Designer Indians

DESIGNER INDIANS

What would a modern-day Indian look like had the legendary American motorcycle manufacturer not ceased

production? It may have resembled one of the scale models shown here, built by Wayne Kim (red bike) and Sangjin Lee

(black bike), students at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. "Knowing that there are a few companies who are trying to revive once-gone motorcycles, we strongly felt that Indian shouldn't just revive their old designs, but go beyond them," the pair's senior project proposal reads. "The bike should be able to make its own statement of originality as a piece of art."

The students were inspired by a Lakota Indian leg end that says when a white buffalo is born, it signifies the return of a spirit who will bring peace and prosperity: "We believe that this theme, `The return

of the spirit,' could signify the return of the Indian Motorcycle Company, its heritage and what it had left behind, as well as the beginning of a new legend."