Indian Motorcycles

toryindustry saw a dramatic increase in colour choice,
with 24 on offer by 1934. This is the time when the
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Springfielddistinctive Indian head-dress logo first saw light of
Massachusetts saw the birth of a legend in the shapeday on the tanks of the machines, and it wasn't long
of ‘The Indian Motorcycle Manufacturingbefore the Indian factory became known as the
Company’; its most famous models being the'Wigwam'.
‘Scout’ and the ‘Chief.By 1940, Indian has almost rivalled its major
 competitor Harley Davidson in sales. The company
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Springfieldalso produced engineless bicycles, air conditioning
Massachusetts saw the birth of a legend in the shapeequipment, aircraft engines along with many other
of 'The Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company';lines. This year also saw the introduction of the
its most famous models being the 'Scout' and theskirted fenders which were to define Indians for
'Chief', the latter being in production for an incredibleyears to come. Another innovation that arrived at
thirty-one years.this time was the sprung frame which made the
The founders of the company, which was originallymachine far superior to the Harley of the day. In its
known as the 'Hendee Manufacturing Company', werebasic form, the Chief could reach 86mph, but with a
George M. Hendee and Carl Oscar Hedstrom, a pairlittle tuning over 100mph was possible.
of former bicycle racers who joined forces toRalph B. Rogers was the leader of a consortium
produce a 1 ¾ horsepower motorcycle. Saleswhich bought a controlling interest in Indian in 1945,
began slowly, but soon increased giving the companyand on November 1st Dupont officially handed control
a solid platform to build upon. These early bikes wereto Rogers. Unfortunately Rogers discontinued the
belt-driven and by 1903 were performing well enoughScout to concentrate on models such as the 149
to allow Hedstrom to create a new motorcycleArrow, the Warrior 250 and the Superscout 249.
speed record of 56mph.These bikes suffered from poor quality and a lack of
Aurora of Illinois supplied the engine that woulddevelopment and by 1949 production had almost
power the 'Diamond framed Single', which carried theground to a halt. In 1953 manufacturer of all Indian's
rich red that would become synonymous with Indian.models was ceased and the import of the 'Royal
Introduced in 1902, sales rose to 32,000 in 1913. 1907Enfield' from England began. These models were
saw the introduction of a V-twin which, along withbadged and sold as Indians throughout the rest of
Erwin 'Canonball' Baker would set many long distancethe decade. Later, the Indian name became the
records culminating with a trip from San Diego toproperty of a company that imported 'Matchless'
New York in a record time of 11 days, 12 hours andmotorcycles, however the Indian name wasn't used.
ten minutes. As is the case today, competitionIn the 1960's, one Floyd Clymer began to use the
inspired technical innovation and Indian went fromIndian name on imported bikes from Italy, apparently
strength to strength, winning the Isle of Man TTwithout buying the trademark from the last known
race in 1911. Not only that, but Indians finished secondowner. When Clymer died in 1970, his widow sold the
and third too.mark to Los Angeles attorney, Alan Newman who
The Indian Chief and Scout appeared in the earlycontinued to import Italian machines, and later bikes
1920's and went on to become the flagships of thefrom Taiwan, but by 1975 the company was in
company. By this time, both Hendee and Hedstromtrouble and in 1977 was declared bankrupt. A legal
had left the company. Both bikes won the admirationbattle ensued for the rights of the brand name, and
of the public, not only for their looks, but also foreventually in 1988 the Federal Bankruptcy Court in
their durability, hence the saying, 'You can't wear outDenver cleared the way for 'Gilroy' to resume the
an Indian Scout, or its brother the Indian Chief. Theyproduction of Indians. These bikes became known as
are built like rocks to take hard knocks; it's thethe 'Gilroy Indians'. In 2006, a London based company
Harleys that cause the grief'.took control and created a new factory in Kings
By 1930 Indian had teamed up with 'Dupont Motors'Mountain, North Carolina. Plans are being drawn up to
who ended the production of Dupont cars to putproduce a new chief, something we all look forward
every ounce of energy and resource into theto.
development of the Indian. Their links with the paint