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KIWI INDIAN ORIGINS

 

        Long ago, far away, in a mountain country near Antarctica, winds whipped by the foaming surf whirled around tops of volcanoes. Deep mud puddles bubbled and popped with sulphureous gases. In the bowels of the earth, a warrior people tinkered, fixing machines. Machines that were valuable to them, junk to anyone else. Kiwi Mike was one of these: still a young 'un, shouted and ordered about, he lived in terror of black-clad ogres of the forge. Out, they'd shout, and he'd go to work outside, ramming pink, scarred fingers into freezing cold iron jugs, grinding and filing for all he was worth. Which wasn't much, in Kiwi land. Machines they valued more than people, especially sprogs who'd yet to prove themselves. Outside the shelter, in the freezing darkness, Kiwi Mike eavesdropped on tales of the awesome, the all-conquering Indian. He knew, to gain the respect of his elders, he had to find and tame this beast. One day, lying in a heap in a farmer's barn, he found just such an Indian, an old and decrepit model 741.

        Mike took all the skills he'd learned in his time around the forge and beat, hammered and wrenched the sad old wreck back into shape. Soon, his Indian would run so fast and so far that it would beat even the Hardleedee Milwaukee machines the elders lusted after. Swearing Mike to secrecy, an elder passed on the talisman of the Kiwi tribe, saying "Armed with this device, you will detect the false and untrue, and identify the right parts for Indian motorcycles". From beneath his tattered coveralls he brought a shining object, a Rockwell Hardness Tester, and gave it to Kiwi Mike. Mike knew his time was done there, and he would have to cross the Pacific Ocean to find more Indian challenges.

        Armed with his knowledge and his Rockwell Hardness Tester, Mike arrived in America, and discovered many of his idols of Indian restoration were false. The cheap parts - even many expensive ones - were weak as putty, and would quickly fail. With the help of his fair wife Carolyn, Mike started to make parts that were strong and long-lasting. Together, they built Kiwi Indian Parts from tiny beginnings into the modern business it is today, dedicated to keeping Indians alive.

        Kiwi Mike and Carolyn settled in their warm riverside home, determined to raise a family who would never know the terrors of volcanoes and freezing mountains. Indian owners became satisfied customers. Maybe there is such a thing as a happy ending?

 

Kiwi Indian Motorcycle

4183 Fairgrounds St.

Riverside, CA 92501

951-788-0048

 

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    • "Vintage Indians"

    • This is a progression video of an oil painting that my wife (Stefanie Aziere-Sattler) had finished earlier this month.  The man in the middle is Dan Reeder, who is the great great grandfather of a buddy of mine.  If interested, you can check out more of her artwork at www.chromedimpressions.com  Hope you enjoy, and let us know what you think.  Thanks, Donnie
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    • Indian 841 Military 1942

    • 1943 Indian 841 - Many of you are familiar with the story of the 841. It was an experimental bike built to spec for the U.S. Army for WWII. Due to the advent of the Jeep, the bike never went into production beyond the roughly 1,000 built for Army testing. A truly unique bike, it had many firsts for Indian. First hand clutch, first foot shift 4 speed transmission, first and only shaft drive, etc. This bike was purchased in early 2003, and underwent a 6 year total restoration. I was lucky with this bike, as it only had a little over 1,000 original miles from new. The engine was still completely disassembled and completely gone through by Indian guru Jim Mosher at Performance Indian. There was very little wear on the transmission gears, however, a NOS set of gears purchased from Bob Stark was installed. The carburetors were absolutely mint and did not require attention. Same with the generator. The engine received all new bearings and seals, as did the front and rear wheels. The rear differential was disassembled and all new seals and bearings were installed. Every nut, bolt and other metal part that was originally parkerized was replated in fresh parkerizing. Being a high number 841 it had the second, larger blackout light installed above and to the right of the headlight. A NOS keyed ignition switch was installed. Janus Napierala completely rebuilt the proper speedometer. There are no broken engine fins and the kicker housing is in perfect condition on this bike. The seat was recovered by Wayne Hagler at Heather's Leathers, and a proper set of leather saddlebags were installed. These are new but exact in every way to the originals. All the blackout lights, dash lights and running lights work perfectly. This bike is a one kick starter, and like too many of my bikes has only been ridden once around the block by me after the full restoration was complete. This bike has two upgrades to make it far easier to ride and enjoy. First, the bikes came from the factory with low gearing. As the bike is shaft driven re-gearing the bike is difficult, to say the least. While I had the rear end apart, I purchased and installed the last remaining higher ratio rear gearset from a small run that was produced by an 841 enthusiast in Europe. This enables you to ride the bike at highway speeds without any loss of low speed power. Second, an exact replacement set of handlebars were made by John Bivens at Indian Engineering, with the controls reversed. These have the throttle on the right, so the hand clutch lever could be placed on the left bar. The 841 has a distributor with an automatic spark advance so there is only one handlebar control. This makes riding this 841 the same as riding a modern bike rather than trying to master the left hand throttle, left hand front brake and right hand clutch lever the bike came from the factory with. This bike is pristinely restored, and is ready to ride and enjoy.   Tim Graber Classic And Antique Motorcycle Consignments2058 Aliso AveCosta Mesa, CA 92627 Tim Graber - Proprietor cell: 949-254-6551Office: 949-6429682 ext. #3 tim@classicmotorcycleconsignments.com Vist our web site
    • 1930 Kiwi Chief

    • more random pictures sent to us over the past couple years
    • Kiwi girl Kelly

    • Kiwi girl Kelly with a Kiwi 1930's retro Chief to see mor visit www.kiwiindian.com
    • Kiwi girl Kelly

    • Kelly knows how to wear her Kiwi's!!
    • Kiwi Indians at Chopperfest

    • Kiwi Indians David Mann / Chopper Fest December 13, 2009 Ventura County Fairgrounds Ventura, California
    • Indian rides Kelly!

    • see more at www.kiwiindian.com
    • Whittney on a Kiwi 1930's Retro

    • see more at www.kiwiindian.com
    • Whittney on the Kiwi Rocket

    • see more visit www.kiwiindian.com
    • IMG_9773.jpg

    • Kiwi Kelly

    • To see more visit www.kiwiindian.com
    • Kiwi Kelly

    • To see more visit www.kiwiindian.com
    • Kiwi LeafSpring front end

    • Kiwi LeafSpring front end to see more visit www.kiwiindian.com join www.facebook.com/kiwimotorcycles  
    • Kiwi 1930's Retro Chief

    •  Whittney loves the Kiwi 1930's Retro Chief to see more visit www.kiwiindian.com join www.facebook.com/kiwimotorcycles  
    • Kiwi Replica

    • Kelly loves to pose with the kiwi Replica to see more visit www.kiwiindian.com join www.facebook.com/kiwimotorcycles  
    • Kiwi Ross Tomas youngest Indian rider record holder

    • To read more about Kiwi at Bonneville visit www.kiwiindian.com  
    • The Kiwi's Kicking it at 50 mph

    • To read more about Kiwi at Bonneville visit www.kiwiindian.com
    • Kiwi at Bonneville

    • Salty! To read more about Kiwi at Bonneville visit www.kiwiindian.com
    • Kiwi Ross

    • Chillin' getting ready To read more about Kiwi at Bonneville visit www.kiwiindian.com
    • Kiwi Ross

    • Youngest Indian rider on the Salts of Utah! To read more about Kiwi at Bonneville visit www.kiwiindian.com
    • Kiwi Ross Tomas

    • Gearing up to hit the Salt! To read more about Kiwi at Bonneville visit www.kiwiindian.com
    • side-car-mail.jpg

    • Buffalo Chip to attempt World Record Burnout! Led by this 1937 Indian sidecar Kiwi Indian Motorcycles are making the final adjustments for the event! see more at www.kiwiindian.com

Comments




  • I have spent a lot of time with Mike and Carolyn & the rest of the Kiwi team. They are great people who really know their product. They get our highest praise. If you are looking for a Modern Indian with a vintage look, or need help restoring your vintage Indian, give them a call.
    TimKuglin, 1 year ago| Flag
  • Kiwi is a class act. Check out the January 2009 issue of V-Twin News if you are in the industry, or just go to Kiwi's website for the straight scoop!
    Robin_Hartfiel, 1 year ago| Flag

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