1942 Indian Scout 741B Motorcycle

Engine: V-twin, two-cylinder, four-stroke, air-cooled
Displacement: 500 cc (30.5 ci)
Bore & Stroke: 63.5 x 77.8 mm (2.5 x 3.0625 in)
Power: 11.18 kW (15 hp)
Transmission: 3-forward, manual
Weight: 218 kg (480 lb)
Original Cost: Unknown

With the advent of World War II, Indian went full-force into production of motorcycles for Allied and US militaries, almost completely suspending civilian production. Indian offered five military models, their 741B being the primary model. The 741B was a modified Indian Junior Scout 500cc with modified forks and frame and front fenders with rifle scabbard and ammunition container. The Indian's 500cc engine just wasn't powerful enough for the demands of the military and although the US did issue a contract to Indian, the larger contract went to the more powerful Harley-Davidson WLA.  

After the Great Depression, motorcycle manufacturers globally were suffering significant losses, and many companies didn't survive. Due to the rise in affordable, mass produced automobiles, motorcycles were no longer the top choice for cheap transportation. Indian barely made it through the Post-Depression era,but the advent of World War II saw Indian's fortunes change. From the outset of WWII, Indian started selling their motorcycles to Allied countries, including France, Australia, and Canada. When the United States entered the conflict, Indian also supplied motorcycles to the US Army.

When tendering contracts for motorcycles, the US Army had specified that a 500cc motorcycle would be enough power, as their focus wasn't on speed but reliability. Both Harey-Davidson and Indian vied for the contract. Indian followed the US brief and modified their 500cc V-twin Indian Junior Scout and called it the 741B. Modifications to the 741B included extended front forks and rear frame for more ground clearance, a larger transmission, and rifle scabbard and ammunition container on fenders. Harley-Davidson didn't have a 500cc bike and also felt 500cc wouldn't be powerful enough, so they modified a flathead 45 750cc V-twin and called it the WLA. After testing both motorcycles, the Army determined that the Harley was the better choice but Harley couldn't provide all of the motorcycles the Army needed, so contracts were awarded to both Harley and Indian.

Indian focused almost completely on military production during this time and produced 38,000 motorcyles in five different military models, the 741B, the Chief, the 640B, the M1, and the 841. The 741B was Indian's primary military motorcyle with the majority of those going to Allied Forces.

Indian and Harley-Davidson operated motorcycle operation and maintenance schools at their factories for soldiers. Training included riding on rough terrain and in difficult conditions, as well as how to maintain and fix the motorcycle and how to fire a submachine gun in the forward-mounted scabbard.

The US Army never intended to use their motorcycles in combat, they were instead assigned to Infantry and Armoured divisions as corriers and for reconnaissance.

1897 - Hendee Manufacturing Company was founded by George M. Hendee to manufacture bicycles
1901 - First Indian motorcycle produced
1902- First Indian motorcycles sold to the public
1903 - Indian's chief engineer, Oscar Hedstrom, set the motorcycle speed record of 56 mph
1904 - Indian introduced the deep red paint colour that became their trademark
1905 - Indian built its first V-Twin factory racer
1907 - Indian built their first street version V-Twin and a Roadster
1917-1918 - Indian sold most of their bikes to the US military for use in World War  I
1920 - Scout and Chief V-Twins introduced
1923 - Company name changed to Indian Motorcycle Company
1930 - Indian merged with DuPont Motors
1945 - Company bought out by Ralph B. Rogers
1953 - Financial problems and poor sales ended in the demise of Indian. Product manufacturing ended and Brockhouse engineering acquired the rights to the name Indian
1955-1960 - Brockhouse imported English Royal Enfield motorccles and slightly customized them and sold them as Indians in the US
1960-1963 - Indian name was purchased by Associated Motor Cycles (AMC) of the UK but by 1962 were facing financial issues and stopped producing anything under the Indian name
1963-1970 - Floyd Clymer imported motorcycles from Italy and branded them as Indian
1969 - This motorcycle was purchased by Stan Reynolds from Washington State
1970-1977 Clymer passed away in 1970 and the Indian name was sold to Alan Newman from Los Angeles, who continued to import bikes from italy and later created an assembly plant in Taiwan. The company declared bancruptcy in 1977
1977-1984 The Indian trademark was purchased by American Moped Associates who manufactured a moped under the Indian name until 1983. By 1984 the Indian name was no longer used
1984-1999 - The Indian brand went through several owners
1999-2003 - The Indian Motorcycle Company of America was formed from a merger of nine companies but went into bankruptcy in 2003
2006-2011 The Indian Motorcyle Company was started by parent company Stellican Ltd.
2011 - Polaris Industries bought the Indian Motorcycle company and moved production to Iowa, USA
2017 - Restored by previous owner
2018 - Donated to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum