Rebuilding the Indian: A Memoir

by Fred Haefele

Book Overview

The building of a vintage Indian Chief motorcycle is more than the restoration of a bike-it's the resurrection of a dream. Rebuilding the Indian chronicles one man's journey through the fearful... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157322734X
• ISBN13: 9781573227346
• Release Date: June 1999
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Moto Kierkegaard

Is he a frustrated English Major out to write a book no matterwhat? That's one explanation. Or perhaps been assigned a writingproject to augment counseling to deal with his end-to-end relationaltroubles with his son-from-first-failed-marriage as well as his ownfather-now-married-again-to-someone-not-the-author's-Mom? That wouldbe another explanation. Or is he the tree surgeon overspending on anexpensive hobby he can't really afford? Yes, yes, and yes. Thosewould be some author-centric comments, to which must be joined someexplanation of the motorcycle subject (the old Indian) and thedramatic sideshow issues (the types of people whom he encounters alongthe way to rebuilding the old motorcycle, and how commenting on themreveals the author's own story).Here's what strikes me: Just whenyou think Fred has careened down the path of absorbing somelowest-common denominator biker behavior, he mentions having a Latt'ewith someone. Or having a dinner party at his house for poets andwriters. Then, from the other end, when he gets into a critique ofhis first failed marriage to a comparatively more-uptight academicwoman, he swings up into the trees with references to his preferencefor hanging out with marginal law-breakers who drink, cuss, and felltrees for a living. So in the interstices of all of that, he cleverlycatches readers who may be located anywhere within this spectrum ofmotorcycle enthusiasts.For it is the motorcycle person who reallyloves this book. Anyone who has ever taken apart a lawnmover or amini bike will instinctively identify with the drama of getting theold Indian together and running, along the way meeting the types ofartisans so admired by Robert Pirsig, the author of Zen and the Art ofMotorcycle Maintenance.Fred actually contracts-out a lot of thefabrication and procure ment of the rebuilding work, and this gets himinto the narration of the personality types involved in the process.It's a little like East of Eden as we see the human frailties ondisplay, from low-down ripoff artists, to wannabe aritsans who may bebetter than Fred, but not as good as iconic perfectionists whom Fredalso meets, or hears about.I can't adequately capture his grasp ofpeople, because his language skills far outstrip mine. I especiallylike the use of the word "brio" to describe the way one guykick-starts his bike. What he does accomplish very well is anarration of how he fits into his own future, compared to how otherpeople are doing, and how he reconciles himself with his past, andartifacts from it (like his two kids from his first marriage). Theway he succeeds with the Indian then becomes incidental to the way hesucceeds, or finds some hope of succeeding, in reconciling his pastand building his future. So it's a better ending than thelater-edition of "Zen," in which Pirsig has to inform usthat his own son was stabbed to death in San Francisco--cutting shortthe father-son theme that Fred also covers. I hope Fred and Kyle getmore time together.It'

THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!

I recommend this book to anyone you loves their motorcycle. Stroker brings his Indian to life with the help of Chaz.

The Last Best Basket Case

Rebuilding the Indian is a joy to read. A smart, funny, and informative adventure that revolves around starting a new family at fifty and (as if that wasn't enough) rebuilding a classic Indian motorcycle from, well, a "basket case" -- that is, a couple of boxes of gunked up parts that could belong to just about anything except a Honda. I love this book.

you will like this book

Haefele's book is beautiful and eminently readable. It came in the mail at 9:30 in the morning and twelve hours later I closed it, having read it cover-to-cover. I can't remember the last time I did that. It seems to be about not just a motorcycle rebuild, although it most certainly is about that, but about America and Americans. Haefele, a man running from consumerism and the artificiality of the modern world, finds himself in a community of stragglers all orbiting about the pursuit of the art of the motorcycle. It is a touching and insightful tale, mostly because of Haefele's artistry and honesty. I highly recommend it.

Haefele's writing makes this the year's best ride

Clear-sighted, affecting and funny, Haefele's memoir is written with an elegant, high-horsepower prose that kept me turning the pages. I envied him the Indian, but I envied even more the nifty balance he's achieved here: a poignant, witty, and informative book that touches on some of life's bigger questions (parenthood, commitment, craftsmanship, the meaning of success) without becoming self-important, cynical or maudlin. I knew, from the get-go, I was in good hands, and with each page the ride just got sweeter.