Indian summer

SEAN HOSKINS | 18th October 2005

FORTY years ago Wanganui's Fastest Indian wasn't much to look at.

Roger Allen's future wife, Liz, saw the old bike cruising down the Avenue and hid.

"When we were courting, he rode it down Victoria Ave with a pompom hat on and a mustard jersey and he tooted. I was so embarrassed that I ran into a shop," she said. Nowadays the mint bike has the exact opposite effect.

Roger has just finished a full restoration of the beautiful 1926 Indian Scout ? coincidentally as another Roger completed an ode to the most famous Indian of them all.

Kiwi movie director Roger Donaldson's The World's Fastest Indian premiered last week.

The flick tells the story of Southlander Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) who modified his 1920 Scout into a speed machine that set land speed records in the 1960s that remain unbroken today.

A concrete truck driver by day, Roger was given his Indian 44 years ago at age 18, when he used it to get to work. "Then I went into the army and then got married (to Liz, of course) and we went to Australia for 10 years."

All the time the Indian loyally waited in a shed at Roger's mother's.

"My sister's kids used to play on it there. The motor always worked."

About 10 years ago he started to restore the bike and lovingly crafted missing or the broken parts; the handlebars, chain guard, battery and tool boxes, petrol tank and light rim.

"The light rim was very hard to make, it's beaten out of tin," he said.

All that's left to totally complete the perfect picture is a pair of handgrips and running board covers, which Liz is getting Roger for Christmas.

"Just to finish it off," he said.

Liz said Roger spent so much time in the shed during restoration she needed a way of summoning him back to the house.

"I had to put a bell out there so I could ring it for him to come inside," she said.

Working on the 600cc bike gave Roger an appreciation of how amazing Munro's feat really was.

From the bottom of the barrels down, the motor is exactly the same as the one on the Munro special.

"But he stretched his to 1000cc," Roger said. While Roger's Indian can hold 55 mph, "if you can hold it," Munro's machine got up to a record-breaking 190 mph at the Bonneville salt flats, Utah.

"It's amazing."

Like Munro, Roger also raced.

"I had a few rides when I was 18-20 on sidecars, then we went to Aussie."

He began again in 1991 at Pukekohe, when he came third in 250cc classic class race on his 250cc Velocette with 1948 motor and 1953 frame.

The race bike may be faster, but the Indian's the looker. Roger reckons the bike to be worth between $10,000 and $12,000 based on recent sales of machines in similar condition.

He said he might sell for the right price, but by the look in his eye it's doubtful the 40-year love affair will end any time soon.