Good Morning Gentle Readers,
Then again, we *could* get a burger at Farmer Boys said moi to The House Blond and The Boy. That question was settled right quick and we ducked left across traffic through the convenience store parking lot, skirted the fuel pumps, then out the in drive and in the out drive at Farmer Boys. I know. What a jerk.
Farmer Boys is a local chain that serves up juicy charbroiled cheesburgers with all the fixins, done in the old California style. Some time back Jake and I devised a rating system with the intention of determining the best Farmer Boys, which it turns out is the one we just ducked into at Washington and Van Buren in Woodcrest.
Farmer Boys is popular with the muscle car and Harley crowd so it didn't surprise me when what I thought was a modern day Indian repro sporting a sidecar rolled up outside.
1947 Indian Chief. 74 cubic inch flathead vee twin engine with a kick starter. The Chief mocks your electric starters, Harley Boys. It takes two men and a small boy to crank this thing over, you gotta put some heft into it. And if you accidentally catch it on the back stroke it'll backfire, kickback, and launch you off the pedal.
That black round deally-bob (an engineering term) on the front wheel is a mechanical, drum brake which is controlled by a cable running to the brake handle on the handlebars. Note the Indian head running light on the front fender and the sidecar fender.
Yes, they came with the leather saddlebags. The gear shift lever on the gas tank controlled a three speed tranny. Clutch was operated by the left foot. 1947 was the first year Indian offered the option of a right hand throttle.
As Always,
TWC
Photo Credit (unless otherwise noted): ©TWC, all rights reserved
