manufacturing company type llc fate liquidated founded 1901 founder george m. hendee oscar hedstrom headquarters springfield massachusetts united states key people george m. hendee products motorcycles website indianmotorcycle.com indian is an american brand of motorcycles 1 2 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 manufacturing company 1 2 in 1928 . the indian factory team took the first three places in the 1911 isle of man tourist trophy . during the 1910s indian became the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world . indian s most popular models were the scout made from 1920 to 1946 and the chief made from 1922 until 1953 when the indian motocycle manufacturing company went bankrupt . various organizations tried to perpetuate the indian brand name in subsequent years with limited success . in 2011 polaris industries purchased indian motorcycles and moved operations from north carolina and merged them into their existing facilities in minnesota and iowa . since august 2013 polaris has marketed multiple modern indian motorcycles that reflect indian s traditional styling . contents 1 history 1.1 early years hendee and hedstrom 1.1.1 competitive successes 1.2 lightweights 1916 1919 1.3 world war i 1.4 inter war era 1.4.1 scout 1.4.2 chief 1.4.3 four 1.5 world war ii 1.5.1 841 1.6 post war decline and demise 1.7 corporate successors 1.7.1 rebadged imported royal enfields 1.7.2 floyd clymer imports 1963 1977 1.7.3 other attempts 1977 1999 1.7.4 indian motorcycle company of america 1999 2003 1.7.5 indian motorcycle company 2006 2011 1.7.6 polaris acquisition since 2011 2 current production 2.1 chief classic 2014 2.2 chief vintage 2014 2.3 springfield 2016 2.4 chieftain 2014 present 2.5 scout 2015 2.6 scout sixty 2016 2.7 roadmaster 2015 2.8 chief dark horse 2016 2.9 chieftain dark horse 2016 3 land speed records 4 bicycles 5 references 6 further reading 7 external links history edit early years hendee and hedstrom edit oscar hedstrom with the first prototype of indian 1920 indian powerplus this section needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . november 2010 learn how and when to remove this template message the indian motocycle co. was originally founded as the hendee manufacturing company by george m. hendee in 1897 to manufacture bicycles . 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 . oscar hedstrom joined in 1900 . both hendee and hedstrom were former bicycle racers and manufacturers and they teamed up to produce a motorcycle with a 1.75 bhp single cylinder engine in hendee s home town of springfield . the motorcycle was successful and sales increased dramatically during the next decade . 3 in 1901 a prototype and two production units of the diamond framed indian single were successfully designed built and tested . the first indian motorcycles having chain drives and streamlined styling were sold to the public in 1902 . in 1903 indian s co founder and chief engineer oscar hedstrom set the world motorcycle speed record of 56 mph . citation needed in 1904 the company introduced the deep red color that would become indian s trademark . annual production of indian motorcycles then exceeded 500 rising to a peak of 32 000 in 1913 . the engines of the indian single were built by the aurora firm in illinois under license from the hendee mfg. co. until 1906 . aurora produced engines under license for indian from about 1901 to 1907 ; however they were also allowed to sell indian design engines to third parties and pay indian a fee . 4 after 1907 aurora could make its own complete motorcycles which it did as thor and indian began manufacturing its own engines . 4 competitive successes edit indian 1911 1912 indian board track racer on display at the california automobile museum in 1905 indian built its first v twin factory racer and in following years made a strong showing in racing and record breaking . in 1907 the company introduced the first street version v twin and a roadster styled after the factory racer . the roadster can be distinguished from the racers by the presence of twist grip linkages . 5 verification needed 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 . wouldn t you like to be with them a 1915 advertisement for the indian motocycle . 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 oliver cyril godfrey franklin and moorehouse finished first second and third . indian star jake derosier set several speed records both in america and at brooklands in britain and won an estimated 900 races on dirt and board tracks . 6 he left indian for excelsior and died in 1913 aged 33 of injuries sustained in a board track race crash with charles fearless balke who later became indian s top rider . 6 work at the indian factory was stopped while derosier s funeral procession passed by . 6 oscar hedstrom left indian in 1913 after disagreements with the board of directors regarding dubious practices to inflate the company s stock value . 7 george hendee resigned in 1916 . 8 lightweights 1916 1919 edit indian introduced the 221 cc single cylinder two stroke model k featherweight in 1916 . 9 10 the model k had an open cradle frame with the engine as a stressed member 11 and a pivoting front fork that had been used earlier on single cylinder motorcycles but had mostly been replaced on other indian motorcycles by a leaf sprung trailing link fork . 9 the model k was manufactured for one year and was replaced in 1917 by the model o. the model o had a four stroke flat twin engine and a new frame but retained the pivoting fork at the front . the model o was manufactured until 1919 . 9 world war i edit as the us entered world war i indian sold most of its powerplus line in 1917 and 1918 to the united states government starving its network of dealers . this blow to domestic availability of the motorcycles led to a loss of dealers from which indian never quite recovered . 12 while the motorcycles were popular in the military post war demand was then taken up by other manufacturers to whom many of the previously loyal indian dealers turned . while indian shared in the business boom of the 1920s it had lost its number one position in the us market to harley davidson . inter war era edit indian scouts in police service 1920s the scout and chief v twins introduced in the early 1920s became the springfield firm s most successful models . designed by charles franklin the middleweight scout and larger chief shared a 42 degree v twin engine layout . both models gained a reputation for strength and reliability . 1939 indian dispatch tow 3 wheeler in 1930 indian merged with du pont motors . 13 dupont motors founder e. paul dupont ceased production of dupont automobiles and concentrated the company s resources on indian . 13 dupont s paint industry connections resulted in no fewer than 24 color options in 1934 . models of that era had indian s famous head dress logo on the gas tank . indian s huge springfield factory was known as the wigwam and native american imagery was much used in advertising . in 1940 indian sold nearly as many motorcycles as its major rival harley davidson . during this time indian also manufactured other products such as aircraft engines bicycles boat motors and air conditioners . scout edit 1920 indian scout main article indian scout motorcycle the indian scout was built from 1920 through 1949 . it rivaled the chief as indian s most important model . the scout was introduced for 1920 . designed by charles b. franklin the scout had its gearbox bolted to the engine and was driven by gears instead of by belt or chain . 14 the engine originally displaced 37 cu in 610 cc ; the scout 45 with a displacement of 45 cu in 740 cc became available in 1927 to compete with the excelsior super x. 8 15 a front brake became standard on the original scout early in 1928 . 15 later in 1928 the scout and scout 45 were replaced by the model 101 scout . another franklin design the 101 scout had a longer wheelbase and lower seat height than the original . the 101 scout was well known for its handling . 15 16 17 18 the 101 scout was replaced by the standard scout for 1932 . the standard scout shared its frame with the chief and the four ; as a result the standard scout was heavier and less nimble than the 101 . 17 18 a second line of scouts was introduced for 1933 . based on the frame of the discontinued indian prince single cylinder motorcycle the motoplane used the 45 cubic inch engine from the standard scout while the pony scout had a reduced displacement of 30.5 cu in 500 cc . in 1934 the motoplane was replaced by the sport scout with a heavier but stiffer frame better able to withstand the power of the 45 cubic inch engine while the pony scout later renamed the junior scout was continued with the prince motoplane frame . 19 between the introduction of the sport scout in 1934 and the discontinuation of the standard scout in 1937 there were three scout models pony junior standard and sport with three different frames . the sport scout and the junior scout were continued until civilian production was interrupted in early 1942 . chief edit 1928 indian big chief with sidecar main article indian chief motorcycle introduced in 1922 the indian chief had a 1 000 cc 61 cubic inches engine based on the powerplus engine ; a year later the engine was enlarged to 1 200 cc 73 cubic inches . numerous improvements were made to the chief over the years including the provision of a front brake in 1928 . 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 . 20 the 1940s chiefs were handsome and comfortable machines capable of 85 mph 137 km h in standard form and over 100 mph 160 km h when tuned although their increased weight hampered acceleration . the 1948 chief had a 74 cubic inch engine hand shift and foot clutch . while one handlebar grip controlled the throttle the other was a manual spark advance . in 1950 the v twin engine was enlarged to 1 300 cc 79 cubic inches and telescopic forks were adopted . but indian s financial