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The Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company, America's oldest motorcycle brand, was founded as the Hendee Manufacturing Company by George M. Hendee and Carl Oscar Hedström in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1901, two years before the Harley-Davidson Motor Company.
Both Hendee and Hedstrom were former bicycle racers who teamed up to produce a motorcycle with a 1.75 bhp, single cylinder engine in Hendee's home town of Springfield. The bike was successful and sales increased dramatically during the next decade.

In 1904, the so-called diamond framed Indian Single, whose engine was built by the Aurora Firm in Illinois, was made available in the deep red color that would become Indian's trademark. By now, the production was up to over 500 bikes annually and would rise to its best ever 32,000 in 1913.

In 1907, Indian built its first V-twin, and in following years made a strong showing in racing and record-breaking. One of the firm's most famous riders was Erwin "Cannonball" Baker, who set many long-distance records. In 1914, he rode an Indian across America, from San Diego to New York, in a record 11 days, 12 hours and ten minutes. Baker's mount in subsequent years was the Powerplus, a side-valve V-Twin, which was introduced in 1916. Its 61ci (1000 cc), 42 degree V-twin engine was more powerful and quieter than previous designs, giving a top speed of 60 mph (96 km/h). The Powerplus was highly successful, both as a roadster and as the basis for racing bikes. It remained in production with few changes until 1924.

Competition success played a big part in Indian's rapid growth and spurred technical innovation, as well. One of the American firm's best early results came in the Isle of Man TT in 1911, when Indian riders Godfrey, Franklin and Moorehouse finished first, second and third. Indian star Jake De Rosier set several speed records both in America and at Brooklands in England, and won an estimated 900 races on dirt-tracks and boards. He left Indian for Excelsior and died in 1913, aged 33, of injuries sustained in a board-race crash with Charles "Fearless" Balke, who later became Indian's top rider. Work at the Indian factory was stopped while De Rosier's funeral procession passed.

an Indian Big Chief from 1928.
The Scout and Chief V-twins, introduced in the early 1920s, became the Springfield firm's most successful models. Designed by Charles B. Franklin, the middleweight Scout and larger Chief shared a 42 degree V twin engine layout. Both models gained a reputation for strength and reliability, which led to the old Indian saying: "You can't wear out an Indian Scout, or its brother the Indian Chief. They are built like Rocks to take hard knocks; it's the Harleys that cause grief."

The first 1922 model Chief had a 1000 cc (61ci) engine based on that of the Powerplus; a year later the engine was enlarged to 1200 cc (73ci). Numerous improvements were made over the years, including adoption of a front brake in 1928. After Indian had been bought by E. Paul DuPont in 1930, the new owner's paint industry connections resulted in no fewer than 24 color options being offered in 1934. Models of that era featured Indian's famous head-dress logo on the gas tank. Indian huge Springfield's factory was known as the Wigwam, and native American imagery was much used in advertising.

In 1940, all models were fitted with the large skirted fenders that became an Indian trademark, and the Chief gained a new sprung frame that was superior to rival Harley's unsprung rear end. The 1940s Chiefs were handsome and comfortable machines, capable of 85 mph(136 km/h) in standard form and over 100 mph (160 km/h) when tuned, although their increased weight hampered acceleration.

In 1950, the V-Twin engine was enlarged to 1300 cc (80ci) and telescopic forks were adopted. But Indian's financial problems meant that few bikes were built, and production of the Chief ended in 1953. The Scout, initially with a 596 cc (37ci) engine that was bored out to 745 cc (45ci) in 1927, rivaled the Chief as Indian's most important model. The most famous version was the 101 Scout of 1928, which featured improved handling from a new, lower frame. In 1932, cost cutting led to the Scout's using the heavier Chief frame, which was less successful.

Carl Oscar Hedström with the first prototype of Indian
Many Scouts were used in the Second World War, but the model was dropped when the civilian production restarted in 1946. In 1948, Indian built just 50 units of the Daytona Sports Scout, one of which took Floyd Emde to victory in that year's Daytona 200 mile (322 km) race. Smaller 500 cc (30.5ci) Scouts were also built between 1932 and 1941, known as the Scout Pony, Junior Scout and Thirty-Fifty.
In 1940, Indian sold nearly as many motorcycles as its major rival, Harley-Davidson. At the time, Indian represented the only true American-made heavyweight cruiser alternative to Harley-Davidson. The company went on to manufacture other products such as aircraft engines, bicycles, boat motors and air conditioners. Manufacture of all products was halted in 1953.

The most popular models were the Scout, made prior to WWII, and the Chief, which had its heyday from 1922-53 (although 1949 production was extremely limited and no 1949 Chiefs are known to exist). A new company began manufacturing motorcycles badged under the famous "Indian" name in 1999, after purchase of the Indian trademark. The model was based around a newer version of the Chief. Scout and Spirit models were also manufactured starting in 2001. These bikes were made from off-the-shelf S&S engine , but nearing the completion of an all-new engine design the 100ci powerplus, the company succumbed to bankruptcy again in late 2003, after a major investor backed out. There is hope that the production will resume in 2007.

On July 20, 2006, the newly formed Indian Motorcycle Company, owned largely by Stellican Limited, a London-based private equity firm, announced its new home as Kings Mountain, North Carolina, where it hopes to resurrect the iconic Indian Motorcycle Brand (refer to the "July 20, 2006 - Press Release - Indian Motorcycle Company Annouces New Home" on the official website). This new company has goals of producing a new Chief by mid-2007, and having an accessory line for the Indian Motorcycles built from 1999 to 2003.

Between 1962 and 1967, New Zealander Burt Munro used a modified 1920s Indian to set a number of land speed records, as dramatised in the 2005 film The World's Fastest Indian.

In modern America, it's hard to believe that there was ever any other brand that could compete with Harley- Davidson. In fact, at one time there were more than 20 US motorcycle manufacturers, and the biggest and best was the Indian Motorcycle Company of Springfield, Mass.

At the turn of the century a young self-taught engineer and builder of racing bicycles named Oscar Hedstrom designed and built a "pacer" bike, an engine-powered two-wheeler used to train bicycle racers. Powered by a copy of the DeDion-Buton engine, with an excellent carburetor of Hedstrom's own design, the little machine was so practical and reliable that it attracted the attention of a Springfield entrepreneur, George Hendee. They built a manufacturing plant, tooled up, and the first Indians (modest little single-cylinder machines) rolled out the door in 1902.

Hedstrom's engineering skill and Hendee's business acumen continued to enlarge their company. A V-Twin was introduced in 1903, updated with two- and three-speed gearboxes, both further refined with swingarm rear suspensions. The first motorcycle with electric start and a fully modern electrical system, the Hendee Special, astounded the industry in 1913. Prior to World War One, Indian was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, producing over 20,000 bikes per year.

Unlike Harley-Davidson, Indian strongly supported racing during this period as a way to improve their product and to present it to the buying public. The Indian factory machines dominated all forms of racing in the US, and in 1912, Indians won first, second and third at the Isle of Man TT.

Hedstrom bowed out of the company in 1913, with Hendee leaving a few years later, and the period between the wars was a time of chaos for Indian. Business misfortune and the lousy management of the financiers that took over the company nearly ruined it.
But excellent bikes continued to roll out of the engineering department and, hence, off the production lines. Model such as the much-beloved model 101 Scout of 1919 (Sochiro Honda rode a 101 Scout for many years), the original Chief of 1920, and the highly successful Sport Scout of 1935. Indian also acquired a magnificent four-cylinder bike in 1927 by buying the tools, dies, and assets of the Ace Motorcycle Company.

Despite business downturns and incredible mismanagement, Indian survived the Great Depression. Harley-Davidson was the only other survivor. Indian and Harley-Davidson both supplied large numbers of motorcycles to the military during World War II, but Harley managed to negotiate much better contracts, and Indian was left perilously cash-poor by the end of the war. To make matters worse, new management decided that the best bet was to trim the product line and develop a line of vertical singles and twins, like the ones that the GI's were bringing home from England. They dropped a model that might have saved them--the brilliant shaft-drive in-line V-twin (similar to a Moto Guzzi) that had been developed during the war--as well as the Sport Scout and the beautiful Indian 4.

To fund the engineering of the new models, management borrowed heavily from Brockhouse Ltd. in England. Indian continued producing the Chief model while the new factory was under construction, then subsequently quit building Chiefs at the end of 1948 when the line workers were transferred to produce vertical singles and twins.

Unfortunately, the new bikes proved to be failures, not because they weren't the right product for the time, but because they had been hastily engineered and badly produced. In 1950, Brockhouse Ltd. called the debt, divided Indian up into separate sales and manufacturing companies, then sold the pieces to Associated Motorcycles Ltd. (AMC), the British parent company of Norton, Royal Enfield, AJS, Matchless, and Velocette.

Chief production was resumed for three more years, 1950 through 1953. The 80 cubic inch Blackhawk Chiefs of these years, with telescopic forks, are probably the most highly coveted Indians of all. Indian dealers sold the AMC models alongside the Blackhawk Chiefs during these years, but in 1954 the venerable V-twin was replaced by a 700cc Royal Enfield model. This machine was fitted with big tires, wide handlebars, and had "INDIAN" painted on the gas tank. AMC dispensed with the Indian marquee in the late 1950's, then closed its own doors in the late 1960's, with Norton the only survivor.

Various attempts have been made since then to revive the Indian marquee, the most successful of which consisted of imported Italian mini-bikes in the early 1970's. The most recent attempts, however, have resulted only in bankruptcies, lawsuits, charges of fraud, and a bitter taste in the mouth for those who remember the glory days of Indian motorcycles.
--Dave Tharp tharp@motorcycle.com