Photo of Royal Enfield's Indian Chief police motorcycle

Royal Enfield built the Chief for sale in the U.S. as an Indian motorcycle.

Here's a photograph of one very hard-bitten motorcycle officer riding a 1960 Royal Enfield Indian Chief.

Hans van Heesch of the Netherlands shared the picture with me after I wrote about the 1959 Indian Chief  in New York City Police Department markings he owns.

Indian catalog photo.

The same police officer appears in the Indian catalog photo I used recently in an item about Royal Enfield's big Chief and its role as a police motorcycle.

That catalog picture is often seen, but I had never noticed this view of the other side of the motorcycle (and the officer). Hans said in his email that it was an official Indian company photo and that makes sense, since a version ended up in the catalog.

The motorcycle is magnificent, with all the authority thick tires, extra lights and massive fenders confer.

Is that patchy snow on the ground in the picture? And no windshield!

But it is the officer I keep looking at. Something tells me he's not an actor from Central Casting. For one thing, he's packing a lot of hardware (and some weight of his own) as well.

Authority? You wouldn't argue with this guy.

Or that motorcycle.