Indian Battery Co, Colorado info, 15 years ago?

[cdf6333]

Does anyone know what happened to the guy in Colorado that made Indian batteries? I think he was called Indian Battery Co. I'm looking for any battery cases that may still be floating around as his was really top notch, looks wise.
I may start building batteries if I can find a good bunch of cases to experiment on.
Thanks
Bob Courboin, NJ

[Bill Huth]

Hi Bob, One of those batteries was on eBay about 4-5 months ago. It was NOS and went for $300 in a buy it now. They guy said it was from the Colorado company, and it did look really nice and of high quality. The post said the battery company was out of business, and also said the guy that worked there and commissioned them disappeared without explanation. I looked to see if it was still searchable or in my list, but it has been a bit too long, I guess. Hope someone has what you are looking for. Regards, Bill

[cdf6333]

Dan Fishel was the maker of Indian batteries. He died in Loveland, CO, December 23, 2004. Seems he never married and no cause of death was listed.
Hope it wasn't lead exposure.

[Bill Huth]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Last-...item3a62c1ee8e

[Joe G]

I know this post is kinda old but I just found it. I talked to Dan back in 97 when I was restoring my Chief. I think he mentioned it was getting hard to get the lead cores, they were for/from Volkswagens IIRC. I bought a battery from him and it was a lot of money then (over $200). The battery died after about 5 years so I hollowed it out to hide a newer replacement in it.

[Coolbreeze]

I have good luck stuffing sealed/gel cell batteries in old cases. See my report on my Harley KHK battery. My bikes are kept in an unheated building and the batteries require a short charge every 6-8 months. They last for years. After all, these batteries were designed for emergency lighting and were expected to sit for years with little use. My voltage regulators are fairly precise*; so, there has been no over-heating problems, even on fairly long trips at extra-legal speeds. When the time comes to replace inserts, I'll try lithium ion batteries. I see no advantage in using a nasty old original design that can run dry, have a short life, require greater care, and puke battery acid on a nice old bike.

*'48 Chief has a Bosch generator/voltage regulator from an old VW
'56 KHK has Cycle Electric 6V electronic regulator
Indian 841 has original generator and regulator