While Harley-Davidson is the dominant American motorcycle manufacturer today, Indian motorcycles were made earlier than Harleys and were also made in greater numbers. Like many early motorcycle makers, the company began as a bicycle business when George M. Hendee founded the Hendee Manufacturing Company in 1897 in Springfield, Illinois. In 1901, Hendee began working with bicycle racer and engineer, Carl Oscar Hedstrom, on a motorized bicycle. The following year, the…
While Harley-Davidson is the dominant American motorcycle manufacturer today, Indian motorcycles were made earlier than Harleys and were also made in greater numbers. Like many early motorcycle makers, the company began as a bicycle business when George M. Hendee founded the Hendee Manufacturing Company in 1897 in Springfield, Illinois. In 1901, Hendee began working with bicycle racer and engineer, Carl Oscar Hedstrom, on a motorized bicycle. The following year, the company produced 143 motorcycles under the name “Indian.” By 1913, Indian motorcycles were the best selling brand in the United States.
Indian introduced the Scout line in 1920 as the smaller, lighter, and lower cost option compared to the company’s Powerplus (and later Chief) motorcycles. During the Great Depression, the Scout was the cheapest American-made V-twin motorcycle available at a cost of $225 ($4,250 in 2022) for a 5hp machine. It was renamed the Junior Scout in 1935.
Despite innovations, manufacturers, like Harley-Davidson, grew larger than Indian. As its market share shrank, Indian could not compete and it went bankrupt in 1953.