INDIAN Motorcycles have teamed up with custom motorcycle builder Thor Drake to create a motorcycle and barbecue for the Sturgis bike rally.
The creation is based around Indian Motorcycles ' 1811cc Chief Dark Horse, with the addition of what looks like a newly built, albeit retro-looking, boat-style sidecar. Fitted snuggly into the outfit is a mammoth Traeger Ironwood 885 wood-fired grill, which is capable of cooking 10-chickens, seven racks of ribs and all the other road-kill you can scoop up as head to town to neck some ‘shine.
If one thing is for sure, the base motorcycle will have no trouble shifting the extra 70kg the Traeger grill will add to the bike as Indian Motorcycles Thunder Stroke III engine produces a stump-pulling 151Nm of torque at a relaxed 3000rpm!
At first what looks like a total act of custom motorcycle lunacy – or a paid promo from the grill manufacturer (yeah, I’m a cynic) – might actually be one of the best timesaving devices for lone touring. Hear me out: Grill smoldering away, Route66 ahead, cruising at 60mph you scoop up the next piece of road-waffle you see, grab it and slap it on. 10-miles later and bingo, dinner for one (probably single male) is served.
This isn’t the first time Indian Motorcycles have flirted with the idea of a grill-a-bike (geddit?) before. Back in 2016, they teamed up with hangover specialists Jack Daniels to create a barbecue based around their then-new Indian Scout. That bike was built as part of Indian’s first biker-build-off for dealers, with builders from around the world creating custom bikes with the hope of winning the global prize.
Maybe it’s just me but I’m not sure this kind of thing will catch on, despite how happy the guy in the picture above looks! Would you opt for a woodfired motorcycle? Let us know in the comments below.
