Fantastic Four

FANTASTIC FOUR

CW READERS' COLLECTION

A mere 36 years in the making

IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT Nick Russo was in no big rush to restore his 1938 Indian Four. Though the inline-motor sidecar rig was all original and fully intact when he bought it back in 1960, it was a 22-year-old classic in need of a stem-to-stern redo. So, Russo took the bike apart and carefully shelved all the pieces with the intention of restoring it himself after he retired.

“Trouble is,” says Russo, “I’m a farmer. What I didn’t know back then was that farmers don’t retire; they just keep on, well, farming.” As the third-generation operator of a family-owned fruit and vegetable growing business in Allentown, New Jersey, Russo was far too busy to even think about the restoration. It wasn’t until 1993, 33 years after acquiring the Indian, that he decided to turn the project over to someone else. “I had the Four on my mind while riding home

from Daytona Bike Week, and the more I thought about it, the more I knew I was never going to have time to restore it myself.”

Shortly thereafter, Russo took the motorcycle part of the rig to Randy Zorn of Long Island, New York, one of the East Coast’s most highly acclaimed restorers. Two years later, the finished Four rolled out of Zom’s shop, authentic in every detail. Russo then gave Zorn the sidecar, which took another year to bring back to its original state. Since then, the rig has appeared in nearly 20 shows and has won major awards in practically all of them-Best of Show, Best Detail, Judges’ Choice and the like.

“Everything on the bike is exactly like it would have been if it had just come off the assembly line in 1938,” says Russo. “It’s painted the original colors-Mohawk Green and Seminole

Cream-and we did all the plating and trim painting exactly as it was done at the factory.” He’s especially pleased that Zorn was able to renovate the original instrument panel, a special edition that appeared only on the ’38 model. The headlight also is a 1938-39-only unit that is almost impossible to find. “We didn’t start out to make this a 100-point show machine,” says Russo, “but we kept taking the high road at every juncture, and it just turned out that way.” Russo has three other Indians, including a 98-point ’46 and a ’52 that he rides regularly. The third is another ’38 that will soon be turned over to Zom for complete restoration. “I’ve been riding just about all my life,” says Russo. “Until 1980,1 even competed in enduros and cross-country races. But nowadays, these Indians are my passion. I just love these bikes.” -Paul Dean >