In 1977, the Antique Motorcycle Club of Manitoba participated in an antique car show at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. My good friend Siggi Klann and I were displaying our Indian motorcycles when Irv Warkentin came up and introduced himself. He said he was from Blumenort, Manitoba, and that he and his brother had bought a small Indian V-twin in 1936 which they rode from their farm to Steinbach regularly. Unfortunately, during the war years they had crashed it (several times he said) and it now lay out in the farm's boneyard. I asked him if he wanted to sell it and he said sure, how about 75 dollars. I told him I'd be out next weekend to buy it.

The following Saturday, Siggi, my dad and I headed out to a small farm in Blumenort. From a distance we could see something shining in the field- a beautiful Indian featherhead horn- but that's about all that would catch your eye. Everything else was in pretty rough shape. The frame and engine had been in the field for decades and was badly rusted and seized. We collected other parts going from shed to shed, a piece here, a piece there. After when all was said and done, Irv was disappointed that there was only one gas tank, so he said he couldn't ask $75 for the bike, and only charged me $40. Many months later the other half of the gas tank was left between the doors with a note saying don't worry about the rest of the money, I'm just glad the old Indian will some day be put back together.

Almost 30 years later, my son and I have begun the project.

We still could use:
   -headlight
   -rear carrier
   -taillight assembly
   -service manual