Wednesday, April 12, 2017

1938 Indian Arrow Streamliner



In the fall of 1938, a group of Indian enthusiasts, headquartered out of the Indian dealership in Oakland, California, made an ill-fated attempt on the world motorcycle land speed record at Bonneville. Ludlow, then 43, was selected to ride the totally enclosed streamlined machine christened the "Arrow."

To warm up at the salt flats, Ludlow first rode an Indian Sport Scout and set a new AMA Class C record of 115.226 mph. He then wedged himself into the tight confines of the Arrow for the land speed record attempt.

On only the second run, the rear tire blew out and the torn tube struck Ludlow. He was able to wrestle the machine to a stop. After extensive repairs, the Arrow was ready for a run the next morning. On the first run, Ludlow experienced a wobble at 135 mph. The crew cut off two small stabilizing fins thought to have caused the problem.

The next day another attempt was made. This time, at approximately 145 mph, the Arrow went into gyrations so violent that the handlebars were torn from Ludlow's hands. Alzina ordered further Arrow runs scratched. The Arrow was never run again. It was later restored and was part of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum exhibit, A Century of Indian

Read about it here: http://www.ridingvintage.com/2013/06/1938-indian-arrow-streamliner.html
or here http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=51

1 comment:

  1. That looks like a very, very tight fit for the rider under that bodywork!

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