WORLD'S COOLEST LAND-SPEED INDIAN CHIEF VINTAGE?

Date :

February 24, 2015

WORLD'S COOLEST LAND-SPEED INDIAN CHIEF VINTAGE?

Pandya, Indian’s PR rep, keeps coming up with ideas to save this preproduction machine from the inevitable crusher, and he most recently converted Elnora into a land-speed machine that shot across the El Mirage dry lake in Southern California at 130.227 mph. Although that’s not an SCTA class record, it’s the fastest a Spirit Lake Indian has ever been ridden.

In this transformation to land-speed machine, Pandya switched Elnora back to stock fenders, but he cut off the back half of the front because it acted too much like an air shovel. More important, Lloydd’z Motorworkz tweaked the engine electronics (installing a DynoJet Power Commander V), while crafting a new cat-less exhaust with a huge SuperTrapp muffler. “You can practically stick your fist in there,” explains Pandya, who also removed the bash plate and had Loaded Gun Customs install rear-set pegs for a more aerodynamic riding position. Completing the changes are a dirt bike Renthal handlebar, a steering damper, and custom 16-inch rims shod with DOT Dunlop roadracing tires.

“My goal was 130,” says Pandya, who adds that Elnora ran flawlessly and was very stable on the 1.3-mile course. He also says he has no idea of the engine rpm at top speed because his chin was ahead of the tachometer. “My engineer guys kept saying this might not work out, but Elnora proved them wrong.”

 

What next for Elnora? Pandya plans to keep her busy and, with some luck, get her a stay of execution. “We’d like to do an endurance roadrace. And we’d also like to run it on the ice. I’d like to run it on a frozen lake. That makes sense, right?”

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