Indian Four (1939) Wallpapers, Top speed, Review

                              Indian Four

                                          This 1939 model Four was one of the last before the model was redesigned with the large ‘skirted’fenders that would become an Indian trademark. The 1939 bike benefited from numerous updates made over the years, and incorporated features including right- hand gearchange (the lever is visible alongside the Indian’s headdress logo on the gas tank), and fringed leather saddle.

                                       Indian’s Four was stylish, comfortable, fast and expensive. Rather too expensive ever to sell in large numbers, in fact, although it remained in production for more than 15 years. During that time the Springfield, Massachusetts-based giant made numerous updates to the Four, which it acquired in 1927 by purchasing the rights and tooling of the Philadelphia-based Ace firm, which had gone into liquidation three years earlier.

                                         The Ace had been designed by William Henderson, co-founder of the Henderson marque, and had been updated following his death in a crash while testing one of his bikes in 1922. Ace had a fine reputation for speed and quality, and Indian’s initial response after taking control was to restart production of the Four with virtually no changes. Under Indian production the bike was initially still called simply the Ace, although from June 1927 it was rebadged the Indian Ace, and offered in Indian’s traditional dark red colour as well as the original blue.

                                                   By the standards of the day the Indian Ace was one fast and glamorous machine, with a smooth­running 1265cc, inlet-over-exhaust engine producing 35bhp, a top speed of 80mph (129km/h) and good handling too. In June 1927, Motorcycling magazine enthused that, ‘just for fun we slipped the gears into second, slowed down to about 20mph [32km/h] and then opened the throttle wide. A twist of the wrist and we were nearly blown off the saddle... The new Indian Ace packs a wallop in all four barrels.’

                                               In 1928. Indian decided that the Ace label was no longer needed, and introduced an updated Four that was badged simply as an Indian. Around this time the factory had a short-lived policy of introducing improvements as soon as they were ready, rather than waiting for specific model years. Over the next few years Indian modified the four with a stronger crankshaft (with five main bearings instead of the previous three), twin-downtube frame, leaf-spring front fork and a more efficient twin-shoe front brake.

Weight gain

                                             For the 1932 season the Four was restyled with a more streamlined tank, longer front forks and a stronger frame, gaining weight to a substantial 4951b (225kg) in the process. As before it came as standard with a left-hand throttle and right-hand shift for the three-speed gearbox, but from '32 could be ordered with the controls reversed for no extra cost. By this time Indian sales had slumped to a record low in the Depression, following the rest of the American auto industry.

                                             In 1933 Indian built a lowest ever total of just 1667 bikes, of which only about 130 were the expensive Four. Many of those went to police forces, which rated the model highly. Three years later the economy had begun to recover, but Indian took a wrong turn with the Model 436 Four, which had its valve arrangement reversed in an ‘exhaust over inlet’ layout. Indian billed the bike as ‘the world’s finest, world’s fastest stock motorcycle’. But its more cluttered engine look was unpopular, and the model gained the nickname ‘upside-down Four’ before the old-style valve layout was reinstated shortly afterwards.

                                            The last Fours, built between 1940 and 1942, were redesigned with huge skirted fenders and rear suspension. They were stylish and comfortable, if heavy and slow-steering. Then came the Second World War, during which Indian produced large numbers of military V-twins, and developed prototype four-cylinder machines called the X44 and the Torque Four. But these came to nothing, and production of Indian’s four-cylinder flagship did not restart after the war.

                                                  By 1931 the Four had undergone improvements under Indian’s policy of continual development, but still had the old-style fuel tank with a frame tube running above. Although less sophisticated than most later variants, the 1931 Four was also lighter. But sales in the early 1930s were very poor.

                                              Although its look is very similar, this is not an old Indian but a new four- cylinder machine called the Dakota 4, built in 2000. The Dakota 4 was designed in Sweden and produced in small numbers in Scotland by Alan Forbes, an Indian enthusiast and spares dealer who owned the Indian name in Britain and some other countries.

                          Specification Indian Four                                                       (1939)

• Engine Air-cooled eight-valve inlet-over-exhaust in-line four
• Capacity 1265cc (69.8 x 82.5mm)
• Maximum power 40bhp @ 5000rpm
• Transmission Three-speed, chain final drive
• Frame Steel twin cradle
• Suspension Leaf spring front; none rea
• Brakes Drum front and rear
• Weight 532lb (241kg)
• Top speed 90mph (145km/h)

Indian Chief (1953) Wallpapers, Specification, Brakes type, Weight

                                  Indian Chief

                                            The huge front fender, complete with Indian’s head running light, gives this late-model Chief an unmistakable look. Even enlarging the side-valve V-twin to 80 cubic inches (1311cc) did not give the big, heavy Chief outstanding performance, but it was a comfortable, reliable and stylish bike. Sadly for Indian, that wasn’t enough to keep the firm in business after 1953.

                                     An Indian Chief of the 1940s or early ’50s, with its big V-twin engine dwarfed by enormous and often brightly painted fenders over each wheel, is one of the most instantly recognizable motorcycles ever produced. Its story began long before those trademark fenders were introduced, however. The Chief was the heavyweight star of Indian’s line-up for more than 30 years, following its introduction in 1922.

                                              That first model, designed by Charles B. Franklin, combined elements of the 988cc Powerplus, which had been Indian’s mainstay since its introduction in 1916, and the smaller-engined Scout, which had been launched in 1921. The original Chief’s blend of 988cc, 42-degree, side- valve V-twin and Scout-style one-piece frame resulted in good handling and a top speed of 85mph (137km/h).

                                              Even so, many riders believed the old adage that there was no substitute for cubes, so just a year later Indian enlarged the engine to 1213cc, or 74 cubic inches, to create the so-called ‘Big Chief’.

                                         Numerous updates were made in following years, most notably the addition of a front brake in 1928. Indian also equipped all its twins with a re-circulating oil system, in place of the original total loss arrangement, in 1933 - several years before rival Harley followed suit.

High-performance version

                                         In 1935 the Chief could be ordered with the optional Y motor, whose aluminium heads and larger fins gave better cooling, plus other options including a four-speed gearbox instead of the standard three-speeder. Later in the decade Indian also offered a high-performance Bonneville motor whose hot cams, polished ports and precision ignition timing lifted top speed to an impressive 105mph (169km/h).

                                        The mid-’30s Chief was also a good-looking bike, and could be ordered in a wide variety of colours because in 1930 Indian had been bought by Du Pont, the manufacturing giant that had connections in the paint industry. Around this time Indian listed no fewer than 24 standard one- and two-colour schemes, plus the extra-cost option of any other colour from the Du Pont paint range.

                                                But all was not well at the ‘Wigwam’, Indian’s large Springfield factory, which by this time was running at only a fraction of its capacity. Indian struggled financially throughout the Depression-hit 1930s, and came close to bankruptcy in 1933. Although the company survived, it failed to compete with Harley by developing an overhead- valve V-twin to power the Chief, whose side-valve layout was becoming outdated.

                                      The classical skirted-fender look was introduced in 1940. At the same time, Indian fitted the Chief with new cylinder heads and barrels whose larger cooling fins reduced running temperature. There was also a new frame, with plunger rear suspension. This resulted in an eye­catching, sweet-running and comfortable bike, but not a particularly quick one. The 5581b (253kg) Chief was fully 1001b (45kg) heavier than its 1935- model namesake. The days when an Indian rider could ‘dust’ a Harley-mounted rival on the open road were over.

                                            And although in 1950 Indian enlarged the V-twin engine to 1311 cc (80ci), updated the chassis with telescopic forks in place of the previous girders, and fitted a conventional right-hand throttle as standard for the first time, it wasn’t enough. Indian’s financial problems, hastened by disastrous attempts to enter the small-capacity market, meant that relatively few Chiefs were built, and production ended in 1953.

Return of the Chief

                                                   Interest in Indian reawakened in the early 1990s when, with Harley sales booming, it became clear that there was room in the market for its old rival. The Indian name became a prized asset, fought over in law courts by a succession of firms, each of which claimed to have a new-generation Chief under development. When the dust settled in 1998, the winner emerged as the Indian Motorcycle Company, based at Gilroy in California. The following year, the firm began production of the Limited Edition 1999 Indian Chief, complete with trademark skirted fenders. Although the 'Harley clone' nature of its 1442cc V-twin engine displeased many traditionalists, the new Chief was well built and gave hope of a successful future for Indian.

                                                   The author takes a spin on a Chief owned by Californian- based Indian restorer and parts specialist Bob Stark

                                         Indian retained its traditional 42-degree cylinder angle from the days of its earliest V-twin engines.

                         Specification Indian Chief                                                        (1953)

• Engine Air-cooled four-valve side-valve 42-degree V-twin
• Capacity 1311cc (82.5 x 122mm)
• Maximum power 50bhp @ 4800rpm
• Transmission Three-speed, chain final drive
• Frame Steel twin downtube
• Suspension Telescopic front; plunger rear
• Brakes Drum front and rear
• Weight 570lb (259kg)
• Top speed 90mph (145km/h)