Royal Enfield unearths outlaw past

Andy Amescua's Royal Enfield-made Indian Tomahawk motorcycle spent 40 years in a barn. Now he's asking for help identifying it and finding part sources.

But what about that other Royal Enfield Indian, the one found half-buried on a property in Arkansas? You remember the story. In July Jeff wrote: "I was about to scrap out a group of old Japanese bikes that had been bulldozed over at the back of my property and I happened upon this dinosaur."

That "dinosaur" was quickly identified as a Royal Enfield 500 twin sold in the U.S. as an Indian Tomahawk. The identification came from a member of the Royal Enfield Yahoo message board named Richard, who ought to know because he owns a Tomahawk himself.

So did Jeff save the old Tomahawk from the scrap yard? Yes, he did.

"I sold it for $150," he writes. "I was told through the grapevine that all those old motorcycles I got rid of on my property were stolen! Apparently the bulldozer buried a few cars down there, too, after pushing the bikes to the back. It turned out to be a chop-shop operation and I guess one or two folks (back in the '80's) were arrested for it. Wild stuff."

Wild indeed. Wouldn't it be great if that old Tomahawk wreck was resurrected as an outlaw style chopper?