Car Sharing

Indian Motorcycle made motors have been popular since World War II when Indian Motorcycle was manufacturing engines for aircraft and motor for boats, air conditioners and bicycles. The most famous was Indian Scout motorcycle which was introduced in 1920 and was in use till 1939 when it was used by everybody, from police to motorcycle racer. Out of all the Scout motorcycle the most admired one was 1928 101 Scout with low structure and better handling.

Indian Scout motorcycle went through some changes since its arrival in 1920. While it was introduced with an engine size of 37 cubic inch (596 cc) by 1927 it was increased to 45 cubic inches (745 cc). This came as a reaction to the American built motorcycle Excelsior Super X, which had a 45 cubic inch engine.

A second reply was the 1928 introduction of the 101 Scout, which some fans believe to be the height of Indian Motorcycle technology. There remain, however, enthusiasts who are happy with Indian’s use of the frame from its other superstar model, the Chief, in the Scout line starting in 1931.

Perhaps to please Scout enthusiasts, from 1932 until 1941, smaller Scouts were built. They were known as the Scout Pony, the Junior Scout, and the Thirty-Fifty, all of which had 30.50 cubic inch engines.

The two big motorcycle companies Indian Motorcycle Company and Harley Davidson were trying to out do each other in America in the early years of 20th century. The rivalry was well known and was written about in a book called Harley-Davidson and Indian Wars by Allan Girdler. The run away success of Scout was fiercely opposed by Harley Davidson.

To cite an example of speed Burt Munro, a New Zealander and a motorcycle racer set a record in land speed under-1000cc between 1962 and 1967 with his 47 year old 1920 modified Indian Scout motor cycle. At the time he himself was 68 years old and nobody has been able to beat this record till today. This shows the speed and toughness of Indian Scout motor cycle. There were other achievements too and everything taken together was made into a movie in 2005 called The World’s Fastest Indian.

Since 1935 when the ownership of the Indian Motorcycle was transferred it came under a lot of problems having to discontinue production of all model of this brand in 1946. The final crunch came in 1977 when company had to announce itself bankrupt after changing of hands. The company was fighting a dispute in the court over the ownership of brand name all through 1980s and90s.

Finally, in December 1998, the claim was settled in Federal court in Denver. IMCOA Licensing America, Inc. was given the trademark, and the Indian Motorcycle Company of America was shaped as a conglomerate of nine companies. Production began again in 1999, and Scout models were manufactured from 2001 to 2003, until the company went bankrupt again.

In 2006, the company re-formed and set up shop in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Though the Chief model is being resurrected, the Indian Scout motorcycle is no longer made.

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