The Engina Monologue

Crazily-named Indian Chief café-racer special from Germany

Indian Engina

Okay, if English isn’t your first language, calling a bike ‘Engina’ probably seems fine. Especially if it has an engine as big as this. But say ‘I really like that giant German Engina – it’s all red and shiny’ a bit quickly and you’ll sound as if you’ve been hanging about the darker recesses of the net a bit too long.

Anyway. This is a pretty mad-looking Indian custom, made in Germany to publicise some accessory store or other. We like the decision to use the massive Indian Chief ‘Thunder Stroke 111’ engine – if you have to use an old OHV air-cooled V-twin, you might as well make it enormous. And while the 1.8 litre behemoth only puts out 125bhp, we imagine it will all come out in one huge grunty splurge. And there’s nothing like having an enormous grunty splurge coming out of the Engina between your legs. Or so we’re told.

Away from the engine, we do like the Kineo wheels, and Brembo brakes are never a bad thing. Wilbers suspension is mad stuff from Germany of which we know little, but we imagine it will provide whatever this thing needs in terms of springing and damping. The wee headlight fairing looks a bit nasty to our eyes, but we freely confess this is not entirely our bag, so we won’t condemn it on that basis.

The Engina is going on tour too! You can catch it at the usual spots, including the Wheels and Waves shindig in Biarritz in June, Monza in May, Paris, Spa and Glemseck…