Indian Motorcycles

About Indian

Indian is an American brand of motorcycles.

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", very quickly reduced to simply "Indian", was adopted by Hendee from 1898 onwards because it gave better product recognition in export markets.

Indian motorcycles were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 by a company in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but which was renamed the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company in 1928.

In 1901, a prototype and two production units of the diamond framed Indian Single were successfully designed, built and tested. The first Indian motorcycles, featuring 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 (56 mph).

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 introduced the 221 cc single cylinder two-stroke Model K "Featherweight" in 1916. The Model K had an open cradle frame with the engine as a stressed member 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.

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.

Indian's most popular models were the Scout, made from 1920 to 1946, and the Chief, made from 1922 to 1953.

The Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company went bankrupt in 1953. A number of successor organizations have perpetuated the name in subsequent years, with limited success. In 2011 Polaris Industries purchased Indian Motorcycles and relocated operations from North Carolina, merging them into existing facilities in Minnesota and Iowa. Since August of 2013, three motorcycle models that capitalize on Indian's traditional styling have been built under the Indian name.

Moto blog

Indian FTR1200, FTR S and FTR R Carbon Get 17-inch Wheels and Sportbike Cred for 2022

Lower seats, lower prices, less confusion The FTR seems to be one of those love-it or hate-it polarizing kinds of motorcycles. With this trio of 2022 Indian FTR1200s, Polaris wants more love and less hate. When loosed upon the public in 2019, a large part of the confusion had to do with its 19-/18-inch wheel combo, complete with flat-track inspired Dunlop tires.

2020 Indian FTR1200 Rally Vs. Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC

Twin Sons of Different Mudders Credit: Photos by Evans Brasfield | Videos by Sean Matic When you’re not scrambling to make ends meet or get ahead, it seems like you’re constantly rallying the troops, possibly ’round the flag but usually just trying to instill pep. It’s always something, and both of those things are so ingrained in my psyche that I barely even miss roosting on the track or burning up the backroads. We were less impressed with the all-new Triumph Speed Twin than we expected to be a couple weeks ago, but when SoCal Motorcycles let us swap it out for a new Scrambler 1200 XC, it was love at first ride.

2021 Indian Models Announced Including Roadmaster Limited and Vintage Dark Horse

Indian announced it initial batch of 2021 models including its touring, bagger and Scout models. Along with new color options for several motorcycles, the 2021 model year includes a new Roadmaster Limited, a new Vintage Dark Horse and a restyled Roadmaster Dark Horse. Not included in the announcement were the FTR 1200 and the Chief cruiser, but we expect further news from Indian in the weeks ahead.

Indian FTR750 is Going Hill-Climbing

Indian is returning to its hill-climbing roots entering the 2020 AMA Pro Hillclimb Racing series with a modified FTR750. This marks the first Indian factory hillclimb racer since 1939. The Indian FTR750 will be racing in the series’ new Twins class, which includes overhead cam Twins displacing 650cc to 1203cc or push-rod Twins from 650cc to 1800cc.

Indian Files EFTR Trademark for an Electric Motorcycle UPDATE

UPDATE (June 12, 2020): An Indian Motorcycle PR representative reached out to comment on this story, explaining that the EFTR will NOT be an electric version of the FTR, but rather a “youth-oriented product” that will be announced later this year. Here’s the full statement from the Indian Motorcycle PR team: “The trademark application upon which Motorcycle.com based a recent story written by Dennis Chung on June 10, is related to a new youth-oriented product that will be unveiled later this year, and is not related to a new electric version of the FTR 1200.” We’re leaving our original story below, but here’s our take on the clarification. The term “youth-oriented product” can mean a lot of things, from children’s balance bikes to mini-bikes like the Honda Monkey to an entry-level motorcycle.

The Indian Motorcycle Company has registered new motorcycle names

The Guardian and Pursuit names will apparently be the versions based on the new Indian Challenger. Introduced at the end of last year, the Indian Challenger immediately attracted some attention thanks to very interesting "stuffing". It is equipped with a liquid-cooled overhead engine with a displacement of 1769cc PowerPlus - the most powerful V-twin in Indian history, it develops 122 hp at 5500 rpm and 178 Nm at 3800 rpm.

Indian Pursuit and Indian Guardian Trademarks

New models could be offshoots of the Indian Challenger Indian has filed trademark applications for two potential model names: “Indian Pursuit” and “Indian Guardian“. The two trademark applications, initially filed with the USPTO and then with the Australian intellectual property office, were registered for use on “Motorcycles and structural parts therefor.” As usual, the trademark applications don’t offer many details leaving us to speculate on what the names will be used for. The Indian Pursuit sounds like a police vehicle, and Guardian has a similar vibe to it.

Indian FTR Carbon

Indian FTR Carbon differs from the base model in the wide use of carbon fiber parts: the false tank and air filter housing, headlight housing, decorative passenger seat cover and front fender are made of carbon fiber. The motorcycle also has an Akrapović exhaust system made of titanium alloy. Otherwise, the Indian FTR Carbon is completely identical to the S-version of the FTR 1200.

2020 Indian FTR Carbon Announced for International Markets

Carbon fiber version somehow weighs more than regular FTR1200S Indian announced a new FTR 1200 variant with carbon fiber bodywork for international markets. As of this writing, the 2020 Indian FTR Carbon has not been confirmed for the U.S., though that may change at any moment. Right now, the Carbon model has only officially been confirmed for Indian’s Europe, Middle East and Africa division.

The 2020 Indian Roadmaster Elite Gets More Power, Better Audio, And Custom Paint

It's also limited to 225 units Credit: Photos by Indian Motorcycles For the 2020 model year, Indian is giving its ultimate touring bike, the Roadmaster Elite, a few significant updates – a bigger engine, more powerful audio system, and custom paint sure to stun. Here’s the catch: Indian is only making 225 units. However, if you’re one of the lucky 225 who shell out the $38,999 retail price in time, what you’ll get is the cream of the crop in the Indian Touring lineup.