There's also the story that Harley would fit left hand throttles on request for police forces in order to free up the right hand for gunplay.
But of course it may've just been an attempt to cash in on Indian's police market.
George Hendee started his Indian motorcycle building in 1901, 2 years before HD. Both firms early machines were sort of based on a bicycle with an engine and I doubt there was any rivalry in those days or attempt to influence the police force.
I stand by my theory that Indian's were built with left hand throttles since before the days of cables and were using rods and knuckle joints to achieve the easiest route to the carb. Leaving your right hand free for all the other controls
As Hendee (Indian) is considered the first US motorcycle company, you could argue the HD got it wrong by not following suit? :blush:
It was Indians large supply of WD motorcycles through both wars that ultimately led to their demise in the 50's (they shot themselves in the foot really) Ron
email (option): ronpier@talk21.com
I stand by my theory that Indian's were built with left hand throttles since before the days of cables and were using rods and knuckle joints to achieve the easiest route to the carb. Leaving your right hand free for all the other controls
As Hendee (Indian) is considered the first US motorcycle company, you could argue the HD got it wrong by not following suit? :blush:
It was Indians large supply of WD motorcycles through both wars that ultimately led to their demise in the 50's (they shot themselves in the foot really) Ron
I will bite
How did supplying too many military motorcycles cause the firm to crash post WW II
Most companies made a killing during wars
email (option): bsansw1@tpg.com.au
OK Trevor. The Indian Motorcycle Co (spelt 'Motocycle' by them) concentrated such a major amount of their production to the war effort during WW1 that it denied lots of the U.S. dealers with machines to sell, so the dealers looked else where. Once civilian production at the factory got back under way, Indian found that a lot of their main dealer customers where now gone.....Happy with HD other makes
After WW2 there was such a glut of ex WD Indians around the World to be bought so cheaply that they just floundered on with poor sales until finally going bust in 1953. (Even now you see loads of civilianised and bobbered military 741's)
The name of course has been kept alive over the years by different firms, and now successfully it seems by Polaris. Ron
email (option): ronpier@talk21.com
Fair enough.
I know little about any other company other than BSA and it subsiduries.
Down here we got flooded with ex military motorcycles.
I am fairly sure that the War office exported a lot of ex-service motorcycled down here.
There is a conversion to put teles on girder M20/21's that has the holes in the lower fork clamp off set slightly forward so the front wheel cleared the older long frame.
I have seen so many over the years to come to the conclusion it was either a factory modification or a distributor modification.
I was told but can not substantiate it was done to give the BSA dealers something to sell by refurbishing military bikes & fitting them with telescopic forks.
It would also have soaked up a lot of military surplus.
Interesting that Indian, which was a substantially better motorcycle than just about anything available post WWII could not sell but there we have it, history is a facinating subject.
email (option): bsansw1@tpg.com.au
Yep it was a common occurrence for a chap to revitalize his 1938/9/40 Tiger 90/100/ Speedtwin after the war with the new fangled 1945 tele's and throw those old girders away......Now worth up to 3 Grand if you can find any......Got that T shirt:flushed: Ron
email (option): ronpier@talk21.com
A friend has just bought a 1938 Matchless model X that has been in a barn since the early sixties...It's fitted with Vincent girdraulic front forks and a pre war AJS tank from an R7 racer!!!!....Ian
email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com
Aloha,
About the Indian left hand throttle twist grip.
I was told by a very, very, very knowledgeable guy who restores vintage Harleys and others for a semi-living (and who did the cylinder work for my M21) that one of the very first Indians to have a motor on a cycle had the ignition timing on the right hand grip. The reason for this was that this was the only rev-adjustment that there was.
When Indian soon enough developed their constructions to have a throttle as well this ended up being on the left since they already had a working construction for the timing and saw no reason to alter it.
Sorry I have no source or reference for this, I know the guy to be someone who knows what he's talking about but realize that you all don't know him (or me). Some more research may need to go into this...
/simon