George Hendee began making bicycles in 1897. Within a year or two, he produced bicycles under the “American Indian” trademark. Oscar Hedstrom joined the firm in 1900, bringing the engineering know-how needed to produce their first prototype motorcycle.
The first production Indian was the 1902 single. In 1903, Hedstrom set what was then a speed record for motorcycles, at 56 miles an hour. In 1904, the company settled on the fire-engine red color it’s now famous for. A year later they built their first v-twin racer.
By 1913, Indian was the most successful of the dozens of motorcycle manufacturers in the U.S., selling over 30,000 bikes. But with success came trouble: The founders had issued so much stock that they no longer had voting control. Oscar Hedstrom proved headstrong, and resigned that year in a dispute with the company’s board over what he perceived as stock market manipulation.