Indian 8 valve 61ci V-twin 1912 boardtrack crash photo motorcycle racing

Description

A superb image showing the great
Indian 8-valve 61 c.i. (1,000cc) V-twin factory
photographed in
1912 at the Atlance Motordrome in Georgia USA
.
This image was more than 100 years ago…
Indian
is the oldest motorcycle marque currently in production in the USA. They were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 in
Springfield
,
Massachusetts
. Indian was initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but was later renamed the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company. 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. Indians 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. Between 1953 and the early 1970s, different organizations imported motorcycles into the
United States
and applied the Indian logo to them, with varying degrees of legitimacy. The rights to the Indian marque were reconciled in the late 1990s and were acquired by Indian Motorcycle Company of
America
, which began building new Indian motorcycles in
Gilroy
,
California
in 1999. The Indian Motorcycle Company of
America
went bankrupt and ceased production in 2003. Rights to the Indian marque were acquired by the Indian Motorcycle Company of
Kings Mountain
,
North Carolina
in 2006. The concern has since begun production of the new Indian motorcycle. The "Indian Motocycle Co." was founded as the Hendee Manufacturing Company by George M. Hendee and Carl Oscar Hedström. Both Hendee and Hedström were former bicycle racers who teamed up to produce a motorcycle with a 1.75 bhp, single cylinder engine in Hendee's home town of Springfield. The bike was successful and sales increased dramatically during the next decade. In 1901, a prototype and two production units of the diamond framed Indian Single were successfully designed, built and tested. Work began on these in previous years. The first Indian motorcycles, featuring belt-drives and streamlined styling, were sold to the public in 1902. In 1904 they were made available in the deep red color that would become Indian's trademark. The engines of the Indian Single were built by the Aurora Firm in Illinois. In 1903, Indian's co-founder and chief engineer Oscar Hedström set the world motorcycle speed record (56mph). In 1904, production of Indian motorcycles was up to over 500 bikes annually and would rise to its best ever 32,000 in 1913. In 1907, Indian built its first V-twin, and in following years made a strong showing in racing and record-breaking. One of the firm's most famous riders was Erwin "Cannonball" Baker, who set many long-distance records. In 1914, he rode an Indian across America, from San Diego to New York, in a record 11 days, 12 hours and ten minutes. Baker's mount in subsequent years was the Powerplus, a side-valve V-Twin, which was introduced in 1916. Its 61ci (1000 cc), 42 degree V-twin engine was more powerful and quieter than previous designs, giving a top speed of 60 mph (96 km/h). The Powerplus was highly successful, both as a roadster and as the basis for racing bikes. It remained in production with few changes until 1924. Competition success played a big part in Indian's rapid growth and spurred technical innovation, as well. One of the American firm's best early results came in the Isle of Man TT in 1911, when Indian riders Godfrey, Franklin and Moorehouse finished first, second and third. Indian star Jake De Rosier set several speed records both in America and at Brooklands in England, and won an estimated 900 races on dirt and board track racing. He left Indian for Excelsior and died in 1913, aged 33, of injuries sustained in a board track race crash with Charles "Fearless" Balke, who later became Indian's top rider. Work at the Indian factory was stopped while De Rosier's funeral procession passed. Oscar Hedstrom left Indian in 1913 after disagreements with the Board of Directors regarding dubious practices to inflate the company's stock values. George Hendee resigned in 1916. The Scout and Chief V-twins, introduced in the early 1920s, became the Springfield firm's most successful models. Designed by Charles B. Franklin, the middleweight Scout and larger Chief shared a 42 degree V twin engine layout. Both models gained a reputation for strength and reliability, which led to the old Indian saying: "You can't wear out an Indian Scout, or its brother the Indian Chief. They are built like rocks to take hard knocks; it's the Harleys that cause grief." In 1930 Indian merged with DuPont Motors Company. DuPont Motors founder E. Paul DuPont ceased production of duPont automobiles and concentrated the company's resources on Indian. DuPont's paint industry connections resulted in no fewer than 24 color options being offered in 1934. Models of that era featured Indian's famous head-dress logo on the gas tank. Indian's huge Springfield factory was known as the Wigwam, and native American imagery was much used in advertising. In 1940, Indian sold nearly as many motorcycles as its major rival, Harley-Davidson. At the time, Indian represented the only true American-made heavyweight cruiser alternative to Harley-Davidson. During this time, the company also manufactured other products such as aircraft engines, bicycles, boat motors and air conditioners. The first 1922 model Chief had a 1000 cc (61ci) engine based on that of the Powerplus; a year later the engine was enlarged to 1200 cc (73ci). Numerous improvements were made over the years, including adoption of a front brake in 1928.
We have more photos, also listed on Ebay, of other bikes, and various motorcycle and car (!) (world) champions on various kinds of machinery. Please check out our auctions and take advantage of our shipping discount! The auction selection is refreshed and changed continuously.
This is your rare chance to own this
non period
photo that reflects a very interesting and historic piece of motorcycle history. Therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 12" (ca. 20 x 30 cm).
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you buy.   For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
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We have photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and excellent quality.
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