Beschreibung:

As Indian approached its tenth birthday, the design of Oscar Hedstrom’s original single-cylinder motorcycle had begun to mature. Like the vast majority of its contemporaries, the early Indian owed much to traditional bicycle design, which was hardly surprising as Hedstrom and his partner Oliver Hendee had started out in the cycle business. Other manufacturers, most notably arch rivals Harley-Davidson, had started with a clean sheet of paper, adopting what was generally known as the ‘loop’ frame that wrapped around the engine. Indian went down this road for 1909, abandoning the old ‘diamond’ frame. Indian’s singles continued to have a rearward sloping cylinder, though this was no longer part of the frame. By this time the Indian ‘F-head’ (inlet-over-exhaust) single was available in three different capacities: 19.3ci (316cc), 26.96ci (442cc) and 30.5cu in (500cc), though only the smallest and largest of the trio were still on offer in 1910. That same year, Oscar Hedstrom designed new engines that would enable the company to retain its supremacy in motordrome (board track) racing that had recently come under threat from Excelsior. To maintain its edge, Indian switched from the ‘F-head’ arrangement to overhead valves, solving the problem of keeping two necessarily large valves cool by using four per cylinder. There was an added bonus, as the additional port area enabled the engine to breathe more freely. The new 8-valve v-twin and 4-valve single-cylinder engines debuted in 1911 and were immediately successful in keeping Indian at the forefront of board-track racing. Restored by renowned Indian restoration expert, Dave Harp (previously restorer for the Imperial Palace Collection) this motorcycle is constructed of genuine original Indian parts, with the exception of the cylinder and overhead-valve conversion, both of which are reproductions. Built to the highest standard, it is a wonderful example of a period-correct board-track racer. Offered with a 'Bill of Sale.'