I'm writing this review because I got addicted to motorcycling in my youth.  Visiting Wheels Through Time museum (Maggie Valley, NC), I was inspired to find an old motorcycle and rebuild it.  A lot of the antique bikes for the street are over-priced, and hard to find.  So, I decided to look for a smaller bike that was worthy of restoring, and wouldn't take up much space in my garage or my wallet.  I purchased an old (1972) Indian Trail bike, and set out to find parts and history for this bike in order to restore it.

Interesting enough, I discovered that Indian manufacturers went out of business in the US in 1953, and the Indian name was sold several times.  Overseas companies were building bikes and importing them into the US under the Indian badging.  Italjet made various versions of the Indian Mini Enduro (ME) dirt bike.  The ME version came in 50cc, 70cc, 100cc, and 125cc. Italjet still makes scooters and mopeds today (2006).

www . Italjet. Com

You may be amazed to open the casing of an Indian Mini Enduro, and find "Ducati" stamped on the flywheel.

Although finding parts for my bike have been challenging, they are not as rare as one would think.  Researching Italjet, or other Italian mini bike companies usually yields search results for parts.   I will continue to update this review as I begin to locate parts to restore my bike.

For now, just know that Indian mini bikes aren't as rare as the sellers try to portray, thus, I wouldn't pay that much for them, thinking that they are true antiques.  Truthfully, they're just imported bikes pieced together by Non-American companies, and sold under a well known Indian label.

Granted, I'm not too particular on the "All American or Nothing" theory of some bikers.  I just want it to be known that these mini bikes are imports, so don't be fooled by the name Indian.

the following is an excerpt that I took from       indianchiefmotorcycles.com

With the last All American Indians being made in 1953, the company was bankrupt, and its shares and assets (including the intellectual property, e.g. Indian trademarks) were sold in 1954 to the English Brockhouse Corporation who would use the Indian dealer network to sell two brands of English motorycles, and to the Titeflex company who attempted to manufacture things and whose name remained on the Springfield factory until wind blew it down in 2005. Other than the sale of the Indian name and shares and assets, not much happened during 1954 from the perspective of Joe Biker. The second biggest domestic maker, a company that started two years before Harley and was their main competitor, suddenly stopping producing and selling. When bikers read the Indian Dealership Ad (After Many Moons,,, a Brand New Indian) they must have been overjoyed and thought another American made and designed Indian was on the way.

this part of his article includes interesting pictures and info. about Indian.

To conclude this section, many will say this 1950-60 and 1970 business was impure, "not real Indians", but the 1999-2003 Indian Chief had an imitation Harley Evo engine and gearbox and clutch and primary drive, in an imitation Harley Softail® frame, and the same forks used on Harleys (all made by Showa in Japan), so if a 1960 or 1970 Indian is not a real Indian neither was the 2000 model. The 1960 Chief, the 1970 750 c.c. Indian, and the 2000 Chief were all made under the design and orders of the people who at those times held legal title to the Indian name, so they are legally Indians even if they have engines and frames made by another company. Harleys use Japanese forks and partial electrics, and possibly clutches and brakes (let me know), and they paid Porsche to design their Evo and V-Rod engines, so what is "pure" anymore? The big Honda models are built 100% in the USA, by Americans, and Americans had a lot to say in their design, so is a big Honda a Japanese bike? The Aero and ACE Tourer look more Harley than Harley! (But one must admit that Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and finally Suzuki copied the Harley Glide and Indian Chief series styling and did not invent it.) At this point I am arguing with myself, so enough said!