TL;DR — Indian Motorcycles are not from India. They’re named after the American Indian.
The Beginning
In 1897, industry pioneer George M. Hendee founded a bicycle production company called the Hendee Manufacturing Company. Along with co-founder and chief engineer Oscar Hedstrom, Hendee opened the company’s first factory in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts in 1901.
What followed was half a century of unparalleled growth in motorcycle production and innovation, and foundational leadership in curating a true American riding culture.
In 1923, the company changed its name from The Hendee Manufacturing Company to The Indian Motocycle Company — no ‘r’ in ‘motocycle’ when the word was first used alongside the Indian name.
Resilience Through Hard Times
Over its early years, the company displayed extraordinary resilience. Its trailblazing success in innovation and on the racetrack continued despite the Great Depression and two world wars. Not only did the brand survive these tumultuous times — its considerable contribution to the war effort during WWI and WWII provided essential vehicles to both American and French troops on the ground.
World War I
The U.S. Army began using Indian Motorcycles in 1913. When the U.S. entered WWI in 1917, Indian Motorcycle dedicated a majority of its production to the war effort. As a result, dealers had limited inventory and retail sales dropped significantly.
Overall, the company contributed nearly 50,000 motorcycles from 1917 to 1919, most of them based on the Indian Powerplus model.
World War II
Two decades later, Indian Motorcycle stepped up again — focusing virtually the entirety of their production from 1940 to 1945 toward the Allied cause. They first produced bikes primarily for the French government, then built the Model 841 for the U.S. Army in 1941.
Over the span of WWII, Indian Motorcycle delivered $24 million worth of motorcycles and spare parts, culminating in over 35,000 bikes sent to Allied troops.