American Motorcycles Archives - CARS // MOTORBIKES

Indian Chief

Harley-Davidson can lay claim to manufacturing the world’s best-known motorcycles. Well, American ones, at any rate. But, Harley has always had a rival. The mere mention of ‘Indians’ has long instilled panic in the suited and booted, in Harley’s Milwaukee marketing department!

In the ’20s, Indian’s Springfield factory was high up the motorcycle heap. The Chief was its biggest asset. The 1200cc engine, in the 1947 model, was good for 85mph. Tuning took it to the ‘ton’. An Indian, though, was not about death-defying numbers. Rather, it evoked the spirit of adventure. A bit like that firm from Milwaukee, in fact!

Indian motorcycles were extravagantly styled. Nowhere more so than the finely-fettled fenders. Their trademark curvature was unmistakable. Harley front mudguards are sometimes skimpy affairs. Those which adorn an Indian are heraldic. Almost as if the front wheel were wearing a headdress! Indian, then, was a company which liked to cut a dash. Sadly, the ‘Roaring Twenties’ glory days faded for Indian – while Harley went on to world domination! But, as in the childhood game … while most kids grow up wanting to be a cowboy – there is always that one who would really far rather be an Indian!

Harley-Davidson XLCR

Marketing-wise, Harley-Davidson’s XLCR fell between two stools. It was neither a full-bore sports tool, nor – in typical Harley fashion – a laid-back cruiser. More than anything – as far as categories went – it was classic café racer. In the Seventies, though, performance was key. That was, after all, the decade of the first wave of Japanese superbikes. There was no way the XLCR was going to compete with them. While its pushrod V-twin engine packed plenty of torque, it was some way off its Oriental rivals at the top-end of the rev range. On the other hand – dramatic though it looked in its jet-black livery – it did not have enough ‘attitude’ chops to keep Harley die-hards happy. As a result, just 3,200 XLCRs were sold.

For sure, Willie G Davidson – Harley’s head of design – fulfilled his brief. The XLCR looked the business. From its flat-handlebars fairing – via an elongated tank – to the racy seat/tail unit, the XLCR’s lines were in all the right places. Certainly, the swoopy siamese exhaust set-up was stunning. Sadly, the XLCR’s speed stats did not stack up as neatly as its styling cues. A peak power output of 61bhp – at 6,200rpm – did not set any alarm-bells ringing. A top speed of 115mph was average – and no more. Suffice to say, then, that boy racers – of whom there were a lot in the late ’70s – were underwhelmed.

Harley’s sales brochures, however, took a different tack. They pointed to the fact that the XLCR’s performance was a marked improvement on what had gone before. Up to a point, they were right. But then, the same could be said of Harley’s new Sportster. In white knuckle terms, the XLCR did not do much the Sportster was not already doing. Added to that – and crucially for a Harley – the Sportster scored more ‘sit up and scowl!’ points. Harley-Davidson was right to try to tap a new trend. But – for two-wheeled speed merchants – the XLCR Cafe Racer simply could not cut the cappuccino!

Henderson KJ

As early as 1929, the Henderson KJ was hitting 100mph. It came courtesy of a 1,301cc in-line four engine – outputting 40bhp. What made the top speed stat yet more impressive was that the KJ weighed in at a portly 495lb. The KJ’s plucky powerplant was an air-cooled eight-valve inlet-over-exhaust unit. Whatever its configuration – it clearly worked!

In its day, the KJ was a luxury motorcycle. It flaunted a long list of fancy features. For starters, electric lighting, a fully-enclosed chain and leading-link forks. State of the art stuff, in the Twenties. As was the illuminated speedo’ on the gas tank. And the KJ’s straight-line stability – thanks to its long wheelbase – would have given ample opportunity to consult said clock. Bill Henderson – the firm’s founder – must have been proud.

Mercifully – by the time of the Great Depression – Henderson had moved on. Ace was his new venture. The company which bore his name fared badly in the crash. The KJ’s finery did not come cheap. It had no chance of selling well amidst serious austerity. Henderson struggled on as best it could – but it was always a lost cause. In ’31, Schwinn – the new owners – threw in the towel. With the demise of the KJ, America lost a beautiful motorcycle. Its pinstriping, in particular, was close to perfect. And the rest of the design followed suit. In short, the Henderson KJ was class on two wheels … direct from the USA!

Harley-Davidson WL 45

These days, the Harley-Davidson WL 45 is seriously old school. That is a good thing! ’45’ referenced its engine capacity – in cubic inches. The side-valve 45° V-twin slung the WL to a top speed of 75mph. A long way from Harley’s high-tech Evo powerplant of today. Still, that was plenty enough speed, given the WL’s suspension set-up – or lack of it. Well, at the rear, at any rate. The WL was a full-on factory hard-tail … no concealed shock absorber here! The WL’s sprung saddle, though, kept it comfy. At the front, however, things were looking up – hopefully, not literally! ’49 saw the introduction of Harley’s Girdraulic damping system. It was duly fitted to the WL’s ‘springer’ front fork assembly. Friction damping was thereafter consigned to the Harley history book.

The WL’s motor made 25bhp. That was an improvement on the W model – compression having been upped a tad. 4,000rpm was now available. The 3-speed gearbox was controlled by a hand shift and foot clutch. While the roadster’s performance was not exactly earth-shattering, Harley’s WR race bike verion did what it could to redress the balance. To be fair to the road bike’s output, it did have its work cut out for it. 528lb wet was plenty of weight for the WL to heave. Saying that, it was not excessive for a bike of its size. Bearing in mind that in the Forties, carbon fibre was just a glint in some scientist’s eye!

Bikes like the WL45, then, were a bridge between Harley’s vintage crop and its current range. 45ci equated to 750cc – or middleweight, in modern money. The 45-powered bikes were hugely important to Harley. Indeed, they helped the firm weather the Great Depression. Were it not for those bikes, Milwaukee’s finest may well not have survived. Many a biker’s life would have been lessened – such is the impact Harley-Davidson has had. So, much is owed to the WL 45 … and its pioneering predecessors!

Harley-Davidson Sportster

The Harley-Davidson Sportster is a motorcycle institution. It first hit American highways in ’57. There has been many a model since – and the Sportster line still shows no sign of stopping. Throughout its venerable run, it has given many a new rider a first taste of the biker brotherhood. The Sportster has long held pride of place as the entry-level Harley. Pared down to bare biking bones, it has always cut straight to the chase. By ’62, the Sportster was dishing up 55bhp – at 5,000rpm. That was thanks to its iconic V-twin engine layout. The motor’s stroke, at that point, was a tall 96.8mm. That translated into hefty dollops of acceleration-laden torque. Top speed for the Sportster, in the early Sixties, was 110mph.

The XLCH Sportster weighed in at 485lb. That was light enough for a skilled rider to cruise through corners with relative ease. While hardly a sports bike, by modern standards – back in the day, it was a lithe and agile ride. Before the Sportster, British-built bikes had been the only way to go – at any sort of speed, anyway. So, the Sportster was a welcome addition to the roster of quick and capable roadsters on offer.

The Sportster has long been a mainstay of tidy, uncluttered design. As with any bike, the focal point was its small – but perfectly-formed – fuel-tank. Alongside it were a diminutive headlamp and relatively low-set ‘bars. At least, as compared with many a custom-style machine. A single seat – and slender fenders – were in keeping with the Sportster’s minimalist approach. In many ways, then, the Harley-Davidson Sportster has been the bedrock of this most prestigious of two-wheeled marques. Long may it continue!

Indian Four

The Indian story started in 1901 – in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. It continued until ’42 – and the outbreak of the Second World War. Originally called Hendee, the Indian Motocycle Company came into being in ’23. And, no, that is not a typo! One of Indian’s most iconic machines was the succinctly-named Four. As the name suggests, its engine sported four cylinders. They were arranged in a longitudinal inline-four configuration.

Top speed for the Four was 90mph. Pretty quick, in the early Forties. The Four’s side-valve set-up – 2 per cylinder – gave 40bhp, at 5,000rpm. The longitudinal layout meant overheating could be an issue, though. Cooling air struggled to find its way to the rear pots.

The Four looked every inch the classic American motorcycle. The fenders’ rakish lines were pure Indian. Certainly, the bike had nailed down the laid-back custom look. Styling-wise, the solo saddle, front forks and straight exhaust perfectly complemented the downward diagonal of the top frame rail. Comparisons cannot help but be made with arch-rival Harley-Davidson. But – complete with its in-line motor – the Indian Four was every bit as glamorous as a motorbike from Milwaukee. V-twin fans may conceivably disagree, of course!

Indian Powerplus

So far as Indian was concerned, its Powerplus model was a cut above other motorcycles. The American company’s customers clearly agreed. Sales-wise, the Powerplus was a soaraway success. Between 1916 and ’24 – the span of its production run – occasional modifications were all that were required.

The Powerplus’ 998cc engine produced 18bhp. That gave a top speed of 60mph. As a result, Indian entered the Powerplus in the 1911 TT. It vanquished all comers. Indian collected a clean sweep of podium places. The firm broke long-distance records, too. In ’14, ‘Cannon Ball’ Baker shot across America. It took him 11 days, 12 hours, 10 minutes … precision-timing, back then!

But, the Powerplus did not just perform well. In design terms, too, it impressed – clad in a mantle of Indian red. Its fuel tank was embellished with the Indian scripted logo – in appropriate gold paint. Viewed today, the swept-back handlebars were a vintage objet d’art. Throughout, old school engineering was in artful abundance. Hours could be spent taking in the visual delights of the Indian Powerplus. Almost as many, in fact, as it took it to traverse the States!

Harley-Davidson V-Rod

By Harley-Davidson standards, the V-Rod verged on the radical. It was clearly a cruiser – in true Milwaukee style. But, it was a different kind of cruiser to what Harley fans were used to. The V-Rod VRSC – V-Twin Racing Street Custom – had superbike-like performance. Top speed was 135mph. Handling-wise, things were just as impressive. In a straight line, the V-Rod was ultra-precise. That was only to be expected – given its long wheelbase. The front forks were raked out to 38°, after all. But, whereas in the past, cornering would then have been compromised, the V-rod’s cutting edge engineering saw it sail through twists and turns. And that with a dry weight of 594lb.

Visually, the V-Rod was striking, to say the least. A full-on silver machine, Harley did not stint on aluminium. This was no iron horse. Rather, the V-Rod was an object-lesson in à la mode metalwork. Solid disc wheels set off intricate frame tubes. An elegantly-shaped tank morphed into a slanted headlamp. The clean lines of the pipes blended in perfectly. The 1130cc V-twin engine was a design delight in itself.

The 115bhp motor had its roots in Harley’s VR1000 race bike. Porsche Engineering assisted in its development. For marketing purposes, Harley declared this Evolution engine a Revolution, no less! It boasted twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. Water-cooled – and with a 60° V – it took Harley performance to a whole new level. The venerable old pushrod motor was history. Hog riders could not believe their luck. They had long been on motorcycles that ruled the roost, looks-wise. Well, in their opinion, at any rate. Now – with the advent of the V-Rod – they were competing on the technical front, too. Talk about having your bike and eating it!

Harley-Davidson Model 9E

Strange to think that the globally renowned brand-name that is Harley-Davidson started life in a small shed in Milwaukee. That was in 1903. After a few faltering start-up steps, the fledgling firm found its feet in ’13. The first Harleys to emerge from the shed – and take to the street – had a single-cylinder engine. The Model 9E, though, came with a 45° V-twin. At that point, not even co-founders William S Harley and the three Davidson brothers, knew just how iconic that engine would turn out to be. Harley-Davidson – along with bourbon whiskey distilleries – was what made Milwaukee famous. The 9E’s 1,000cc motor kicked out 10bhp. That gave a top speed of 60mph. There are modern-day wags, of course, who claim that not a lot has changed!

As a rule, Harley-Davidson is not associated with racing. Since its primary legacy is a long list of laid-back cruisers, that is not surprising. Drag-strips have been more of a Harley domain – where their torque-rich V-twin engines can be given free rein. The firm has long competed at race circuits, too, though. The first Harley-Davidson factory team was formed as far back as ’14. Dubbed the ‘Wrecking Crew’, the équipe battled it out with the likes of Indian, Merkel and Exelsior. Such events garnered Harley much-needed early publicity. They were the perfect showcase for their 8-valve V-twin motorcycles.

By 1919, Harley-Davidson had built 22,000 bikes. Added to that tally were 16,000 sidecars. The big time was beckoning! Henry Ford, however – and his affordable cars – were increasingly a commercial thorn in its side. The Model T, in particular, put paid to many an American motorbike manufacturer. Indeed, Harley’s own sales halved. Milwaukee’s finest, though, would survive Ford’s four-wheeled onslaught. It was fortitude to which millions of bikers would be later indebted. For – while the marque has long had its fair share of detractors – it was Harley-Davidson which really put motorcycling on the map. The marketing map – as well as the geographical one – that is. The Model 9E was an important staging-post. As for that shed in Milwaukee … mighty oaks do indeed from little acorns grow!