Indian Is Da Bomb

Yeah, it’s a little Randy slang from American Idol, but the title reference is about the new Indian Motorcycle called the Chief Bomber.

Two new models were introduced at last month’s dealer meeting and photo’s are starting to surface on the internet.  The new models are the Dark Horse and the Chief Bomber.  The Chief Bomber was inspired by WWII aircraft and is a limited edition model.  It will be available for one year in Military Green and Silver Smoke finishes.  The pin-up girl tank artwork was inspired (above photo is not a replica of the fuel tank) by the aircraft Bomber nose art of that era. For an added touch the leather used on the seat and saddlebags are reminiscent of the feel and color of an old bomber jacket.

The Chief Dark Horse is a sinister “matte” finish which is all the rage and highly desired by youthful riders.  The components on the bike including the blacked out headlight, tappet blocks, suspension, engine components, exhaust system, and hand controls make the few remaining chrome components stand out. The Bomber and Dark Horse are priced at $30,999 and $27,999 respectfully.  While that is pricey there are plenty of devotees who believe owning a gleaming reincarnation of the vintage bike is necessary.

After a year in operation under the new company structure and management there are 15 Indian Motorcycle dealerships open worldwide.  All Chiefs have a 105 cubic inch PowerPlus V-Twin with electronic closed loop sequential port fuel injection. Engine cylinders are Nikasil plated and the stainless steel exhaust system is an integrated 3-way catalytic converter with heated oxygen sensors.   They have a 6-speed Baker transmission with belt drive. Brakes are 4-piston Bembo calipers and 11.5″ dual rotors up front. Fuel is stored in a 5.5-gallon tank and assembly of the motorcycle takes place in Kings Mountain, NC – U.S.A.

At the various rallies you’ll find large crowds gathering in and around the Indian booth.  There is something about these “Pretendian” motorcycles and how they recapture the glory of a half-century ago.

Photos taken at Evergreen Aviation Museum (“Margie” Artwork from nose of Douglas A-26C Invader).  Indian photo courtesy Motorcycling Magazine.

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Milwaukee’s Idol

Danny Gokey

Not the town famous for building the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, but I’m talking about Danny Gokey.   He made the top 3 on American Idol even after unleashing a cat scratch yelp that would have made Howard Dean (famous ‘Dean Scream’) proud!  The song he chose was one which Steven Tyler performed so well over the years… “Dream On.”

The iconic song was released as Aerosmith’s first single in 1973.  It achieved minor hit status on the initial release and climbed to #59 on the charts back in the day when radio meant something.  It made it to #6 when it was re-released in 1976.  Remember this was in the heady days of Thin Lizzy, 10cc, Ramones/Talking Heads and Steve Miller.

But I wanted to come clean as I did something I’ve never done before.  Anyone who grew up on Little Feat instead of Lil Wayne has probably done it. Maybe you were in a crowd of motorcyclists a little younger, and in a vain attempt to appear relevant you made the mistake of turning to a vernacular with which you were not comfortable.  Maybe you were even trying to be ironic, but still hip, when you blurted out, “’Sup, dawg?”

Sure it’s been made famous by Randy Jackson and is a non-descript term of endearment, but this so-called urban slang and phraseology only confirms that I just did a “drive-by” on African-American ethnic backgrounds.  It’s just another meaningless and hideous massacre of the English language they call ebonics.  Here’s the thing.  I don’t know about why I used it, but ebonic language is more often used by thugs or gangsta rap (like phat, hood, bounce, hoe etc.) artists as a way to express where they’ve come from or by youth at the suburban mall wearing the baseball cap sideways.  Neither of which I qualify.

I guess I was really feeling it last night.  Back to my peeples.. 

Photo courtesy Fox/Idol.

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