Indian hero Down Under
92 and still going strongIf there is a name synonymous with the famous Indian motorcycle marque, it's Max Bubeck.
The Californian, now 92, won a number of enduros on the fabled American machinery in a career that spanned 40 years, and he's currently in Australia visiting well-known local Indian enthusiast, Peter Arundel.
Bubeck purchased his first Indian, a popular Scout model, when he was 16, setting the scene for a decorated career that was only interrupted by WWII until his retirement in the 1970s.
He became a regular in the Greenhorn Rally, which was held north of Los Angeles over mountains and across searing desert. He raced in 32 Greenhorns, and finished 24 of them.
His technical prowess saw him become a de-facto engineer for the company, with updates making their way onto production models.
Bubeck's last major win came in 1962. That year, the 44-year-old racer again won the Greenhorn Enduro (on a 1949 Indian Warrior), a full 15 years after he'd last won the race.
In June of 1948, he rode an Indian Chief and Scout hybrid (dubbed the "Chout") to a record speed of 135.58mph on the Rosamond Dry Lake north of Los Angeles.
After retiring from competition in the late-1970s, in a career which was only really based in California, Bubeck continued to be active in motorcycling, doing everything from restoring classic Indian motorcycles to sponsoring antique motorcycle meetings.
The Indian Motorcycle Company was resurrected in 2006, based in North Carolina. However, it's only a low-volume operation, with four Chief models: the Standard, Deluxe, Roadmaster and Vintage.
Speaking of Indian, BikePoint is still amazed at the time Steve Hari produced on a 1924 eight-valve machine at the 2002 Island Classic historic meeting, a spectacular 1:59.40. That's faster than a lot of punters on R1s and FireBlades…
The marque became popular again in the 2005 film The World's Fastest Indian, about late New Zealander Bert Munro setting a number of land speed records in the 1960s.
For more information on the Indian Motorcycle Company, click here.
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