![]() One of the firm's most famous riders was Erwin "Cannonball" Baker, who set many long-distance records. The roadster can be distinguished from the racers by the presence of twist grip linkages. ![]() ![]() In 1907, the company introduced the first street version V-twin and a roadster styled after the factory racer. In 1905, Indian built its first V-twin factory racer and in following years made a strong showing in racing and record-breaking. Competitive successes Indian 1911 Indian in 1915 1912 Indian Board Track Racer, on display at the California Automobile Museum After 1907, Aurora could make its own complete motorcycles, which it did as Thor, and Indian began manufacturing its own engines. Aurora was also allowed to sell Indian design engines to third parties and pay Indian a fee. until 1906.Īurora produced engines under license for Indian from about 1901 to 1907. The engines of the Indian Single were built by the Aurora Firm in Illinois under license from the Hendee Mfg. Annual production of Indian motorcycles then exceeded 500, rising to a peak of 32,000 in 1913. In 1904 the company introduced the deep red color that would become Indian's trademark. In 1903, Indian's co-founder and chief engineer Oscar Hedstrom set the world motorcycle speed record of 56 mph. The first Indian motorcycles, having chain drives and streamlined styling, were sold to the public in 1902. In 1901, a prototype and two production units of the diamond-framed Indian Single were successfully designed, built and tested. The first Indian prototype was then built and completed on May 25, 1901, by Hedström at the old Worcester Cycle Manufacturing Company in Middletown, Connecticut, and the first public demonstration was held on Cross Street in Springfield, Massachusetts at 12:00 noon on Saturday, June 1, 1901. The motorcycle was successful and sales increased dramatically during the next decade. Both Hendee and Hedstrom were former bicycle racers and manufacturers, and after building three prototypes in Middletown, Connecticut, they teamed up to produce a motorcycle with a 1.75 bhp, single-cylinder engine in Hendee's home town of Springfield. These were initially badged as "Silver King" and "Silver Queen" brands but the name "American Indian", quickly shortened to just "Indian", was adopted by Hendee from 1898 onwards because it gave better product recognition in export markets. The "Indian Motocycle Co." was founded as the Hendee Manufacturing Company by George M. ( November 2010) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. This section needs additional citations for verification. History Early years – Hendee and Hedstrom Oscar Hedstrom with the first prototype of Indian 1920 Indian Powerplus Various organizations tried to perpetuate the Indian Motorcycle brand name in subsequent years, with limited success. Indian Motocycle’s most popular models were the Scout, made from 1920 to 1946, and the Chief, made from 1922 until 1953, when the Indian Motorcycle made Manufacturing Company was declared bankrupt. During the 1910s, Indian Motorcycle became the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world. The Indian Motorcycle factory team took the first three places in the 1911 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. Since August 2013, Polaris has designed, engineered, and manufactured many lines of motorcycles under the Indian Motorcycle brand reflecting Indian's traditional styling. In 2011, Polaris Industries purchased the Indian motorcycle marque, moved operations from North Carolina merging them into their existing facilities in Minnesota and Iowa. Originally produced from 1901 to 1953 in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, Hendee Manufacturing Company initially produced the motorcycles, but the name was changed to the Indian Motocycle Company in 1923. Indian Motorcycle (or Indian) is an American brand of motorcycles owned and produced by American automotive manufacturer Polaris Inc.
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