Sweden and Norway had quite a bit to do with the two biggest brands of traditional American V-twin engine.

The American Swedish Historical Museum http://www.americanswedish.org/  put on an exhibit (in August 2015, click the link, then in the table of contents, click "special exhibits, then the bottom of that page click "Past Exhibits") to celebrate the Swedish roots of one of Indian's founders, Carl Oscar Hedstrom. Hedstrom, a machinist, immigrated from Sweden and met an American racer and bicycle manufacturer named George Hendee. Hedstrom had built a motorized bicycle that impressed Hendee, and the two teamed up, forming the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company. Indian was purchased, and Indian badges were affixed over the years to Italian, British, and then Taiwanese bikes. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2015/08/barnfind-1950-indian-chief-was-same-one.html  Indian motorcycles were so popular that they are being produced once again by an American company that owns, among other things, a French ATV company and a manufacturing plant in Mexico.


Art Davidson, of Harley-Davidson fame. Davidson was mentored by Ole Evinrude, a Norwegian engine builder. Evinrude passed along more than a few secrets about how to make an engine run well to young Arthur.

http://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/scandinavia-and-the-american-v-twin