The old runner of "the feathers" on the island of Cuba. Phrases

The Indian of the Galician:

As the year 1901 was going by for the inhabitants of America, in one of the so many races of the beginning of the century in United States, two brave promoters woke up the American" "Indian. A new mark was being born in search of checked flags!

The races were always, and they continue to be, the scenario to present the technological of the motorcycling world. Since George Hendee and Oscar Hedstrom got deeply involved in the formulation of their first embryo placing a motor DeDion Bouton in a primitive bicycle, in little time, the Indian Motocycle Company Springfield, Massachusetts is settled. The successes in the design of these Indian motors began an unknown labyrinth in which, years later, the waves of their structures would harmonize with the trail of wind that these models would leave with their victories in any part of the world.

Song before the beginning of the second world war, there were three commercial houses in Cuba that were devoted to the trade of the existent motorcycles: one of them guided at the English market and two to the American products represented by Mr. Luis Bretos that represented the Harley-Davidson (HD) sold and the other one established by Mr. R. S. Waters that represented the Indian marketed. These industrious dealers took possession of the representation of the American market that their predecessors left, the gentlemen Cristian Brú and José Presas, precursory of the Cuban motorcycling.

In 1922, the technological innovation undertaken by the Indian Motocycle Company put in the public market its slender Indian Chief, one of the so many designed by Charles B. Franklin, its outstanding engineer. This motor in V bicylindrical won the reputation of the clients for constituting the most robust and elegant piece in the American motorcycling market at that time. In that moment in Cuba, the business of the Indian was located on López and Roadway of Jesús del Monte, No. 252, telephone: 2367, only concessionaire of these legendary motors on the island, machines that had a great prestige in the competitions.

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Not long before the beginning of the Second World War in the United States the motorcycles represented by the American Indian were the most commonly sold for being simple machines mechanically and extremely resistant... With the beginning of the period of war, the North American army needed of the best apparatuses for their military operations. The Indian motorcycles were the most valuable pieces in the American motorcycling industry, what facilitated that during them period that the Second World War lasted, the makers of these vehicles were oriented production to the battle front, without thinking that this obstinate would bring big quebrantos for their missed Indian in the future. In those years the civil emigration was increased in many parts of the world, fundamentally from Europe to America.

Since ancient times, important Iberian shipping agencies belonging to the Compañía Trasatlántica Española arrived monthly at the island, among them there were: Coruña and Cádiz (Delegation), Barcelona (Ripool and Comp.) and Santander (Children of Ángel Pérez and Company).

In the year 1941 a vapor came into the port of Havana with a good quantity of Spanish youngsters, one of them had only 25 cents in his pocket and he began to make it through an unknown nation settling on an old street of paving stones called Monte and Estévez. The young man was escaping from the war and in order to survive his father would begin to send him the equivalent of 17 Cuban pesos that would finance his lodging and feeding. With one of those monthly shippings, this boy acquires -to term- his first motorcycle, thanks to the help of another Spanish man that had a shop of old motos.

Later on, this young man begins to repair the motorcycle and sells it in 300 pesos. With this money he is able to rent a local and to develop a small mechanics business in the neighborhood The Ceiba, Marianao, Havana, next to the current paper factory of Playa municipality.

When the warlike demand finishes in 1945, the motors of the American Indian had lost their primacy among the civil clients, their near competitor Harley-Davidson (HD) standing with the best part in the demand and the Indian motors quite aggrieved. The super production of motorcycles was a query for their directives. The dissipation of the market was a fact. A harmful nebula was created for society, the world dispute emphasized the elaboration of other motorcycles in many parts of the hemisphere, product of the shortage of fuel, generating a favorable situation for other marks in different parts of the world.

With the end of the warlike conflict, an infinity of dealers was reborn in Cuba. In that stage of peace, the Indian changed representation for the fourth time on the island and it became Rogers International of Cuba. The directives of the HD in United States and Cuba had already a series of measures in those years and their results were evident. Gonzalo Bernardo Alonsos Fernández, the Galician, already had a clients in his shop of motorcycles in the neighborhood of The Ceiba, he ran in the street competitions with his Indian Bonneville which he was beginning to modify.

On one occasion he has the opportunity to compete with the motors Vincent (Brack Shadow) of Van Der Mye Motors and the grandiose Harley-Davidson of the Bretos that were the quickest motors at that time, leaving far behind those machines with his Indian Custom Racer, making a representative of the Rogers International of Cuba come closer to see what this man had made with that motor to achieve such a success. This event makes him famous and he become part of the elite in the races. The Galician had definitely made it with his Indian, exclusive event in Europe and more... he had won!

From that moment on he already had a position in the representation of the mark in the races. To achieve this, the Galician had removed the original fork from his Indian and placed a crossbow fork. Another of the realized modifications was the elimination of the generation system, the current distributor and, in its place, he adapted a magneto, being able to maintain a good intensity in the spark of the hot spark plugs of 1850 grades (Indian 59-T) that he used during all the acceleration of the machine. The Indian Bonneville had a very small carburetor and the Galician placed a much bigger carburetor improving the supply of the mixture of fuel. With all this, the Indian flew in the highway! That made Luis Bretos and Billy Van Der Mye get furious, to such an extent that they turned the tables upside down and broke bottles in a bar cout of rage. The Galician had snatched the first place to his pilots!

With posteriority, the Galician begins to intrude in the competitions for Rogers International of Cuba representing this mark in the races with several models and especially with an Indian Daytona of 850 cc model 45 of the year 1937 that we bring to the scenario.

In the year 1952, Bernardo Alonsos Fernández abandons the country to go to his beloved Iberian peninsula, his had been come true as he moved with his Harley in Santander, Spain. He had won with one of his motorcycles in Havana.

In the beginnings of the decade of the 50‘s the Indian Chief were still being manufactured with slight modifications where improvements were tinged in front subduing, being these the only pieces that survived the war. The English super production, together to the love demonstrated by the exsoldiers that rode other lighter English motorcycles in Europe and the crises of the company, generated uncertainty in the market in America. Unhappily, only a survived the cataclysm. The Indian from Springfield, Massachusetts, concluded its commercial operations in 1953, the production line that had perfect waves and curved disappeared.

In the year 1956, the Galician returned to Spain, he had lost the opportunity to compete on the island in the races during four years of his life. In spite of this irreversible event, more than half a century of being produced, in Cuba samples of the non-volatility of these original waves exist. Maybe, the most significant ones are these sleeping jewels that remain in the hands of the Alonso family and that we approach in the publication for their great historical value for belonging to an old runner of the feathers on the island. We are before an old motorist that, in his years of youth, was devoted to mechanics work and "customicer", originally from the Iberian peninsula, Cabezón de la Sal, Santander, Spain.

Speaking with the Galician is a privilege that not all the lovers of the Cuban Classic Motorcycling have had. In spite of being 89 years old and their "clear" mind at the moment, he has allowed us to take these pictures and some years ago to uncover the drawer of his memories… Beginning with interesting exchanges to intervals with his Spanish accent: "here there are no motors any longer, it is garbage" that reminds us our grandparents.

His beloved and eternal partner Indian Daytona Custom Racer is another of the designs that has a deserved place on the island, when we speak of the classic motorcycling. Yes, this fascinating machine that you can observe in these pages was modified by one of the pioneers of "custom" in Cuba!

For this purpose, the Galician placed a motor of 80 inches, approximately 1 300 cc in a square of 1928 of Indian Daytona originally 850 cc, increasing the power of this surprising machine for the different street races, in the tracks and highways summoned at that time in which he participated. He talked Ernesto Che Guevara, about his Indian, in one of the last car races that took place on the present 26 street of Nuevo Vedado, municipality Plaza de la Revolución, Havana, Cuba.

In his machine there remain particular modifications and non-volatilities of the calibrations executed in its tires and other parts of its structure, in those in which its audacions owner participated in those legendary competitions. At present, this old machine remains in the portal of his house, tied to the grill of the window, clamoring to be liberated; besides another old motorcycle, inside his house. The Galician is already about 90 years old and like it is logical his body is tired he, hardly recognizes the people that visit him. The motos, with a good quantity years of age, Still maintain their elegance in spite of being in rest and kept without circulating, being special and unique pieces in our city.

We hope that some day, some of his heirs and especially Bernardo Alonso Vásquez -who is his son and a great mechanic-, decides to put love and determine to restore these jewels of the American engineering, pride of the classic bikers of Cuba.

General:
Proprietor: Gonzalo Bernardo Alonso Fernández, The Galician
Country : Cuba
City: Havana
Mark: Indian

Technique registers :
Year: 1937
Capacity: 1 persona
Cylinder capacity: 1 300 cc
Color: Green
Speed: 200 km/h
Traction: Chain
Tires: 19 pulg.
Brake: Bands
Valves: Lateral
Weigh special: Manufactured by owner.
Pistons: Borgo Italian.
Carburetor: Dellorto.
C hange in the feet modified by owner.

Una historia interesante publicada en la revista Moto Clásica.

Until here, what refers to these marvels, and to continue speaking about other Cuban motorcycles and their owners... I don't have anothing else to do but to start up my motorcycle and leave to find another fascinating story about Motorcycles in Cuba.

Onelio García Pérez
Director del Sitio www.hobbiesenred.com
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