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Details
Photo credit: Jay Hirsch
1950 INDIAN ROADMASTER
Engine No. CEJ1459
Indian red with green leather seat
Engine: V-Twin, 80ci., 20hp; Gearbox: three-speed with left hand throttle and right hand shift; Suspension: hydraulic front end; Brakes: front and rear drum.
The Indian Motocycle (sic) Company was founded by George Hendee and Oscar Hedstrom in 1901. Both men were racers and their Indian motorcycle was the first commercially marketed and gasoline powered machine of its type in the US. Early models included the Power Plus and Scout, the latter 101 variant securing numerous competition wins for the company in the 1920s. When the displacement was enlarged to 1,000cc, the name was changed from Scout to Chief (and eventually the Big Chief with 1,200cc). By 1947 the Chief featured an enlarged 74 cubic inch side valve engine and was fitted with a plunger rear suspension system. Mechanically, the Indian Chiefs offered the rider optimum touring performance combined with a look unequalled by any of its domestic or international competitors.
Interest in motorcycling began to flourish after World War II with the help of a new publication named Cycle from the Petersen Publishing Company of Los Angeles. The magazine offered a welcome addition to the motorcycle scene as it attempted to offer a more objective view of motorcycling. The average rider was typically young, athletic and adventurous, and popular motion pictures such as The Wild One starring Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin and Mary Murphy gave bikers more of an outlaw image. To add to this image problem the President of Indian, Ralph Rodgers, found in a survey that many dealers in small towns seemed to conduct business in a haphazard manner. To change this image large advertisements were placed in several leading magazines on a scale never seen before on behalf of all motorcycle manufacturers. Motion picture stars such as Alan Ladd and Jane Russell were retained to endorse the new machines. The motorcycles produced as a reflection of this were the epitome of elegant comfort and style.
This Indian Roadmaster is such a machine and was a featured exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in their well-attended exhibition entitled The Art of the Motorcycle, June 26-September 20, 1998. It has undergone an extensive restoration at considerable expense. Work on this bike seems to have encompassed every aspect of the Indian's mechanical specification. The engine was disassembled and the internals were either replaced or hardened to ease future wear and allow for smooth running capabilities. The gas tanks were dipped and the frame and forks were straightened. Cosmetically, the frame is finished in gloss black with stylish fenders, gas tank and ancillary trim items all finished in Indian red.
It is unusual to see examples in this condition available for sale and the labor intensive restoration makes this Indian Roadmaster a special example. We thoroughly recommend close inspection.
WITHOUT RESERVE
1950 INDIAN ROADMASTER
Engine No. CEJ1459
Indian red with green leather seat
Engine: V-Twin, 80ci., 20hp; Gearbox: three-speed with left hand throttle and right hand shift; Suspension: hydraulic front end; Brakes: front and rear drum.
The Indian Motocycle (sic) Company was founded by George Hendee and Oscar Hedstrom in 1901. Both men were racers and their Indian motorcycle was the first commercially marketed and gasoline powered machine of its type in the US. Early models included the Power Plus and Scout, the latter 101 variant securing numerous competition wins for the company in the 1920s. When the displacement was enlarged to 1,000cc, the name was changed from Scout to Chief (and eventually the Big Chief with 1,200cc). By 1947 the Chief featured an enlarged 74 cubic inch side valve engine and was fitted with a plunger rear suspension system. Mechanically, the Indian Chiefs offered the rider optimum touring performance combined with a look unequalled by any of its domestic or international competitors.
Interest in motorcycling began to flourish after World War II with the help of a new publication named Cycle from the Petersen Publishing Company of Los Angeles. The magazine offered a welcome addition to the motorcycle scene as it attempted to offer a more objective view of motorcycling. The average rider was typically young, athletic and adventurous, and popular motion pictures such as The Wild One starring Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin and Mary Murphy gave bikers more of an outlaw image. To add to this image problem the President of Indian, Ralph Rodgers, found in a survey that many dealers in small towns seemed to conduct business in a haphazard manner. To change this image large advertisements were placed in several leading magazines on a scale never seen before on behalf of all motorcycle manufacturers. Motion picture stars such as Alan Ladd and Jane Russell were retained to endorse the new machines. The motorcycles produced as a reflection of this were the epitome of elegant comfort and style.
This Indian Roadmaster is such a machine and was a featured exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in their well-attended exhibition entitled The Art of the Motorcycle, June 26-September 20, 1998. It has undergone an extensive restoration at considerable expense. Work on this bike seems to have encompassed every aspect of the Indian's mechanical specification. The engine was disassembled and the internals were either replaced or hardened to ease future wear and allow for smooth running capabilities. The gas tanks were dipped and the frame and forks were straightened. Cosmetically, the frame is finished in gloss black with stylish fenders, gas tank and ancillary trim items all finished in Indian red.
It is unusual to see examples in this condition available for sale and the labor intensive restoration makes this Indian Roadmaster a special example. We thoroughly recommend close inspection.
WITHOUT RESERVE
Special notice
This lot has no reserve.