| July 2024 Bike of the Month |
Bob Barnett of Costa Mesa with his 1947 Indian Chief
Make: Indian
Year: 1947
Country of Origin: USA
Engine: 1300cc Twin
Transmission: 3 speed
Owner: Bob Barnett
City: Costa Mesa
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Congratulations to Bob Barnett of Costa Mesa for winning Bike of the Month with his 1947 Indian Chief.
Bob won a plaque provided by Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys.
This bike has been in Bob's family since it was bought new.
Bob's Uncle Dick McCune lived in Torrance and bought it in 1948.
He rode it for 20 years and in 1968 quit riding.
Dick gave the Indian to Bob in 1994. It wasn't until 2007 that
Bob got the bike running again, and Dick was able to see it run
before he passed away in 2008.
Fast Forward to December 2023 when Bob started working on the bike again
with the help of Wilson Plank of City of Commerce. They reworked the top
end with Chevy 409 valves that Bob was able to machine to work.
Geronimo
Here is a list of modifications and features on the Chief.
- 14:1 Compression - Modified Heads
- Schunk Cams
- Balanced and Ported
- 110 Octane Leaded Fuel Only
- 409 Chevy Valves
- Bonneville Pop-Up Pistons
- Bonneville Cam Followers
- 2° Retard on the Rear Cylinder
- Modified Carb with Accelerator Pump
One of the most challenging issues when working on a project like this is keeping the
patina matching throughout the bike. Bob told me that he probably spent 10 hours on the
horn alone with 4 donors. One clean horn that functioned and several for all the other parts.
Bob has been to our meet over the years, but today was the first opportunity he's had to bring the Indian.
Now retired, he ran BNB Machine in Santa Ana for 38 years. Much of his later years were spent machining
racing parts for different motorcycle teams.
Thank you, Bob for bringing your Indian out for all of us to see. See all the photos in our July 2024 Gallery.
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The Bike of the Month contest is held monthly at the Vintage Bike OC meet. Qualifying motorcycles must be 30 years old or older. Former Bike of the Month winning bikes are not eligible to win again.
Anyone attending the meet is eligible to enter a qualifying bike in the contest and vote for
their favorite bike. The winning bike is chosen by a popular vote and is featured on the Home page for one month and in this feature article. The Bike of the Month articles are permanent content on the site.
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Bike of the Month Gallery
Photo gallery of all the Bike of the Month winners.
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