History Of Indian Motorcycles in USA

1927 witnessed the rise of Indian Motorcycle with three products from its line the Indian Scout, the Indian Chief and the Indian Ace. They created a major impact and besides they acquired the assets of the Ace Motorcycle Company which got them the name of Indian Four.

The year’27 saw the production of the first all-talking motion picture, The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson. It was also the year Charles Lindbergh reached Paris after his successful trans-Atlantic flight, and the year Babe Ruth hit his 60th home run in the 8th inning of a game between New York and Washington. The beating that came after Ruth in the line-up was a man by the name of Louis Gehrig.

Though farmers were facing a tough year – tough enough that many of them sold out and became tenant farmers, America was at the peak of the Jazz Age in’27. The Indian Motorcycle Company was having a fine year as well.

The sign that Indian Motorcycle was doing fine came from the fact that the sale of the Scout and the Chief went up. Besides the Ace Company bike, the rights of which were acquired by Indian Motorcycle, produced a four cylinder machine which was named “Ace Indian”. After a year the name was changed to Indian Four which was a huge and luxurious bike.

The Indian Four that started out as the Indian Ace evolved by’41 into a 77 cubic inch (1,256 cc) four cylinder machine. It had a tank-shifting three speed program and was dressed up in the Indian skirted fenders. Indian made few in’42, but with the beginning of World War II, production of the Indian Four stopped for good.

America and Indian Motorcycle both were walking ahead in the year’27. The major customer of the Scout and Chief brand from Indian Motorcycle was the police department. So much so that the company had to have a new department dealing with the supply to the police force. They also saw to it that the bike had a new lower frame.

But they probably didn’t know just how important the 101 Scout from the year’28 would be. And in’27 they could hardly know that 40 years into the future an Indian motorcycle would set an Under-1000 cc speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwest Utah.

A’27 Indian Motorcycle is a rare find today. The few specimens that have been tenderly restored to the beautiful machines they started out as can sell for as much as $30,000. Clearly,’27 was a great year for the Indian Motorcycle Company.

The 1927 model Indian motorcycle is an all time classic. If you want to read more on another classic; the1947 Indian motorcycle model click on the link.