Go Takamine’s Indian Chief

Go Takamine is one of those rare builders whose style is both hard to define yet immediately identifiable. Pulling inspiration from the early days of motorcycle racing in America and his own experiences as youth riding in Tokyo, his trademark aesthetic is usually referred to by the name of his shop, Brat Style, and has been imitated by builders all over the world. But as Takamine says: “Be first, be cool.”

Lately he has been spending most of his time in his Long Beach workshop, but Takamine is a fixture at any vintage racing event around SoCal. Those familiar with his work know that he has been a big fan of Indian motorcycles for much of his career. He can often be seen riding a red prewar Indian Sport Scout on the flat track, dragstrip, or just about anywhere else—and he’s damn fast too. For his latest build, Takamine was commissioned by Indian to rework a full-custom 2022 Super Chief Limited however he saw fit.

“Rather than creating a flashy look, I wanted to create a simple customization,” Takamine says from inside his garage, a nondescript building in an industrial neighborhood near the LA River. “I really like the design of the tank, so I thought to customize it around the design.”

Takamine’s first task was to cut the original gas tank in half and narrow it by 2 inches, then change the tank’s mounting points so it would sit a little lower on the frame. He then pulled the rear fender from a 1937 Ford, modified the ornate end piece from a 1940s Indian Chief fender to fit, and made a small sissy bar to mount it.

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Steel struts were installed, replacing the rear suspension and converting the Chief to a rigid design. Header pipes were fabricated high and low, then fitted with Brat Style megaphone mufflers. Fork shrouds were made in-house and painted black to match the Indian-branded fork lowers, and a classic bottom-mounted headlight was installed; the headlight’s party trick is a vintage brass Indian Motorcycle coin integrated into the top, facing the rider. A belt cover was fabricated and fitted with a little star ornamentation, a cool detail even if it is obscured by the exhaust pipe. Brat Style handlebars were installed in vintage-style brass risers and equipped with the Chief’s stock grips and controls. Finally, a rough-out leather solo saddle ties it all together.

As Takamine said, the idea was to keep this build’s aesthetic clean and simple, which meant no gauge up at the handlebars. But the touchscreen and Ride Command system are a huge selling point of the new Chief line, and Takamine knew it had to be maintained. He fabricated a new mounting system on the left side of the gas tank and wired it all up to be easily accessible and in clear line of sight.

With Brat Style builds, the beauty is often in the details. The basic lines of this bike are not changed drastically from a stock Chief, but Takamine has worked his magic and transformed this brand-new bike into something dripping with vintage feel, character, and charm.