there are Thailions in this forest and it was a verybeautiful place.With sightseeing over we headeddown the mountain and after six daysof winding mountain roads we got onthe highway. We set the cruise controland it was very liberating. With the bigIndians rumbling along we rolled intoChiang Mai, Thailand’s largest northerncity. It’s a very beautiful city and one ofThailand’s top tourist destinations.Our trip on modern bikes was over.Tomorrow we would be getting onantique Indian motorcycles for a two-day ride back into the mountains. Joinus as we wrap up this amazing trip next

issue.

Chief owner and happy customer PaulPry dropped us a note and somepictures of his restored motorcycle.Here’s the story of the bike, in Paul’swords.

My brother bought this bike from LarrySipple of Barneveld, New York. NowLarry was a tin knocker and traveledthe state doing heating and air

Having decided to try and resurrect thisbike, I soon realized I was in over myhead. That’s when I chose Kiwi Indianto help due to Mike’s tremendousexperience as reflected in his personallife story, the innovations andimprovements he has invented for thebrand, his free educational videos, plushis approachability and wiliness toteach - and I had a LOT to learn.

conditioning ductwork. But his realpassion was Indians. He found this onein northern New York state, it was anold police bike. He sold it to my brotherand I followed him as he rode it home.That was in 1980. My brother workedas a registered nurse at a prison forthe criminally insane. He was attackedat work and sustained a subduralhematoma requiring skull burr holes.After that he could not ride and thisChief sat, not ridden.Two or three years ago my brothergave this Chief to me! The engine hadseized and the wheels had sunk 4-6inches into his dirt garage floor. Mywife and I dug the bike free andtrailered it to our home where it took upresidence in my dry garage. At onelevel I would have been happy to just tokeep the Chief as is; a touchstone toour past and days long gone; but thisold Indian deserved a better fate.

Thanks to Big Chief Mike and thewhole Kiwi tribe this bike is now up andrunning after 38 years. I started mybreak in rides at the end of September2018 I had hoped to have it inspectedin October 2018 but the weather inNew York turned foul so I set my siteson 2019. It runs GREAT. It is a THIRLLto ride. Like nothing else.

Work Smarter, Not HarderWhen lacing 16” wheels, always makesure the valve stem is on the left side ofthe bike. Having it on the left sidemakes it far easier when checking airpressure and filling with air as thebrake drum is not in the way. Note: 18” rims have the valve stem inthe center of the rim so this does notapply.

More Tech!

Socket Set ToolOne of the biggest pains working onIndians is checking the tightness of thehead bolts. Most of us have aconglomeration of tools to accomplishwhat should be a simple operation -which it’s not. But this super nice headbolt socket set is perfect for getting toall your head bolts and with these 2sockets you can get to them all. Not only do they work well but they alsolook super professional with their highchrome finish and Indian script logo.And they’re made right here in theUSA. Reasonably priced at $49.99 per set.It’s a must have tool in your tool box ifyou own an Indian. (Head bolt tool partnumber 37216T)

1936 ChiefThis is a very original bike that’s beenwaiting for attention in an old guy’sgarage. There’s no rust and he said itran good before he parked it. To me, the 1936 Chiefs are thebeginning of the modern Chief modelswith their better oil pump anddistributor ignition. It’s just a more allaround reliable bike. This bike has a new dash panel andinstrumentation. It also has the correctgas tanks, which are pretty rare. I referto these as the “pregnant” gas tanks asone side bulges out to fit between theframe rails. Matching engine and framenumbers. It’s a very decent bike andneeds very little to get her back on theroad. Interested?Email bigchief@kiwiindian.com

Feedback & TestimonialsMake Us Smile!We really enjoy putting together this newsletter for you, our loyal readers andfriends. But we get so sad when we don’t get mail!This newsletter provides Indian owners and riders with pertinent information abouta topic we enjoy in common: Indian Motorcycles. What do you like about thispublication? What are we missing that you’d like to see included? Do you have astory to share?Come on, you’ve read this far: tell us what you think! We want to hear from you!Email: office@kiwiindian.com or BigChief@KiwiIndian.com.

WHERE TO FIND US:Texas Vintage Motorcycle Fandango - April 5-7th 2019Texas/ National Road Run - April 8-10th, 2019Please note we will not be attending Oley Swap Meet this year.

Kiwi Indian MotoCycle NewsKiwi Indian Motorcycles Inc.

www.KiwiIndian.com Riverside, CA 92504

951.780.5400

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