Motorcycle club

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Springfield Massachusetts saw the birth of a legend in the shape of ‘The Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company’; its most famous models being the ‘Scout’ and the ‘Chief’, the latter being in production for an incredible thirty-one years.

The founders of the company, which was originally known as the ‘Hendee Manufacturing Company’, were George M. Hendee and Carl Oscar Hedstrom, a pair of former bicycle racers who joined forces to produce a 1 ¾ horsepower motorcycle. Sales began slowly, but soon increased giving the company a solid platform to build upon. These early bikes were belt-driven and by 1903 were performing well enough to allow Hedstrom to create a new motorcycle speed record of 56mph.

Aurora of Illinois supplied the engine that would power the ‘Diamond framed Single’, which carried the rich red that would become synonymous with Indian. Introduced in 1902, sales rose to 32,000 in 1913. 1907 saw the introduction of a V-twin which, along with Erwin ‘Canonball’ Baker would set many long distance records culminating with a trip from San Diego to New York in a record time of 11 days, 12 hours and ten minutes. As is the case today, competition inspired technical innovation and Indian went from strength to strength, winning the Isle of Man TT race in 1911. Not only that, but Indians finished second and third too.

The Indian Chief and Scout appeared in the early 1920’s and went on to become the flagships of the company. By this time, both Hendee and Hedstrom had left the company. Both bikes won the admiration of the public, not only for their looks, but also for their durability, hence the saying, ‘You can’t wear out an Indian Scout, or its brother the Indian Chief. They are built like rocks to take hard knocks; it’s the Harleys that cause the grief’.

By 1930 Indian had teamed up with ‘Dupont Motors’ who ended the production of Dupont cars to put every ounce of energy and resource into the development of the Indian. Their links with the paint industry saw a dramatic increase in colour choice, with 24 on offer by 1934. This is the time when the distinctive Indian head-dress logo first saw light of day on the tanks of the machines, and it wasn’t long before the Indian factory became known as the ‘Wigwam’.

By 1940, Indian has almost rivalled its major competitor Harley Davidson in sales. The company also produced engineless bicycles, air conditioning equipment, aircraft engines along with many other lines. This year also saw the introduction of the skirted fenders which were to define Indians for years to come. Another innovation that arrived at this time was the sprung frame which made the machine far superior to the Harley of the day. In its basic form, the Chief could reach 86mph, but with a little tuning over 100mph was possible.

Ralph B. Rogers was the leader of a consortium which bought a controlling interest in Indian in 1945, and on November 1^st Dupont officially handed control to Rogers. Unfortunately Rogers discontinued the Scout to concentrate on models such as the 149 Arrow, the Warrior 250 and the Superscout 249. These bikes suffered from poor quality and a lack of development and by 1949 production had almost ground to a halt. In 1953 manufacturer of all Indian’s models was ceased and the import of the ‘Royal Enfield’ from England began. These models were badged and sold as Indians throughout the rest of the decade. Later, the Indian name became the property of a company that imported ‘Matchless’ motorcycles, however the Indian name wasn’t used.

In the 1960’s, one Floyd Clymer began to use the Indian name on imported bikes from Italy, apparently without buying the trademark from the last known owner. When Clymer died in 1970, his widow sold the mark to Los Angeles attorney, Alan Newman who continued to import Italian machines, and later bikes from Taiwan, but by 1975 the company was in trouble and in 1977 was declared bankrupt. A legal battle ensued for the rights of the brand name, and eventually in 1988 the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Denver cleared the way for ‘Gilroy’ to resume the production of Indians. These bikes became known as the ‘Gilroy Indians’. In 2006, a London based company took control and created a new factory in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Plans are being drawn up to produce a new chief, something we all look forward to.

Maybe the glory days of Indian will return, but we can’t leave off without mentioning Bert Munro from New Zealand, who in the 1960’s, with the aid of a 1920’s Indian Scout created numerous land speed records as seen in the 2005 movie ‘The World’s Fastest Indian

We all know that riding a bike carries a few more risks than sitting behind the wheel of a car, but by applying a few simple strategies, we can reduce that risk significantly. I’m not here to preach; you’re going to do what you want anyway, and so you should. I’d just like you to do it safely.

BE VISIBLE

By wearing bright clothing and a light coloured helmet, the guy who is talking on his cell phone about last night’s game, has a better chance of seeing you. If all car drivers were as vigilant as the average motorcycle rider, we wouldn’t have to take these measures, but their not, and saying sorry just isn’t enough. Always ride with your headlight on.

CRASH HELMET

We’ve already talked about the crash helmet, but it’s such a crucial piece of kit that it deserves another mention. A white or silver helmet is favourite, but there’s another aspect of the lid that’s probably more important; the fit. An ill fitting helmet can cause an accident by distraction. If it’s too small, it’s going to be very uncomfortable, but if it’s too big, you’ll be forever pulling it back down onto your head or adjusting the strap that feels like it’s going to decapitate you, when you should be watching the road.

SPEED

This probably should be number one. Excessive speed causes more motorcycle accidents than anything else. Apart from being downright unsociable, speed can not only be a sure-fire way of losing your licence, it can also empty your bank account, but I suppose having no money doesn’t matter when you’re dead.

YOUR BIKE

Hopefully, your motorcycle will have been maintained to a certain degree, but before you set out on a journey, whether it be long or short, check that your lights are working and the tyre pressures are what they should be. A visual check of the chain (if you have one) is also a good idea. If you’re riding your own bike, you will notice if there are any unusual sounds coming from the machine. If there are, stop and investigate.

CLOTHING

As we said, bright clothing is better, but a yellow pair of shorts isn’t exactly what I was thinking of. Anyone who has slid across the tarmac for more than two feet will tell you that your clothing needs to offer some protection. If you do come off your bike, the first thing you’re going to do is reach out with your hands in order to protect your face, so wear a decent pair of gloves or forfeit your skin.

ALCOHOL AND DRUGS

I shouldn’t really have to include this section, and the people who use the road under the influence of alcohol or drugs aren’t going to listen to anyone anyway, but I’d just like to ask anyone who does, to let me know when they’re going to be out and about, so that I can keep myself and my family off the road. No, no, no.

RIDING AN UNFAMILIAR BIKE

If you’ve just bought a new bike, or you’ve borrowed your mate’s machine, take a little time to familiarise yourself with the handling before you get too carried away. Even bikes of the same make have their own little foibles and need to feel loved.

TIREDNESS

Tiredness is a definite killer, especially on a motorcycle when you need to be on the ball one hundred percent of the time. I know if you’re on a long journey it’s not easy to pull over to the side of the road and have forty winks, but it may be well worth stopping for a coffee.

RIDING WITH A PILLION

Riding with a pillion can turn your beautiful-handling machine into a monster, especially if you’re not used to it. A pillion affects the balance, performance and handling of any bike, so be aware from the outset that there’s someone behind you. Another thing to bear in mind is that your pillion doesn’t need the living daylights scared out of them. Be courteous to your passenger.

ANTICIPATION

One of the most important weapons in your armoury is anticipation. Try to anticipate trouble before it happens. Ride as if you’re invisible and expect cars to pull out in front of you, so that when they do you are mentally prepared and have adopted a good road position and speed to handle it.

If you fancy it, it may be a good idea to attend a training session or two. I know; I’m not your Dad, but I do want you to arrive safely. Safe riding.

James Lansdowne Norton, the father of the company, began the story in 1898 with a factory that made cycle chains in Birmingham, UK, but by 1902 he was importing engines from Switzerland and France to create his own motorcycles, and success followed quickly with a Norton ridden by Rem Fowler winning the twin-cylinder class at the first Isle of Man TT race. This was the start of Norton’s long lasting love affair with racing, which didn’t end until the 1960’s. The prize that everyone coveted was the ‘Isle of Man Senior TT’’; a race that Norton’s went on to win ever year from 1947 to 1954 to add to their ten titles claimed between the wars. Norton built their own side-valve, single engine in 1908, which served them well until the 1950’s.

However, after a solid start, the business saw a downturn and faced extinction, only to be saved by R.T.Shelley & Company who created Norton Motors. James Norton became a director of the company, but sadly died at the young age of 56 in 1925, but not before he saw his motorbikes win the Isle of Man TT Senior and Sidecar categories in 1924. Walter Moore designed the CS1 engine in 1927, but left the company for NSU in 1930, leaving Arthur Carroll to come up with a completely new OHC engine which was to become the bedrock of future OHC and DOHC singles. Norton had been buying Sturmey Archer gearboxes and clutches, but when the company discontinued production in 1934, Norton purchased the design rights and asked Burman, a gearbox manufacturing company, to pick up the reins.

After the Second World War, Norton needed to pick up production, so began introducing more models, with the Norton Dominator 500 appearing in 1949. However, the marque’s mastery in racing was being challenged by AJS (who won the first World Championship) and multi-cylinder Italian models. In that premier World Championship year, Norton only managed fifth place. In 1950, the McCandless brothers of Belfast developed the ‘Featherbed’ frame, which shot Norton back to the top again. The Dominator took on the ‘Featherbed’ frame in 1951 and success on the race track transferred to the public sector, but despite this, Norton found itself in financial difficulties and in 1953 was purchased by Associated Motorcycles, who also owned AJS and Matchless. Sadly the factory in Birmingham closed in 1962 when production was moved to Woolwich in London. A silver lining to this development manifested itself in the shape of a new, better version of the Norton gearbox which was used on all of the larger models under the AMC banner and in 1955, the Dominator 99, powered by a 600cc engine, was added to the catalogue.

By 1960, a new version of the ‘Featherbed’ had arrived on the scene which accommodated shorter riders. The altered upper frame rails made the bike slimmer and reduced the width between the rider’s knees. This frame was to become known as the ‘Slimline’ and the original, the ‘Wideline’. In 1961, a 650cc Manxman was offered to the American market and a year later the Norton 650SS and Atlas 750 were introduced in Britain.

The Japanese invasion in the 1960’s hit Norton, hard, along with the rest of the British motorcycle industry, leading to the failure of AMC in 1966. The fledgling company of ‘Norton-Villiers grew from the ashes, and the famous Commando resulted in 1969, which proved to be the most powerful and best handling British motorcycle of the day. A choice of dual or single carburettors was offered along with the style of choice, including Scrambler, Street Model or a Tourer which was badged as the ‘Interstate’. Electric start became available in 1974, but despite these improvements, the company once again fell into decline and went into liquidation in 1975. In 1972 BSA was also struggling, and in order to secure government help, was forced to merge with Norton-Villiers to form the Norton-Villiers-Triumph company. The ‘Triumph’ name came from BSA’s Triumph subsidiary. Moving of production to BSA’s Smallheath site caused industrial unrest at Triumph’s Coventry factory. The workers at Triumph finally created a co-operative and went on alone. 1974 saw the release of the 828 Roadster, but the company was in dire straits and by 1975 was only producing two models.

The 80’s and 90’s was an unsettled time for the company, with ownership changing hands several times, both in the USA and Britain, but was purchased in 2008 after 15 years of US ownership, by British businessman Stuart Garner, so the marque that carried Che Guevara on his South American adventure lives on.

The other day, I took the chance to watch again that fantastic movie ‘The Great Escape’. As I watched Bud Ekins take the place of Steve McQueen, to jump the wire fence on his Triumph, I began to wonder about the role of the motorcycle during wartime, so I did a little reading and was surprised to find that motorcycles have played a huge part in military history. Being able to go where other vehicles couldn’t, they became the modern day horses, with one great advantage; some bikes, such as the Enfield ‘Flying Flea’ or ‘Airborne’ as it was also known, could be parachuted from an aeroplane along with troops.

Royal Enfield also supplied motorbikes to the British Armed Forces in World War 1, with machine gun-carrying combinations and stretcher-bearing motorcycles being made on demand. The company even won a contract to supply motorbikes to the Russians, and when most able bodied men were at war in Europe, a police force made up of women was issued with 600cc motorcycles.

The Germans weren’t slow in seeing the practicality of using two wheeled transport. BMW motorcycles were to prove invaluable in North Africa during World War 2. Not having a chain that could clog with sand, they were so successful that Harley-Davidson were requested by the US military to copy the machine, which they duly did and produced the Harley-Davidson XA. With the German war machine insatiable for motorcycles, BMW flourished during the war years.

The American Army have been using motorcycles since 1913, with a third of all Harley-Davidson machines being produced for the military in 1917. In the Second World War the company produced 30,000 bikes for the Russians and also built machines for the Canadians. A total of 90,000 motorcycles were produced during the conflict. The Indian Motorcycle Company also produced machines such as the ‘Scout’ and ‘Chief’ during the war years, but weren’t able to replace Harley Davidson as the motorcycle of choice.

In Britain, the First World War provided work for the Triumph factory as production was concentrated on the war effort. More than 30,000 motorcycles, including the ‘Model H Roadster’ were turned over to the military. In World War 2, the Triumph factory was laid to waste by German bombs, along with most of Coventry, so production moved to a site near Meriden, also in the West Midlands area of England. Apart from building some 50,000 motorbikes during the war, Triumph also produced aircraft components.

In 1950, the North Koreans, backed by China, were able to deploy a ‘Motorcycle Reconnaissance’ unit equipped with home produced bikes. Vietnam also saw the use of the military motorcycle, with ‘Special Forces’ employing motorbikes during that ill-fated conflict. In 1988, Vietnam Veterans took to the streets of Washington D.C. to create a two-wheeled convoy known as ‘Rolling Thunder’, in order to raise awareness of the suffering of the soldiers who did not return from the war. This has developed into an annual pilgrimage to the ‘Vietnam Veterans Memorial’.

‘Operation Desert Storm’ in 1991 again saw the deployment of motorcycles, and more recently, the manoeuvrability of two-wheeled transport proved invaluable in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the road ends, the motorcycle keeps on going. When the road doesn’t end, the speed of a motorcycle is unchallenged. Accessibility and versatility have been key words associated with the role of military motorcycles since the outset.

Now back to Steve McQueen, who was frowned upon by his bosses at the studio for spilling the beans about his stunt double, during ‘The Johnny Carson Show’. When Johnny congratulated Steve on the motorcycle jump, Steve didn’t hesitate in putting the record straight. It wasn’t that Steve McQueen couldn’t ride a bike, quite the contrary. In the scenes before the jump, he rode his own bike as Virgil Hilts, but the German riders couldn’t keep pace with him, so wearing a German uniform, he took the role of a pursuing German, and through the magic of film editing, chased himself. So the next time you get the chance to see ‘The Great Escape’, look out for Steve McQueen chasing Steve McQueen. The motorcycle chase was actually McQueen’s idea. The original script had Virgil Hilts attempting to escape by train, but when McQueen said to his director ‘Hey John, I’ve got an idea that will put more juice into this’, a small piece of movie and motorcycle history was born.

It was the Treaty of Versailles that changed the face of BMW. Up until the end of World War 1, BMW was a manufacturer of aircraft engines. Its famous blue and white circular badge, which is said to represent aircraft propellers in motion, being a reminder of the company’s past. The fact that the logo actually derives from the colours of the flag of Bavaria, and was used a good 12 years before BMW began to build aircraft engines, has done nothing to interfere with the popular myth.

When the German Air Force was disbanded and outlawed after the war, BMW had to turn its attentions elsewhere to put bread on the table. After briefly flirting with the manufacturer of agricultural machinery and even office furniture, they began building motorcycles. At that time, the chief designer was a man named Max Friz, who was responsible for the famous Boxer engines, the first of which was based on a British Douglas design.

In 1923, the R32 was born, which was to become the basis of future Boxer powered BMW’s. This motorcycle used the shaft drive system which would feature in all BMW motorcycles up until 1994.

BMW motorcycles were to prove invaluable in North Africa during World War 2. Not having a chain that could clog with sand, they were so successful that Harley-Davidson were requested by the US military, to copy the machine, which they duly did and produced the Harley-Davidson XA. With the German war machine insatiable for motorcycles, the company flourished during the war years, but as Germany’s fortunes declined, so did BMW’s. Its Munich factory was razed to the ground by bombing and after the war the Russians dismantled the Eisenach plant and re-assembled it in Irbit. Not only that, but the cream of their engineers were taken to Russia or the USA to work on jet engines research.

As the restriction on motorcycle production was eased, BMW had to go back to basics. None of the old plans had survived, so the engineers were forced to use pre-war motorcycles as a template for their new machines. The bike that came off the production line was the R24, which incidentally had no rear suspension. In 1949 over 9,000 R24’s were built, a figure which rose to more than 17,000 by 1950. The R68, a sports motorcycle was introduced in 1952. This 594cc machine was to become something of a collector’s piece, as less than 1,500 were produced.

The 1950’s saw a downturn in motorcycle demand. This period saw a reduction in output from 30,000 units to less than 6,000 by 1957. By the late 50’s the vast majority of BMW motorcycles were being exported to the USA, Butler and Smith inc. having the sole distribution rights, but although American sales were strong, the company was struggling to survive. With the financial help of Herbert Quandt and the blossoming automobile division, BMW pulled through, and in 1959, cementing it’s American reputation, John Prenton rode a BMW R69 from New York to Los Angeles in 53 hours and 11 minutes, and in doing so, shaved over 22 hours off the existing record.

The R27, the last of the single cylinder models was introduced in 1967. Times were changing and the public demanded different machines, and so BMW’s were built, not with Sidecars in mind, but sporty performance. In 1970 the company introduced an entirely re-vamped range of motorcycles; the R50/5, the R60/5 and the R75/5. In 1974 the 500cc model was removed from the catalogue and replaced with a 900cc bike. In 1975 the R90S was introduced and soon earned the tag of the best ‘Supersports’ motorcycle of its day.

1977 saw the arrival of the first one litre engined motorcycles from BMW. This year also welcomed the first ‘Full Fairing’ to a BMW machine. In 1978 the R100T was thrown into the ring to compete with Honda’s Goldwing.

1986 brought the world’s first electrically adjusted windscreen on the K100LT, which at first seemed a little eccentric, but is now used on various BMW models and has in fact been copied by Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki.

It was BMW who in 1988 introduced ABS to the motorcycle world when it became standard on all their K models, the R1100S acquiring it in 1993. It is now fitted to almost all the company’s shaft driven bikes.

Despite the near demise of the company after World War 2, the company has risen to be unquestionably one of the finest motorcycle manufacturers in the world.