1918 Indian

So there I am, this past weekend, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. Not a big place, but a great place. And I'm looking at some of the old racing bikes and cruisers they have there. And I keep thinking there's something that looks a little off with regards to the 1918 Indian. Something's not quite right.

Then it hits me: In the process of their restoration, they've gone and mounted the front wheel all wrong. I now feel obligated to arm myself with printed pictures of various Indians of the same era (because I don't claim to be an expert) and see if I can persuade them to fix the oversight.

Isn't it correct for the floating, suspended fork, that is attached to the spring on top, to hold the wheel BEHIND the ends of the main girder fork? - so that the little pieces that the wheel is bolted to aren't so far out in front of the axis of the head tube that it would present problems with steering? I think I'm right about that.

brett7777 said:

what's that cool bike just to the right of it?

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An old Peugeot. They didn't include the year on a sign anywhere but I'd put it around late '40s to early '50s.

Could possibly be a design ahead of its time for the '30s too, I suppose.

cobrafreak said:

Someone call the museum and tell them of the error, lol.

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Oh, it's so close to my side of town, I'll just walk in. With a stack of vintage Indian pictures.