Kevin Williams: An Elder of Iron

Author: Tay Jones, CEO of Twisty Rider LLC

Kevin Williams with Elders Of Iron

In the crazy world of building and running a business, you bump into a lot of people on social media.  Sometimes it’s a single interaction, sometimes you collaborate then move on, and sometimes you build a friendship – you never know what’s going to happen.  Recently, I bumped into a guy named Kevin Williams.  I found Kevin on Instagram, talking about his new business, Elders Of Iron.  I sent him a message and we’ve stayed in touch ever since.

Kevin owns and operates Elders of Iron, designing t-shirts that pay tribute to the past, present and future of vintage motorcycling.  He is a veteran, a business owner, a train engineer (not kidding) running freight across America, and to top it off, a Twisty Rider.  Kevin has been riding motorcycles since he was about seven or eight years old.  I won’t reveal his actual age, but with his business having the word Elder in it, you can probably guess he’s been riding for a while.

During an interview with Kevin for this blog, he made it clear that he likes motorcycles, but “really, really” loves old motorcycles.  In fact, he’s been a member of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America since 2000.  As depicted on one of Kevin’s favorite t-shirt designs, sold at EldersOfIron.com, “Me Likey Old Bikey” sums up his passion for the vintage machines he not only loves, but owns.  Kevin restored and currently rides a 1940 Military Indian Chief.  If you’re following him on social media (@EldersOfIron), I’m sure you’ll agree with me that this is a beautiful bike.

I, personally, have never ridden a vintage motorcycle, much less an Indian.  When Kevin was explaining that his 1940 treasure has a left-handed throttle, a foot clutch on the left side and a right-handed tank shifter, I immediately knew I wanted to ride one in the future.  What an amazing thing to own, restore and ride.  Kevin gets to ride the rails as an engineer and ride this vintage motorcycle – if you’re not even the slightest bit jealous of him right now, you may have something wrong with you.

Kevin Williams' 1940 Military Indian Chief: "Ol' Green"

Not only has Kevin done an amazing job at restoring his vintage Indian, but he’s bought another 1940 frame for a future project – I can’t wait to see how it turns out.  Kevin’s favorite motorcycle – and I hope he gets the chance to own it one day – is a 1936 Indian Chief… I’m beginning to see a pattern here, and I like it.  Kevin chose the 1936 Indian as his favorite because it is “rare and beautiful,” but said pretty much any pre-1940 Indian would do the trick.

Kevin’s passion for vintage motorcycles, and the Indian brand, doesn’t go unnoticed when speaking with him.  It has no boundaries.  I think the main thing that stuck with me from our conversation is when he spoke about owning the beautiful machine that sits in his garage.  Kevin told me that he is a “caretaker for a piece of American history… and I’m happy with that.”  Well, Kevin, I’m happy to have gotten to know you a little better, and I’m happy that there are Twisty Riders like you out there sharing their passion for motorcycles, old or new, with others.

If you’d like to get to know Kevin a little more, click this link to the About page at EldersOfIron.com.  If you’re interested in supporting Kevin, check out his t-shirt designs and be a part of his journey!

As always: Get Out There And RIDE!