enough of celebrities who own motorcycles, but that doesn’t make them real racers. Norman Reedus may be best known for his role on The Walking Dead—but he also spent five seasons pursuing his passion for motorcycling with his own show, Ride with Norman Reedus. Speaking of which, he’s just a guy who loves bikes and rides them out of hell.
This is the latest addition to Mr. Reedus’ stable bike—an all-new Indian Sport Chief, custom-made by Yaniv Even at Powerplant Motorcycles. It’s the ultimate LA machine for this LA motorcyclist, built by a respected man in the LA tuning industry.
Just like London is known as the birthplace of cafe racer culture, Southern California is considered the first place chopping machine and custom V-twin motorcycles really started to take off. Long, winding roads flank sunny beaches, with rolling hills right inland; those early days were an idyllic setting for a custom hard-tail hotrod with limited braking force. But that was before a few million people moved in and blocked the construction.
Now there are 12 major highways in Los Angeles alone. If cars don’t collide in traffic, the average speed is about 80 mph. So, like roads, traffic and pretty much everything else, helicopters in LA have evolved—at least in Powerplant.
Located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, Powerplant has been working on hot rods and V-twin engines for a long time—and, as usual, Yaniv’s style has changed over the years. His focus on old-school choppers and traditional forms has shifted to high-performance parts and a mix of old and new. Now, he’s blended that original chopper’s influence with West Coast custom culture and modern technology.
So when Indian Motorcycle approached him to build a bike for patron Norman Reedus, Yaniv built a modern hot rod perfect for tearing up the streets of LA. Start with a new brand Sports Director of India—a bike that’s basically been lifted up a bit — he’s chasing equal parts and going.
The rear of the bike has been slimmed down with the rear shock mount reduced and the rear swingarm relocated, in preparation for the slimmer rear wheel and new fenders. The original fuel tank is also slimmed down as much as possible, while retaining the original fuel pump mechanism underneath. It also now sits higher on the frame thanks to the rework of the fuel tank mounts.
To match the side-cut windscreens of Sport Chief’s OEM bibs, Yaniv stamped 3″ windscreens into the side panels and center console of the fuel tank. It ties this original design element to old-school hot rod culture in a way the original bike never did.
The tail is a custom on Crazy Frank’s choppers, but done in Yaniv’s own way, with a mix of classic Indian Motorcycle style. It has an integrated backrest, license plate mount and taillight mechanism, but has a lower profile reminiscent of early Indian Scout helicopters. The seat is custom made and a new chair has been added in the classic cobra style; can still carry a passenger, as long as they don’t need footpegs.
The wheels are chrome clones of the old Morris Mags, updated to accommodate modern Indian brakes, sensors, bearings, etc. 19 inches at the front and 18 inches at the rear give the car a strong stance—upright with plenty of ground clearance. Lyndall Brakes created a set of chrome rotors to match, but slightly smaller than the original to accentuate the previous wheel.
To run those smaller 11.5-inch rotors and narrower front wheels, Yaniv had to machine the lower parts of the fork and build a new brake caliper holder, which still works with the original Brembo brake calipers. It is these delicate details that take a lot of work and that really help to create a beautiful and unique machine.
The custom exhaust tips are built in-house and covered with a cone from Red Thunder. This system reduces weight, expands the engine, and completely changes the auditory behavior of the bike. An upgraded air filter with a chrome Powerplant Motorcycles cover sits on the side of the engine.
Up front, Yaniv built a set of 8-inch bars and one-off handlebars with plenty of traction, which he says is just what this bike needs. The stock controls are retained, as is the Sport Chief’s digital gauge—but that gauge is now housed on a custom mount in front of the riser clamp. Working with modern stock electronics isn’t easy, and Indian’s digital system displays everything from navigation and music to tire pressure, so it makes sense to keep it. .
Last, and arguably the most effective tie to classic Southern California culture, is the paint job. The base was made by Walt at WW Cycles, using a mix of beer-based colors inspired by some old Yaniv builds. The manual marking was devised by Pacman Paint only.
There are many styles of flames, but these are classic SoCal flames, made by one of the best in the area. The end product is a machine that blends classic California beauty with high-performance functionality to meet the demands of modern LA streets.
With KYB forks and Fox shocks, a massive 116 ci Indian Thunder Stroke engine and elegant Powerplant upgrades, this thing is a weapon — both in its ability to attract the right kind of attention and cause a lot of trouble. tangled. as Norman wished.
Motorcycle Engine | Facebook | Instagram | Image of Drew Ruiz (studio) and Sean MacD (Riding)
