"The Ideal Motorcycle"- a bike for everyday uses

The early days of moto-cycle riding were not for the faint of heart. Roads were primitive at best and a mire of mud at worst. Horse and carriages left deep ruts between which the intrepid motorcyclist had to maneuver. Newspapers stuffed under shirts and pants provided only limited protection from the wind and rain. The low speed pleasure cruising of moto-cycling quickly gave way to the more efficient and more powerful engineering of motor-cycling. But when the Hendee Manufacturing Company later changed its name to the Indian Motocycle Company, it left the "r" dropped, as a reminder of the industry’s early days.

The company, no doubt, hoped to provide the world with the principal means of personal transportation. But in 1914, Henry Ford usurped that role when he created the low priced Model T. Unable to compete with the price and comfort of the automobile, the motorcycle became mainly a sporting device.

circa mid-1920's

circa mid-1920's

Firestone Service Bike, c. 1935

Back to Indian Motorcycle Memories Homepage

In the Beginning / Racing / Military & Police / Demise / Indian Today

Funded in part by a grant from the Springfield Cable Programming Endowment and the members of WGBY TV

Produced by WGBY TV, Springfield, MA a division of the WGBH Educational Foundation ©1997