The Indian Prince had a short four year production run for the American Indian Motorcycle Company, leaving only a few Prince motorcycles left behind as a sought after collector’s item. Unveiled in 1925, the Prince was built in an attempt to market to first time motorcycle buyers, who might not have been interested in one of the larger offerings at the time.
Although the motorcycle did not catch on with the larger buying public at the time, the remaining Prince motorcycles are a now well sought after collector’s item.
The Indian Motorcycle Company
The Indian Motorcycle company was one of the first motorcycle companies in America. Indian began in 1901 under the name of The Hendee Manufacturing Company, later changing the name to Indian Motorcycles in 1928. At one point Indian was the world’s bestselling motorcycle company. Throughout the 1920’s the company released and improved upon the Indian Scout and Chief, as well as producing race winning motorcycles.
Unfortunately, due to poor management decisions, mismanagement of company funds, and an increase in competition by companies such as Harley-Davidson the company went into decline. After World War II Indian experienced an additional decline in quality, and a lack of innovation forced the company to close its doors in 1953.
In 2004, Stephen Julius and Steve Heese began obtaining property and trademark rights to the company, in order to instigate a revival. The new Chief began production in 2008 with the first motorcycle rolling off the production line in 2008.
The Indian Prince
During the peak of Indian Motorcycle development, in the mid 1920’s, the company decided to build a smaller lighter bike aimed at first time motorcycle buyers. The company thought buyers would “later return to buy a larger, more expensive Indian Chief,” according to How Stuff Works .
The 21 cubic inch (350cc) motor was built by Charles Franklin, Indian’s chief engineer. The motorcycle boasted a single-cylinder motor which was easier to maintain compared to a twin at the time. The motorcycle was lightweight at around 265 pounds, and the top speed was 55 miles per hour. Like most motorcycles of the era the Prince lacked rear suspension, providing riders with a spring mounted seat for comfort. The motorcycle had a single drum brake in the rear and a three-speed transmission.
The Prince was built as a smaller and easier to handle alternative to the larger Harley Davidsons and other Indian motorcycles being built at the time. According to an article in American Motorcyclist Magazine, “Charles Franklin… designed the machine, a small-bore motorcycle aimed at the mass market at a time when large machines dominated the America roads.”
In 1926 the company made a few improvements to the previous year’s models in an attempt to increase its appeal. The most noticeable was a rounded fuel tank that replaced the wedge-shaped tank. They also lowered the seat, and the handlebars were lengthened to reduce reach for riders.
In The End
Even with the ease of maintenance and small size, the American public wasn’t interested in the Prince and sales never excelled like the company had hoped. Indian stopped making the Prince in 1928, giving it a production run of only four years. Yet those four years produced a unique motorcycle that could have been ahead of its time, or just a not well thought out attempt at appealing to a market not interested in what the Prince was offering.
Milo Denison - Milo is a photographer and writer with an expertise in photography and a passion for classic motorcycles.
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