Description
Indian 1914 7 HP “Two-Speed Regular Model” 988 cc IOE V-twin engine # 94680
The Springfield Company’s first ‘Big Twin’, displacing 61 ci (988cc), debuted in 1909.
By 1913 Indian was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world: Harry Sucher reports that during that year 31,950 machines were produced, approximately 42% of the total domestic production.
About a quart of these Indians were sold in foreign countries.
The 1914 catalogue predicted a production of 60,000 Indians and announced “Thirty-Eight Betterments”.
Actual production would amount to less than the1913 output but Indians were at the forefront everywhere in the world.
The range consisted of the single cylinder 4 HP “Service Model” and four 7 HP twin models: a single speeder with or without electrical equipment and ditto two speed types.
And then there was the electric-starting “ Hendee Special”, of which the catalogue boasted “In the Hendee Special there has been evolved a machine, which the motorcycle world must recognize as its masterpiece”.
This did turn out rather unfortunate though and factory production of this technical failure was halted in March.
The starting mechanism worked well but the then available batteries had insufficient capacity. This two speeder with clutch is a very practical veteran motorcycle.
There are two independent brakes on the rear wheel, a hand-operated external contracting band system and a foot-operated internal expanding brake.