The Colliding Worlds Of Indian Motorcycles And Lebois & Co’s Watchmaking

Today I’m bringing you a genuine slice of American motorcycle culture, plus a proper Swiss-made chronograph watch to go along with it. I’m talking about the sinister Indian Sport Chief and the mouth-watering Lebois & Co. Heritage Chronograph Indian Motorcycles Edition. At first, it might seem like an odd pairing, and there’s no prior history between the two. However, as it turns out, there’s one common theme connecting both, as at one point production ceased for both America’s oldest motorcycle company and the Lebois & Co. watch company. Now though, both are well and truly back, and out in force, as I got to experience first hand!

To be perfectly honest, I am not the most experienced motorcyclist yet. I have had my license for a couple of years now and have been massively enjoying my 2005 Kawasaki for almost as long. So to switch from my regular machine to this dark beast was quite a switch! A switch that took surprisingly little time to make though, and instantly had me hooked on the sounds, vibrations, smells and above all; the brutal power coming from the Thunderstroke 116 V-Twin engine! But before I get carried away, a bit of background on both parties at play here is very much in order.

Indian meets lebois

I’ve already mentioned that Indian Motorcycle is the oldest American motorcycle company, with industrial engineer George M. Hendee founding the Hendee Manufacturing Company in 1897. The company started with the production of bicycles, but together with Carl Oscar Hedstrom, a motorcycle production factory was set up in Springfield, Massachusetts by 1901. The first motorcycles went on sale a year later, and the company quickly gained a reputation for its high quality products and competitive racing spirit. Within a decade Indian had become the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles, and in 1911 it took home first, second and third place in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

This also means the Indian Motorcycle Company effectively pre-dates that other big American V-Twin icon, although not by much. The company name was changed from Hendee Manufacturing Company to Indian Motorcycle Company in 1923, although the Indian name appeared years prior to that. The most famous bikes coming from Indian in the early days are the Scout and the Chief. Indian was also known for setting various land speed records in its prime, but despite crafting a genuine motorcycle legacy, production had unfortunately ceased by 1953.

Vintage Indian with headdress light on front fender – IndianMotorcycle.media.

The iconic Indian headdress logo – IndianMotorcycle.media.

Vintage V-Twin engine by Indian – IndianMotorcycle.media.

From then on, the Indian name would face rocky times with its trademark exchanging hands several times over. Things started to change in the late 1990s when the newly founded Indian Motorcycle Company of America relaunched Indian motorcycle production in America. It was short-lived, however as the business went bankrupt in 2003. Then, three years another attempt was made to revive the Indian brand under the name of Indian Motorcycle Company. This is the company as it is known today. It was acquired by Polaris Industries in 2011, a global manufacturer of utility and recreational vehicles, boats and motorcycles. With a clear plan in mind, Polaris has brought back Indian to its true form, offering a wide range of high-end bobbers, cruisers, baggers and flat-track inspired bikes.

Over to Lebois & Co, a watchmaking company once founded and operated by Raymond Dodane, of the Dodane family. Together with Airain, also once part of the Dodane empire, it’s now in the hands of Dutch entrepreneur Tom van Wijlick, after succumbing to the quartz crisis in the 1970s. Both Airain and Lebois & Co. were founded in 1934 and rose to fame for their high-quality timepieces, often built with a clear purpose in mind (such as the Airain Type 20). Lebois & Co. is now mostly known for its wonderfully elegant Heritage Chronograph, although it journeyed through watches like the Avantgarde Date (discontinued) and Venturist (still available) to get to where it is today.

The question might arise though, as to how these two companies, Indian and Lebois & Co, found each other. And it’s a very fair question, as there’s no apparent link between them. Yet, the shared history of ceasing production at one point and reviving it just a couple of years apart from each other does form a certain bond if you will.

A bond between Tom van Wijlick, the man behind Lebois & Co, and Ron Betist, who’s the marketing manager for Indian Motorcycles Benelux which in turn is the distributor for the Belgian, Dutch and Luxemburg markets. The two men got in touch at one point, connected over their mutual passion and decided it would be a good idea to work together. Lo and behold the result; a collaboration between the Benelux branch of Indian Motorcycle and Lebois & Co.

V-Twin Magic

The modern-day Sport Chief can trace its roots back to 1921, with its spiritual ancestor still being the main inspiration for today’s bikes. This menacing-looking machine has all the traits of a classical American motorcycle, with a low build, beefy tyres, and a thunderous V-Twin in the middle breathing out of twin exhaust pipes. The present-day Chief range, which this Sport Chief is part of, was first introduced in 2013 and is one of the pillars of the company. Inspiration very much comes from the early days of the brand’s motorcycles yet relies upon modern tech and engineering. In 2021 it was updated with a new engine and chassis, redefined panels and modern amenities like a touchscreen instrument panel, keyless start, various riding modes and LED head- and tail lights.

For me, the seating position was a drastic departure from anything I rode before it, but it took me little time to get adjusted to it. Exchanging an adventure bike for this barnstorming cruiser is an experience in itself, but in the most docile driving modes, the Sport Chief becomes your friend quite quickly. The relatively small seat is quite comfy, the mid-controls feel reassuring and intuitive, and the grip on the handlebars is good. Maybe my 2.01m tall frame helps me out here, as I never felt overstretched or anything. Even on longer drives, there was no back pain, no neck pain, and no aching shoulders or cramps. Sure, I felt the strain of riding a motorcycle, but I get that from my Kawasaki as well.

The Sport Chief becomes a different beast though, when you switch from Standard to Sport mode. Things tense up, throttle responses become even more instant and the acceleration becomes very visceral!  That’s thanks to the air-cooled Thunderstroke 116 V-Twin engine, which has a capacity of 1890cc (or 116 cubic inches) and sends about 90 horsepower to the rear tyre.

The biggest deal, however, is the 162nm (or 122 ft-lbs) of torque that’s at your disposal. Riding along in standard mode you can already feel it pushing you along despite the 311kg weight of the thing. And this push is more than a little gentle I might add, but it never feels like the bike is taking you for a ride. In Sport mode though, it gives you a proper roundhouse kick in the backside and starts ripping through the 6-speed transmission like there’s no tomorrow! The sensation of feeling that massive amount of torque kicking in, and quite honestly hauling ass, is highly addictive. In every gear, it just pulls like a bull unleashed and the horizon comes at you very quickly! Thankfully, stopping is done on a proverbial dime, courtesy of the big Brembo breaks front and back.

I am also very surprised at how manoeuvrable the Sport Chief is. I never expected it to handle so well and found myself navigating even the twistiest roads in my hometown area with ease. The turning circle is no bigger than my adventure bike and even at very low speeds it’s very stable. Of course, it’s not a track machine, nor built for top speeds for that matter, but it’s more than suitable for urban traffic, stretched-out highways, or ever-winding B-roads. It genuinely was a joy to experience, a docile friend for the most part but a proper hooligan when you feel like having some good-old fun!

My loaner bike was finished in matte black front to back, but there are several other colour combinations available. Indian also offers a range of options to personalize your bike, and by now, there’s quite an active custom scene for Indian motorcycles as well. With a base price of EUR 26,390 (mind you, that’s in the Netherlands, at 21% VAT) it’s not exactly cheap but it will provide you with a very thrilling ride every single time you hit the starter button and head out for the open roads!

A Chronograph to match

But it’s not all about the Indian Sport Chief, although I could very much ramble on about how it handled in the rain (stable, but watch your right-hand action!) or how lairy it sounds and so on. There is a Lebois & Co. Heritage Chronograph to be discussed as well, after all. And to be honest, it’s a very lovely watch. I happen to own one of the regular models, with a salmon-coloured Tachymeter/Telemeter dial, and love it, but that’s beside the point for now.

The Heritage Chronograph Indian Motorcycle edition gets a new dial design which takes inspiration from a mix of things. The layout hasn’t changed, but the colours obviously have. The cream base colour is paired with a deep red tone, both taken from the Indian Motorcycle’s famous headdress logo. This colour can be found on the tachymeter scale and minute track, in the subdials, on the central chronograph seconds hand and in the section at the bottom. In turn, this is shaped after the dashboards of Indian motorcycles and has the alternative script logo in cream. The remaining hands are finished in a dark grey tone to provide a good contrast against the cream and red background.

For the rest, nothing has changed as you still get that very nicely finished 39mm wide by 10.5mm high case. The sloped bezel greets a domed sapphire crystal, and the wide pushers help in instantly starting, stopping or resettling the chronograph when needed. Around the back, another sapphire crystal reveals the manually wound Calibre LC-450, made with La Joux-Perret. This relies on a blued column wheel for a smooth action for the chronograph and holds up to 60 hours of fuel in the tank. Pardon, the barrel.

Lebois & Co puts the Heritage Chronograph Indian Motorcycle edition on a charcoal black suede leather strap with the brand’s signature double buckle. A normal pin buckle is provided with the watch, as well as the option to have your personal Indian Sport Chief’s VIN number engraved on the caseback for a “matching numbers” set of the bike and watch. The price is set at EUR 2,800 and as stated before, I feel that’s a very fair deal for this watch.

Now, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with both the Sport Chief and the Heritage Chronograph. It’s not often I get a chance to combine two of my passions; watches and cars/bikes. The experience has also led me to believe that there’s a right type of bobber/cruiser motorcycle out there for me. I’ve always though the seating and riding position would not be for me but I was very pleasantly surprised! So to round off, a big personal thank you to both Tom and Ron for making this happen!

For more information, please visit IndianMotorcycleBenelux.com or LeboisandCo.com.

Editorial Note: All images are our own unless stated otherwise. The vintage images are sourced from and used with permission of Indian Motorcycle Benelux and Indian Motorcycle Media, or Lebois & Co. when it concerns the watches.