The Indian Motorcycle Company In Making

Production of Royal Enfield motorcycle is still existent even though it is the most-backdated model of motorcycles ever. The company began in Redditch , Worcestershire and disappeared in 1971 however, India is the only place where production is still carrying on. Thus, the 1963 model was named The Royal Enfield Indian Motorcycle and was then sold to America.

Even though the Royal Enfield tagline is primarily used for motorcycles and is famous for their production, it produced many other things like rifle parts, lawnmowers, and bicycles. They had a logo which had a picture of cannon with the saying 'made like a gun, goes like a bullet."

By 1955, Enfield of India began producing Bullet motorcycles under a licensing agreement with the UK brand, and by 1962 they were making complete bikes. Even when Royal Enfield dissolved in 1971, the Indian company, in Chennai carried on production and bought the rights to the name "Royal Enfield" in 1995. They're still in business as of 2009.

1950 was a vital year for the Indian Motorcycle Company in America. A company called Brockhouse Corporation had been helping finance the wavering Indian company, and purchased it outright in 1950. Some unfortunate management decisions led to Indian being split into two halves: one for sales, and the other for manufacturing.

This manufacturing half could not fulfill the retooling expenses that were required for the overhead valve engine and so it closed in 1953. Some Indian purists thought that it was the death of "real" Indian motorcycles. But the sales half was still functioning normally.

When the Indian manufacturing went down, Brockhouse Corporation had the rights to the name and they in turn began importing Enfields and sold them as Indians from 1955 to 1970. This was an example of "badge engineering" and it failed miserably. Although dealerships still bore the matchless Indian name after 1959, the motorcycles no longer had the Indian name.

In the Indian Motorcycle history, there were numerous disputes about who would own the authority to the brand name during this period. In 1960, the Enfield Chief was still being sold- a rebadged Enfield 700 cc twin fitted with the fender guards, saddlebags and other Indian accessories.

However, Associated Motorcycles of Britain bought the Indian name in 1960. In 1963, the Berliner Motor Corporation overpowered the U.S distributorship of Associated Motorcycles and the Indian name was completely erased for good. These details of the deal became life-like in form of trademark and branding disputes till 1999.

But in the mid 60s, the gross-revenues arm of the Indian company was acquired by Floyd Clymer, a racer, author, motorcycle dealer, and magazine publisher. Clymer spent the last five or so years of his life trying to resuscitate the Indian brand, by fitting Indian nameplates to Italian Velocette-based bikes, and even having a prototype built based on the original Indian V-Twin design. Though well received, sadly, the prototype was the only one ever made.

Indian scout motorbikes are perpetual classics. For more information on Indian motorcycle parts click on the links.

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