Indian And Traeger Team Up For A Wood-Fired Custom

If you’re out at the Black Hills this week, you’ll likely (or hopefully) come across a particularly tasty custom cruising the scene, and it’s a rig you’ll probably smell way before you hear it. That’s because it’ll have a grill built into the accompanying sidecar—hopefully with some steaks on the sizzle. Getting hungry yet?

If you're still scratching your noggin, perhaps this will help—the whole thing is the brainchild of creative moto genius, custom builder, racer, and all around funster Thor Drake of See See Motorcycles. Remember? The guy behind the rolling coffee kiosk you probably stood in line for at the last The One Motorcycle show in Portland, Oregon? So, yeah, the dude knows how to tinker—to put it mildly.

Seems Drake had a dream pop into his subconscious, one that involved being able to cook while out on the open road. After months of heavy thought, it seems he realized that bringing together two big-time American heritage brands—Indian Motorcycle and Traeger Wood-Fired Grills—would be a match made in heaven. Or at least in the barbeque pit. And thus was born the Indian Springfield Smoker—okay, so that's what we're calling it, anyway.

That’s because if you strip this rolling three-wheel restaurant down, you’ll find an Indian Springfield Dark Horse doing the heavy lifting, hauling around a fully functioning Traeger Ironwood 885 wood pellet grill built into the sidecar portion. So if Drake’s putting down some long miles on this puppy—maybe on his way to Sturgis from Oregon—and starts to feel the ol’ belly rumbling, we’re guessing he won’t need to settle for a lame roadside greasy spoon diner. He’ll just pull over, pop open the grill cover (via that slick attached handlebar), and chow down on some juicy brisket, smoky ribs, or killer pulled pork. Or so we imagine. In any case, the end result is a pretty classic take on some good ol’ American activities—riding motorcycles and grilling meat. Heck, the thing even has custom-built storage for the grill tools and a sweet wooden chopping block with a butcher paper roll mounted out back, ready to throw down.

This rolling, smoking beast made its grand entrance at the 2019 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, bringing thunder and throwing smoke at the infamous moto hoedown in the Black Hills, so stay vigilant if you’re onsite—your taste buds will thank you.