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river rat: My Twindian
A 1916 Indian motorcycle
stopped where i popped beer cans and serviced the juke box,
not tending bar really, more like babysitting
pool tables and shucking Coors and Michelob Lights.
I said it was a sweet bike and said that most guys
kept that kind of machine locked up in a garage.
He said it was a sin to let pistons stay cold,
that they were designed with love and needed hot sparks.
It's called a Twindian by most people, he said,
because it was one of the first to feature a twin
motor design. That's what makes it look so modern,
those Indian guys were real pioneers, he said.
It misses some, he cried, a problem with the floats.
Not enough love went into the design details.
I told him my brother had the same problem with his
and now installs homemade floats that work well, real cheap.
He was eager, and he needed Tony's number.
I said Tony burned both eyelids off building a
prototype and won't let anyone except me
bring him work or set foot on to his property.
It was cold that night, I wished I'd worn a jacket.
While the Twindian owner sold cold cans of beer
I drove his bike into the country full throttle.
Hours passed before he found out I'm an only child.
