there's an easier way to start an old motorcycle than an electric starter... a shotgun shell port, same as airplane engines

 

I think this is the first time I've seen an Indian servicar connected to the back bumper of a car, with the accessory wheels in the locked down position

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/269/

Polaris Inc. has announced it will sell a majority stake in Indian Motorcycle to Carolwood LP, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm

The deal, expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, will establish Indian Motorcycle as a standalone company for the first time since Polaris revived the marque in 2011 alongside the Victory Motorcycle brand

Indian Motorcycle generated $478 million in revenue over the past year, accounting for about seven percent of Polaris’ total sales.

https://www.cyclenews.com/2025/10/article/polaris-sells-indian-motorcycle-to-carolwood-lp

the bigger the audience, the less likely it is that the work the guy is doing will have a perfect result. That's got to be a law of nature or something ( flawless 1920 Indian)

 

Who said baggers can’t go fast? Indian Motorcycle just set the class record at 196.576 mph, two-run average record of 194.384 mph. The previous class record was 169.828 mph set in 1972, by J. Angerer riding a Triumph.

Indian built its Bonneville contender on a stock Challenger race bike, in collaboration with S&S Cycle. It uses the Indian's 112 ci PowerPlus V-twin motor, which produces 126 horsepower in stock condition. But it gets fitted with larger throttle bodies, ported cylinder heads, two-into-two exhaust, and race camshafts.

S&S Cycle also used a larger compression ratio to extract a few more horsepower, considering Bonneville lets you run high-octane fuel. The KOTB lightened crankshaft is also replaced with a full-weight one. And with ground clearance being of next to no concern because you’re essentially blasting in a straight line down the salt flats, S&S also created a muscular exhaust to prioritize flow over volume.

The rest of the bike is heavily customized with forged wheels, top-spec Brembo brakes, 43-mm Öhlins FGR250 forks, and an Öhlins TTX monoshock.

The rider triangle was tweaked further by fitting lower clip-ons and pushing the foot pegs further back. The land-speeder's cockpit uses the same AIM dash and data-logging system as its KOTB counterpart, but the braking system is wildly different. The crew removed the front brake lever and calipers, and installed a bar-mounted thumb lever with a Beringer master cylinder to trigger the rear brake.

Buttons on the left-hand side of the bars control the bike's air-shift system. The brake and shift systems negate the need for the rider to grab at levers or move their feet, so that they can remain perfectly tucked at all times

https://www.bikeexif.com/indian-challenger-land-speed-record

https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/indian-challenger-land-speed-record/

I can't imagine any police chief leaving his desk job and air conditioned office (in any major city) long enough to get on a motorcycle during the work hours, much less ride one to a crime scene. Once, they were cop supervisors, now? Political pundits looking to get elected to some better paying job

https://www.geekbobber.com/2018/03/nypd-chief.html

there was a merger between the Glenn Martin Company, the Wright Company, the Simplex Automobile Co, and the General Aeronautical Corp.... and then they rolled out the Wright-Martin Model R powered by a 150hp Hall-Scott A-5A.

Indian Model O light weight twin bike strapped tight between the wings. The US. Navy and Martin -with the US. Army as observers- tested this contraption as a way to give its crew an escape option in case they had to land behind enemy lines

https://elpoderdelasgalaxias.wordpress.com/2022/01/31/wright-martin-model-r-men-and-their-toys-xxxv/

https://archivemoto.com/thearchive/2017/10/19/indians-naval-test-flight-inglewood-ca-1917 has a ton of info on this

The theorized advantages of having new, lightweight motorcycles available to pilots along the front were numerous.

 A motorcycle provided pilots with a solution for forced emergency landings. Either due to mechanical or combat failure, often times pilots had to land their aircraft in remote locations far from any available fuel or assistance, but with another vehicle they could quickly escape any dangerous environments or simply retrieve whatever they needed to get back in the air.

In the case of a pilot who survived an aerial attack, the ability to return to friendly territory was another attractive incentive despite the added weight of a motorcycle. 

With the life expectancy of a WWI pilot being only around 20 days near the front, having a pilot return from battle rather than wind up a POW or casualty was particularly of interest.

Who knew? Feb 22nd, Indian day. That's a really cool factory established custom

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=9316010508436276&set=a.384384071599009

ever heard of the Richard W. Erickson Antique & Classic Museum in Utah? It's a 50 year collection that fills 24 buildings, has 120 antique tractors, and a 60s vintage service station

Richard grew up in a farming family in Minnesota and was drafted into the military during the Korean War. When he reported for duty in San Diego, he drove through Utah and fell in love with it.

When his service was up Erickson "went back home, packed his flathead Ford car, strapped his Harley-Davidson motorcycle on the back of it, and he drove to Utah.”

the museum collection includes a 1938 Lincoln Zephyr that was used in the 1991 film “Bugsy,” 

a 1913 Pierce Arrow 48-B Runabout Motorcar, 

a 1931 Packard Model 833, 

a 1936 Cadillac Phaeton Fleetwood that belonged to an English baron, 

and Steve McQueen’s 1946 Indian Motorcycle — one of his personal riders.

https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/2024/08/19/classic-car-museum-wasatch-county/

https://richardericksonfoundation.org/

1933 Shotwell. Built in St Paul Minnesota by a 17 year old kid, with an Indian engine. Ended up with a cool owner, and in the documentary Love The Beast about Eric Bana's awesome Falcon XB

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122168912108034887&set=a.122149992494034887

Bob Shotwell lived in a small town in Minnesota, and in 1931, asked his father for a car as he was about to graduate from high school 

His dad replied that if he wanted a car, he should build one. So, 17-year-old Bob scrounged parts and made his own little three-wheeled coupe powered by a four-cylinder 1931 Indian engine, right out of high school. He worked in his father's Minneapolis radiator shop, hand-hammering the steel for the body, each fender a 40-hour project. 

He took a front end from a Model A Ford, cut it down a little bit and used the hubs from a '32 Ford. But at the little coupe's heart is the kick started Indian 4-cyl engine with its integral 3-speed driving the single rear wheel with a chain. There's no Reverse. And there were two little electric blowers for cooling everything in the engine compartment.

Bob called it Philbert the Puddle Jumper. He and his brother, Edward, made headlines in local newspapers in the Northwest when they drove it on a 6000-plus-mile jaunt, and eventually racked up 150,000 miles on it.

"Philbert," named for the cartoon character who overcame all obstacles.

The brothers Shotwell headed west, traveling through the Rockies at a time when they were building the original highway. At some points, bulldozers had to pull the car over the yet-to-be-tamed terrain.

Bob Shotwell went on to a career as a pilot for Northwest Airlines, retiring in 1975. He married and raised two children - and his little coupe was always an important part of the family's life.

But at age 82, he was afraid that the car would end up being torn apart by motorcycle guys for its precious Indian engine. He didn't want that to happen so, he gave Jay Leno the coupe in 1997, as long as he promised that he wouldn't break it up.

Popular Mechanics, Sept 2009

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a4851/3475911/

https://www.imcdb.org/v252057.html

https://www.grandforksherald.com/lifestyle/arts-entertainment/puddle-jumper-leno-meets-widow-of-minnesota-homemade-car-maker

https://www.parkrapidsenterprise.com/news/leno-hypes-legendary-car

In 1910, the youngest member of the Oakland, California motorcycle club was 12 year old W. Wright, his Indian bike frame was cut down in a unique way to allow the young rider to fit the single-cylinder machine.

That bike still exists and is standing in Max Middelbosch museum called the American motorcycle museum in Raalte, Holland.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=770934408407842&set=a.573707234797228

nice board tracker

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10224747370171818&set=a.1617402035143

In 1916, Augusta and Adeline Van Buren completed a 5,500 mile journey across the continental United States on separate motorcycles. They were also arrested constantly for their villainous behavior of wearing pants

Gussie and Addie set out from Sheepshead Bay in New York City to begin their transcontinental journey. They left on July 4th and arrived in Los Angeles on September 8th after traveling 5,500 miles

Their twin 1,000cc Indian Power Plus motorcycles (equipped with gas headlights) were purchased from the Indian Motorcycle Company. Back in 1916, these were the motorcycles to have, and they ran to an exorbitant US$275 each in the day.

Being from the wealthy family, descended from President Van Buren, this wasn't a problem.

They were part of a 'preparedness' organization, and wanted to show that women could be a productive part of the US war effort - as the US was steaming quickly towards entering World War I - and demonstrate that women could help to shoulder the burden of sacrifice for their country, even if they weren't allowed to fight. 

Specifically, they wanted to show that women could become dispatch riders on the front-lines, able to travel long distances quickly and efficiently.

Ultimately the sister's petition to be allowed to be come dispatch riders was denied.

They each had successful later lives, however. Augusta went on to become a pilot, and Adeline became a lawyer.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2393737267547107/?multi_permalinks=3417915945129229&hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen

https://www.instagram.com/vanburensisters/

(PS, they are in my family tree, as I'm distantly related to pre Van Buren)

Carley A12, with 10HP Indian motorcycle engine

 https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/34326199775/in/album-72157679929160534/

Nice way to display a motorcycle

Kim tells me it's not an Indian, but a Kawasaki Drifter

Jay Leno relayed in a recent interview "I’ve got a broken collarbone, two broken ribs, two cracked kneecaps" from trying to access a parking lot while riding a 1940 Indian, and not seeing the small cable across the driveway, with no flag

Jan 17th... but what most guys want to know after finding out that Jay's ok... is, how's the bike? 

https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/kats/jay-leno-breaks-bones-in-2nd-accident-after-announcing-vegas-return-2719088
https://www.powernationtv.com/post/jay-leno-involved-in-motorcycle-accident-2-months-after-being-injured-in-car-fire

https://ew.com/celebrity/jay-leno-motorcycle-crash

https://www.hagerty.com/media/news/jay-leno-breaks-several-bones-in-1940-indian-motorcycle-crash

I noticed a couple interesting things in this photo

Above: a dancing studio, the "Original Dollar Taxi" and the Indian on the left has a sidecar and a horn

on the far right, the depot hack? Panel delivery? has a very interesting Coca Cola advertising banner over the windshield

https://www.facebook.com/EricBrightonNostalgia/photos/127230613006336/

beautifully colorized by Imbued With Hues .com , a 1929 photo from Los Angeles

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=711239457036104&set=a.197924875034234

Dispatch tow - from Indian Motorcycle of Prague

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10222820172113071&set=a.1617402035143

and this had me look at "dispatch tow Indian" on ebay, where I found 

and I love engineering drawings, blue prints, and schematics of cool things, and if someone out there isn't buying the originals like this, scanning them and selling them as posters - they should be

https://www.ebay.com/itm/394344330279

Summer/Fall 1973 Indian Motorcycle Pow Wow Magazine was on Ebay, part of a collection that was bought and pieced out. Damn shame no one at Ebay ever made a website to showcase the very cool old automotive and motorcycle stuff

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/383547613579?nma=true&si=3WDzRdW5zL34zbnUOap0UI5G7ts%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557