1905 CAMELBACK

On May 24, 1901 Oscar Hedstrom sent a telegram to George Hendee to tell him that the first Indian was finished. Six days later he was riding the prototype around Springfield before towing his friend Brooks Page, who was on a bicycle, up a long hill. Hedstrom’s engine had a capacity of 260cc and was fitted into a bicycle frame, with chain drive and a top speed of 25mph. The first production Indian was assembled at the Springfield factory and was on the road in May 1902, with a total of 143 built that year. Three years later a bigger single-cylinder engine rated at 2.25hp was offered, with a bore and stroke of 67 x 82.5mm adding up to a capacity of 290cc. When this 1905 red Indian (a colour option to the standard Royal Blue) was first pedalled into life, there was a spring fork and a twistgrip control to the carburettor. Production rocketed to 1181 in that year. Speed had increased dramatically and a tuned version covered the flying mile at 52mph. That was really flying...