subject: The History Of Indian Motorcycles [print this page] The Indian Motorcycle Company was founded by George Hendee and Carl Hedstrom, who produced a 1.75 bhp, single cyclinder engine bike which proved successful and sales increased over the next few years.
In 1904, the diamond framed Indian was made available in the deep red colour that became the companys most famous trademark. The first V twin was produced in 1907.
One of the firms most famous riders was Erwin cannonball Baker, who set many long distance records, and in 1914, he rode an Indian across America, from San Diego to New York in a record 11 days, 12 hours and 10 minutes.
Success in competitions played a huge part in the growth of the company. One of the best results came in the 1911 Isle of Man TT, when riders Godfrey, Franklin and Moorehouse finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Also, Jake De Rosier set several speed records both in America and in the UK and won an estimated 900 races on an Indian motorcycle. He left the company to work for Excelsior, but died in 1913 aged just 33.
The Scout and Chief V twins were introduced in the early 20s, and became the companys most successful models.
Another milestone in the company history was the introduction of the Indian Four in 1927. It featured an inline four-cylinder engine derived from a design that Indian acquired in a buyout of the Ace Motorcycle Company.
In late 1929, Indian merged with DuPont Motors. DuPonts paint industry connections resulted in no fewer than 24 colour options being offered, and in 1934, the models featured the Indians famous head dress logo on the gas tank.
The company then began to produce the advanced shaft drive, four-speed military motorcycle in 1941, and in 1943 won the Army-Navy Production Award. During the Second World War, many Scouts were used by the military.
Manufacture of all products halted in 1953. Brockhouse Engineering and Royal Enfield bikes were imported from England, and these were badged and sold as Indians through the rest of the 1950s. After this the Indian name passed to the company that imported Matchless motorcycles into the US, however it did not attach the name to any motorcycles, and that too, went into liquidation in 1962.
From the 1960s entrepreneur Floyd Clymer began using the Indian name, apparently without purchasing it from the last known legitimate trademark holder. He attached it to imported motorcycles, commissioned to Italian ex-pilot and engineer Leopoldo Tartarini, owner of Italjet Moto, to manufacture Minarelli-engined 50 cc mini bikes under the Indian Papoose name. These were so successful that Clymer also commissioned Tartarini to build full-size Indian motorcycles based on the Italjet Grifon design, but fitted firstly with Royal Enfield Interceptor 750 cc parallel-twin engines, then with Velocette 500 cc single-cylinder engines.
After Clymer's death in 1970 his widow sold the alleged Indian trademark to Los Angeles attorney Alan Newman, who continued to import minicycles made by ItalJet, and later manufactured in a wholly owned assembly plant located in Taipei (Taiwan). By 1975 sales were dwindling, and in January 1977 the company was declared bankrupt. The right to the brand name passed through a succession of owners and became a subject of competing claims in the 1980s, finally decided in December 1998 by a Federal bankruptcy court in Denver, Colorado.
The Indian Motorcycle Company of America was formed from the merger of nine companies, including IMCOA Licensing America Inc., which had been awarded the Indian trademark by the Federal District Court of Colorado. The new company began manufacturing motorcycles badged under the famous Indian name in 1999 at its facilities in Gilroy, California. These motorcycles are often referred to as "Gilroy Indian" motorcycles. These bikes were made from off-the-shelf S&S engines, after the completion of an all-new engine design that ran from 2002 to 2003, the 100ci Powerplus, the company went into bankruptcy again in late 2003, after a major investor backed out.
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 in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, where it is resurrecting the iconic Indian Motorcycle Brand. The new Indian Chief motorcycles are produced in limited numbers, with the focus on outstanding quality, performance, and exclusivity. The limited production 2009 Indian Chief features a redesigned 105 cubic inch Powerplus V-Twin powertrain with electronic closed loop sequential port fuel injection.
