http://www.MotorcycleClassics.com 35
During the years preceding World War II,
Harley-Davidson and Indian emerged as the
two main U.S. survivors in an industry that
earlier in the century consisted of hundreds of
motorcycle manufacturers. The post-Depres-
sion, pre-World War II U.S. motorcycle market
was in terrible shape due to the advent of mass
production and low-cost automobile manu-
facturing. Motorcycles had fallen out of favor
as basic transportation. Harley-Davidson and
Indian both catered to the police and civil-
ian motorcycle markets, but sales were very
low. When the Army asked Harley-Davidson
and Indian to develop motorcycles for military
use, neither manufacturer was in any condi-
tion to support a massive buildup. Indian was
operating at about 5 percent of capacity, much
of its equipment had been sold during the
Depression, and that which remained was old.
Indian was in terrible shape and might have
gone out of business; Harley was only a little
better.The military need
World War II changed Harley and Indian
fortunes even before U.S. involvement. The
armies of other countries needed motorcycles
for their war efforts and that fueled sales for
both companies. Indian sold 5,000 Chiefs to
the French. Here at home and as the U.S. was
swept into World War II, our Army recognized
a need for military motorcycles. Motorcycle-
mounted military police could lend order to
road marches and mass movements of men
and equipment; military motorcyclists could
get in front of advancing units for reconnais-
sance. The Army needed motorcycles, and that
resulted in a specification to define what the
military bikes should be.
The resulting Army specification called for a
500cc engine, which Army engineers thought
would be enough. The Army also asked for left-MILITARY
MISSION
Story and photos by Joe Berk
Indian Model 741
T
To better understand the Indian
Model 741 U.S. Army World War II
motorcycle featured here, we needto start with a bit of background.