The Indian Motorcycle's Contribution to the U.S. War Effort

The U.S. Army started using motorcycles from 1913, and most came from three manufacturers: Hendee Manufacturing (which later became Indian), Harley-Davidson and Excelsior.  When war came, Indian motorcycles would receive the most orders by far. This led to the company and its boosters to later claim it was  the motorcycle that helped the U.S. win the First World War. You certainly can’t blame the motorcycle itself. The military model was closely based on Indian’s famed Powerplus Big Twin, which had, according to sales literature, the “most powerful and economical engine ever fitted to a motorcycle.’’ The army loved the bike so much it bought nearly 50,000 of them during the war years. As a result, Indian devoted virtually its entire production to the war effort from 1917 through 1919. In hindsight, Indian didn’t realize the damage such a strategy would inflict on its civilian dealers, who were left with almost no motorcycles to sell.

Rigged for a Machine Gun

Hyperoble aside, this 61-cubic-inch (1,000cc) engine was a significant improvement over the previous generation F-head motor. Pumping out 18 horsepower, it could propel the machine to 60 mph and remain reliable. It was a package good enough for the legendary Cannonball Baker, who used Powerplus machines to set many of his endurance records for the Indian factory. Military versions of the bike shared the same three-speed transmission, rear-only brake, and leaf-spring front fork as the civilian model. They also sported rear suspension, a simpler gas headlight instead of electric and functional flat fenders instead of curved versions.

Pat Ware, a historian and the author of The World Encyclopaedia of Military Motorcycles, says: “During World War One, most U.S. military motorcycles remained in the USA where they were used for training, despatch rider, convoy escort, messenger, and scouting roles.

“Being heavy and often difficult to control, motorcycles were unpopular with riders due to the extreme fatigue they experienced when riding off-road.”

He added: “Small numbers found their way to the fighting in Europe where, with the addition of a sidecar, they also found themselves being used as machine-gun mounts, ambulances and even pigeon lofts!”

Apologetic Ad in Saturday Evening Post

Indian continued to supply the military into the 1930s, developing an updated version of the Powerplus (the M2)—and this was sold to the U.S. Army into the 1930s. The army also purchased examples of the Indian Scout and Chief models. Harley-Davidson also managed to tap into the military market and had become the main supplier of motorcycles to the U.S. Army by the late 1930s. 

Rigged as Stretcher Carrier

Sources: American Motorcyclist Association; Biker and Bike; Texas WW1 Commission