Engina: This Indian is Kind of a Big Deal in Europe
Personally I haven’t seen many Indian Chief sportbikes, you? But Indian PR sent us words and pics about this one making the rounds of the bike shows in Europe.
Detlev Louis Motorrad is kind of the Roland Sands of Germany but bigger and older, and decided to celebrate its 80th anniversary this year by transforming an Indian Chief Vintage into the “hot-blooded café racer” they call “Engina.”
Indian’s Thunder Stroke 111 V-twin can’t be ignored in this build. Louis brought in engine specialist Ulf Penner to exploit the full potential of the torquey 1.8-liter engine. More aggressive camshafts, more direct airflow, upgraded cylinder heads and new engine mapping is claimed to deliver almost 70% more power. New headers from STParts flow into a Shark silencer, producing a claimed 125 horsepower with “sound to match.”
A new UNO lightweight frame cages the beast, and the high-performance chassis uses an upside-down front fork and Wilbers rear shock absorber. Brembo brakes deliver the stopping power to custom-made Kineo rims. Custom triple clamps from Alpha Racing mount a Gilles stub handlebar.
For the headlight bezel, seat and tank, Louis called in Michael Naumann. The customizing specialist has already picked up numerous awards for his custom creations and enhanced the minimalist design from Louis gearhead crew member Kay Blanke. Danny Schramm from Schrammwerk was responsible for the headdress paint job in red and white, taking on the colors of the Indian and Louis brands. The bike’s overall build was undertaken by Detlef Stüdemann and Martin Struckmann from the Louis gearhead crew.
Last September, Engina had its grand premiere at Glemseck 101. Stunt girl and model Mai-Lin Senf rode it in the “Clash of Legends” race. Since then Engina has been cleaning up at numerous sprint and design contests and has just landed a podium spot at the Custom Show Emirates in Abu Dhabi. In Germany, it picked up the winning trophy at the Custom Show in Dortmund and won Best Streetbike at the Berliner Motorrad Tage motorcycle show in Berlin.
Elsewhere in Europe, Engina won the prestigious Ferro Dell Anno award at the Motor Bike Expo in Verona, Italy, in the Best Professional category. At the Swiss Custom show in Zürich, Engina secured first prize – giving it a ticket for the internationally acclaimed Custom Show Emirates in Abu Dhabi, where, last weekend, Engina took second place in the V2 Custom Class.
Detlev Louis’ anniversary party continues, with Engina planned to be on display at the following events throughout Europe:
May 19 – 20 The Reunion, Monza, Italy
June 14 – 17 Wheels & Waves, Biarritz, France
June 23 – 24 Cafe Racer Festival, Paris, France
June 29 – July 1 Biker’s Classics, Spa, Belgium
August 31 – September 2 Glemseck 101, Leonberg, Germany
More by John Burns
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UK! Shorten the swingarm.
Looks like fun