In the beginning

The Indian motorcycle story actually begins with bicycles. At the turn of the century, racing bicycles on wooden tracks known as velodromes was a popular sport. Crudely motorized bicycles set the pace for the racers. One such pacer built by Oscar Hedstrom, caught the eye of Springfield bicycle manufacturer George Hendee. Hendee recognized its potential for wider application. In 1901, the two teamed up to create a motorized version of Hendee’s Indian bicycle-- the Indian Motocycle. The Hendee Manufacturing Company expanded rapidly to dominate world production of motorcycles by 1913, when it manufactured over 30,000 motorcycles.

Indian motorcycle factory

"The Ideal Motorcycle"- a bike for everyday uses     The early days of moto-cycle riding were not for the faint of heart. Roads were primitive at best and a mire of mud at worst. Horse and carriages left deep ruts between which the intrepid motorcyclist had to maneuver. Newspapers stuffed under shirts and pants provided only limited protection from the wind and rain. The low speed pleasure cruising of moto-cycling quickly gave way to the more efficient and more powerful engineering of motor-cycling. But when the Hendee Manufacturing Company later changed its name to the Indian Motocycle Company, it left the "r" dropped, as a reminder of the industry’s early days. The company, no doubt, hoped to provide the world with the principal means of personal transportation. But in 1914, Henry Ford usurped that role when he created the low priced Model T. Unable to compete with the price and comfort of the automobile, the motorcycle became mainly a sporting device.
Mrs. Crandall with her Children, circa 1920	circa mid-1920's
circa mid-1920's	Publicity Photo, c. 1930
H.R. Robinson dressed for a cross country ride	Firestone Service Bike, c. 1935

Racing From the beginning, Indian motorcycles were used to entertain. Racing motorcycles on steeply banked wooden tracks -much like the old bicycle velodromes- offered fans the most exciting and dangerous entertainment. The motordromes spawned evocative nicknames, inflated rivalries and probably a few rigged contests. But by 1913, public sentiment turned against the motordromes after many deaths of riders and spectators. Undaunted by the demise of board track racing, Indian riders continued to test the limits of motorcycling for the next 40 years. The Factory and dealers supported teams and sponsored races throughout the country. Each new win solidified the Indian motorcycle’s reputation for being sleek, well balanced and fast.
1911 Board Track	Hill Climbing Race, c. 1920
Erle "Red" Armstrong leads the race, c. 1911	Indian Racing Team, c. 1919
CARTOONS & EDITORIALS SUCH AS THESE HELPED SWAY PUBLIC OPINION AGAINST DANGEROUS BOARD TRACK

Military & Police

"The Police"

Three "mounted" Massachusetts State Police, 1925

In 1904, the New York City police department dismounted its horses and mounted the Indian motorcycle. The move from horse and wagons to motorcycles revolutionized police work. New York City was just the first in what would

A Massachusetts State Policeman stops a "lady speeder," 1924

become a large group of Indian-only police departments. Police business became big business for Indian and its competitors. The company actively touted its unique features, such as the left handed throttle that made the Indian better for police work. This feature supposedly allowed police to keep up a chase while still being free to shoot (right handed) at a fleeing suspect.

"The Military"

This Army dispatch rider graced the cover of the Company's magazine, Indian News, June 1943

In the days before reliable radio communication, motorcycles proved a crucial means of conveying messages among the armed forces. During WW1, Indian supplied over 40,000 motorcycles to the US government.

Signal Corps riders during exercises, 1942

But the Indian Motocycle Company made a near fatal mistake: they committed their entire production to military business, leaving their dealers with nothing to sell for 18 months. During that time, many Indian dealers went out of business or switched to other brands such as Harley Davidson. The Company had set the stage for its own rival to become the premiere American motorcycle producer.

The Demise

Headlines from the Springfield Union newspaper track Indian's attempts to diversify.

By WW1, founders George Hendee and Oscar Hedstrom had both retired. As the company struggled to rebuild its dealer network after the war, the new owners compounded financial problems by investing in non-motorcycle ventures- all of which failed- crippling the company further.

The Springfield Union Newspaper

In 1930, E. Paul du Pont took control after questionable stock deals by top officers depleted the treasury of thousands. Under Du Pont’s guidance, the company arrived at WW2 on the brink of financial health. But WW2 proved hard on Indian. Contracts from both the US and Allied governments were fruitful at first but the jeep quickly usurped the positions motorcycles once held. Indian limped through the end of the war producing non-motorcycle items.

Ralph Rogers Congratulates Jack Armstrong

In 1945, DuPont sold a controlling interest of the company to a group of investors led by Ralph Rogers. Rogers had a bold plan to rescue the company by introducing new lightweight machines that would appeal to a broader market. He had the right idea, but the wrong product.

The Springfield Union announces Indian's imminent demise, Jan. 19, 1950

The motorcycle was mechanically unreliable and not cost competitive. It proved too costly a mistake for the company.

In 1953, the last of Indian’s popular Chief motorcycle rolled out of the assembly plant. Too crippled financially to compete in the manufacturing business, the once great Indian Motocycle Company became nothing more than an importer of English motorcycles.

Ads for Rogers' innovative new motorocycle	Rogers signing union agreement with workers

In Closing:

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 1901.

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.

Current day:
http://www.ironindianriders.com/indian%20motorcycle%20closure.htm

Now, how do we get back to Rey Sotelo's vision of....."The Legend Lives" ?

Stay Tuned Folks!