1906 Indian Camelback Motorcycle

Engine: Hedstrom, vertical, single-cylinder, four-stroke, air-cooled
Displacement: 311 cc (19 ci)
Bore & Stroke: Unknown
Power: 1.67 kW (2.25 hp)
Transmission:1-forward, manual
Weight: 52 kg (115 lb)
Original Cost: C $353 (estimate)

Indian was the trade name used by the Hendee Manufacturing Company formed in 1901.  Initially, the company had no foundry so they engaged Aurora Automatic Machine Company of Illinois to manufacture the required engine castings and carburetor components.

Six Indian “Camelbacks” - so named because of the shape and position of the fuel tank behind the seat, were produced in 1901.  One was sent to England’s Stanley Bicycle Show where it was well received for its construction quality and advanced engineering.

Indian was the trade name used by the Hendee Manufacturing Company, formed in 1901.  Aurora Automatic Machine Company of Illinois manufactured the required engine castings and carburetor components.

In 1905, Indian introduced adjustable spring-fork front suspension and the world’s first twist grip throttle. In the summer of 1906, two Indian motorcycles made the trip from Los Angeles to New York in the record setting time of 31 days, 12 hours, and 15 minutes.  By 1913, Indian had become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world.

Chronology:

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 the First World War.
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, US.
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 plaint 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 Limited.
2011 - Polaris Industries bought the Indian Motorcycle company and moved production to Iowa, USA.