Description

1974 Indian MX74

Click here for a slideshow of other vehicles in the collection

Award History
2023
Honorable Mention - Classic Motorcycle Day 05-21-2023

Click here for the owners manual

Also pictured here is our 1980 AMF Harley Davidson Sportster with our 1974 Indian MX74 Dirt Bike. Indian Motorcycle and Harley Davidson. By 1903 they were rivals. Now these 2 are room mates in my garage. Indian had a 2 year head start in the motorcycle industry. Interesting note: Indian started making bicycles and then made motorcycles. While Harley Davidson started with motorcycles and then made bicycles.

Pictured here is also our Indian MX74 with a 1970s Triumph girls bicycle. Both of these manufacturers got their start with bicycles. Triumph was started by Siegfried Bettmann, who had emigrated from Nuremberg, part of the German Empire, to Coventry in England in 1883. In 1884, aged 20, Bettmann had founded his own company, the S. Bettmann & Co. Import Export Agency, in London. Bettmann's original products were bicycles, which the company bought and then sold under its own name. Bettmann also distributed sewing machines imported from Germany. In 1886, Bettmann sought a more specific name, and the company became known as the Triumph Cycle Company.

Originally produced from 1901 to 1953 in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, Hendee Manufacturing Company initially produced the motorcycles, but the name was changed to the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company in 1923. The "Indian Motocycle Co." was founded as the Hendee Manufacturing Company by George M. Hendee in 1897 to manufacture bicycles. These were initially badged as "Silver King" and "Silver Queen" brands but the name "American Indian", quickly shortened to just "Indian", was adopted by Hendee from 1898 onwards because it gave better product recognition in export markets. . Oscar Hedstrom joined in 1900. Both Hendee and Hedstrom were former bicycle racers and manufacturers, and after building three prototypes in Middletown, Connecticut, they teamed up to produce a motorcycle with a 1.75 bhp, single-cylinder engine in Hendee's home town of Springfield. The motorcycle was successful and sales increased dramatically during the next decade.
The first Indian prototype was then built and completed on May 25, 1901, by Hedström at the old Worcester Cycle Manufacturing Company in Middletown, Connecticut, and the first public demonstration was held on Cross Street in Springfield, Massachusetts at 12:00 noon on Saturday, June 1, 1901.

This is a video of a 1903 Indian Motorcycle auction. It is all original and unrestored. It sold for $155,000 USD. Harry & Pat were on hand to witness this bike sell at the Wolfe Auction in Frederick MD April 21 2012.



Did you know that the Indian Motorcycle made cars?

Indian Motocycle Company made four experimental cars, designated X1 through X4, between 1927 and 1928. This car is the fourth, X4. Featuring a roadster style body, this auto employed a Lycoming engine, WS 4037, and was used as a developmental car. It was designed by Assistant Project Engineer Harold F. Peavey, who had worked for Stevens-Duryea Automobile Company prior to his appointment at Indian Motocycle Company.



At the time these cars were developed Indian was experiencing difficult financial times. This led the Company to explore the possibility of introducing new products. Introducing an automobile seemed like a natural direction for Indian. Other projects included research on a two-cycle motocycle for the export market, and a 50 horsepower 45 cubic inch racing bike. They also developed a single unit refrigerator that never made it to market.

The experimental car project would, the company hoped, develop an auto that was a high performance commuter vehicle, easy to drive, easy to park, and with a comfortable ride. But when Charles Levine gained control of Indian late in 1929, just after the stock market crash, the enterprise was abandoned. Indian invested approximately $65,000 on the project, a significant blow to the company’s finances.

Click here for the maintenance history

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