Prewar Big Base Club Mag Nov-Dec 2025

[duffeycycles]

Cool article by Rick Giles about cover bike, Andy Drobek pre war Big Base Indian Scout racer. Reminded me of this 1938 Indian Daytona parts list. Often companies would use wins at Daytona or other tracks to name some special bikes. Iron Man Ed Kretz won first Daytona 200 in 1937 riding an Indian sport Scout. Indian made special Daytona motors for both Scout & Chief in 1938. This is from the back of a dealer parts catalog.

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[T. Cotten]

That's priceless, Duffey!

Because I love mysteries: Why is there no 74 Chief carb?

..Cotten

[duffeycycles]

I wondered about that, maybe the same as another Chief carb. I don't know much about Indian parts ! The article says they didn't have the Big Base Cases until 1940 or later. There is a '38 or '39 with Big Base cases that came from Ed Kretz but maybe those cases were replacements. It would be cool to see the difference between stock parts & Daytona parts. This paper came from Louis Bartley collection in Illinois City

[duffeycycles]

My take on the other early Big Base in the mag with questionable serial numbers that sold at Bonham's some time ago. This was written by Buzz Canter. Bill Tuman's tuner, Erwin "Smitty Smith" Indian dealer from Rock Island told me that Big Base motors were not stamped at the factory. Tuman's FDH108 was sent directly to Tuman & the spare motor was sent to Smitty along with a set of stamps. Neither motor was stamped. Smitty said the number FDH108 was assigned to Tuman's bike but riders were allowed to stamp whatever on the VIN pad. Smitty said some stamped their name. I think the prewar Big Base motors were probably stamped by the rider or the sponsor dealer. In the case of EXP 3 HB it was most likely sent out not stamped. I asked Bobby Hill & Tuman if they remembered who stamped their motors & neither remembered but agreed that Smitty's story was probably correct. Bobby Hill received the first Big Base after the Springfield area racers got theirs. Bobby got 2 of them FDH105 & FDH109.