1916 Indian Model G

FROM THE DICK SHAPPY COLLECTION: The 1916 Indian PowerPlus

In 1897, George M. Hendee, an accomplished bicycle racer from Massachusetts, founded the Hendee Manufacturing Company to produce bikes. They were initially branded Silver King and Silver Queen until the name American Indian was adopted and then shortened to Indian in 1898. In 1900, Hendee teamed up with Oscar Hedstrom from Sweden to develop single-cylinder motorcycle prototypes in Middletown, CT. Together, they opened the first factory in Springfield, MA in 1901 to create the first American motorcycle company where they would be produced until 1953. They hired the Aurora Automatic Machinery Company to manufacture their engines in 1901, which they did under license until 1907 when they would go on to produce Thor motorcycles.

The first Indian motorcycles with chain drives were sold to the public in 1902 and the pair would go on to produce powerful and reliable vehicles. Hedstrom, a successful racer, broke a new world speed record of 56 mph in 1903 in the companys first reliability trial and won an endurance race from NYC to Springfield and back. 1904 would bring the introduction of the signature deep red color and 1905, Indians first V-twin factory racer. Their reliability and ingenuity would make them the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world by 1910, taking the first three places at the 1911 Isle of Man.

In 1913, Indian began supplying the U.S. Army and turned the majority of their production efforts from 1917 to 1919 to World War I, most models being based on the PowerPlus. In 1914, Erwin Cannon Ball Baker set a record riding from San Diego to the East Coast on a PowerPlus. He would go on to ride a 1916 61ci (1000cc) 42-degree v-twin PowerPlus, which became a highly successful roadster and racing bike, remaining in production with few changes until 1924. In 1923, the company changed its name to the Indian Motocycle Company without an r in motorcycle and Indian would continue making its mark, including the first Daytona 200 in 1937 with a Sport Scout. Indian turned yet again to war production from 1940 to 1945 during WWII and has underwent many changes in name in location since - from North Carolina, to Minnesota and Iowa, it is now owned and produced by Polaris Industries. Indian motorcycles are still widely known and purchased not just for their rich history and classic American style, but for their modern technology, craftsmanship, powerful engines, their comfortable touring models and cruisers, and their distinctive sound.


1916 Indian PowerPlus

ENGINE: 61 cu. in. 1000 CC side-valve V-twin

ENGINE NO: 75H818

HP: 16

The Indian PowerPlus was produced from 1916 to 1924 by the Hendee Manufacturing Co. and was designed by Charles Gustafson. The PowerPlus was a revolution in Indian design, as the company switched from its original F-head of 1901 to a side-valve design in 1916. Indians new chief engineer, Charles Gustafson, had designed the first side-valve motorcycle built in the U.S. for Reading-Standard in 1907 and knew the layout to have many advantages, including easier construction and service and cooler running of its valves. Cannonball Baker proved the point by winning the Three Flags endurance run on a prototype PowerPlus in August 1915, riding from Vancouver to Tijuana in a record 3 days, 9 hours and 15 minutes. That was an astounding time for a 1,650- mile trip on dirt roads, and it proved conclusively that the PowerPlus was one tough machine.