1943 TYPE 841

In 1941 the US Army offered Harley and Indian a $350,000 contract to build 1000 shaft-driven 750cc twins to rival the WWII BMW. Harley’s XA was a boxer, but Indian offered a transverse 745cc V-twin., using Sport Scout cylinders. Put through their paces in summer 1942, Army testers reckoned the low-centre-of-gravity 841 handled better than the H-D with a 70mph top speed. A tough call, but there could be only one victor... the Jeep. They were sold off as war surplus in 1944 for $500 each.