Indian 841
 Indian 841 atBarber Vintage Motorsports Museum,Battleground, Birmingham, AL USA | |
| Manufacturer | Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Co. |
|---|---|
| Production | 1941[1]–1943[2] 1 056 produced[2] |
| Class | military |
| Engine | 45 cu. in. (737 cc) 90° air-cooled side-valve V-twin[3][4] |
| Bore/stroke | 2.87 in × 3.50 in (73 mm × 89 mm) |
| Top speed | 70 mph (113 km/h)[5] |
| Power | 25bhp[3] |
| Transmission | Four speed, foot shift; shaft drive[2][4] |
| Suspension | Front:Girder fork with coil springs and shock absorber Rear:Plunger-type with coil springs[6] |
| Brakes | Front and rear:Drum[6] |
| Weight | 528 lbs. (240 kg)[7](wet) |
| Fuel capacity | 5 gal.[7] |
| Related | Indian Sport Scout (engine internals) |
TheIndian 841was amotorcycledesigned by theIndian Motocycle Manufacturing Co.for desert warfare. It pioneered the drivetrain configuration later popularized byMoto Guzzi,having a longitudinally mounted air-cooled 90-degree V-twin with shaft drive to the rear wheel.
History[edit]
DuringWorld War II,the US Army requested experimental motorcycle designs suitable for desert fighting[1]and offered Indian $350,000 in exchange for 1,000 shaft-drive, side-valve, twin-cylinder test motorcycles. In response to this request, Indian designed and built the 841 (8 for the new engine design and 41 for the year).[7]
The Indian 841 was heavily inspired by theBMW R71motorcycle, as was its competitor, theHarley-Davidson XA.[2]However, unlike the XA, the 841 was not a copy of the R71. Although its tubular frame, plunger rear suspension, four-speed transmission, foot-operated shifter, hand-operated clutch and shaft drive were similar to the BMW's, the 841 was different from the BMW in several aspects, most noticeably so with its 90-degree longitudinal-crankshaftV-twin engineandgirder fork.[1][2][4]Also unlike the R71 and the XA, the 841 used a heel-and-toe shift pedal with heel-operated upshifts and toe-operated downshifts.[4]The bike also had a low compression ratio of 5.1:1, meaning that it could be run on low-octane fuel, crash bars to protect the cylinders, 18-inch wheels, two separate gas tanks for a total of 5 gallons of available fuel and newly designed girder forks for better shock absorption.[7]In order to reduce costs, the new V-twin shared several internal components with the existing Indian Sport Scout, resulting in the same bore and stroke of 2.87 in × 3.50 in (73 mm × 89 mm).[3][6]
The Indian 841 and the Harley-Davidson XA were both tested by the Army,[1][4][8]but neither motorcycle was adopted for wider military use. It was determined that theJeepwas more suitable for the roles and missions for which these motorcycles had been intended.[1][8]The 841 had also been found to have gearbox problems.[9]Surplus 841s were eventually sold from the corporate warehouse in Springfield.[2][9]
Indian enthusiast Sammy Pierce used the tank and frame of his 841 along with the case and cylinders of an Indian Chief to make his P-61 American Rocket, featured on the cover of the May 1952 issue ofCyclemagazine.[10]
Drivetrain configuration[edit]
Similar drivetrain configurations, using wide-angle longitudinally mounted V-twins with shaft drive, were later used on the 1953–1956VictoriaBergmeister motorcycle, theHonda CX series,and, most notably, on medium- and large-sizedMoto Guzzimotorcycles.[1][2][11]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abcdef"Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum: 1941 Indian Military Model 841: The Wigwam's desert warfare bike".Motorcyclemuseum.org. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-07-27.Retrieved2011-02-26.
- ^abcdefgTharp, Dave."The Soldier that Never Was – Indian Military Model 841".Motorcycle Online.Archived fromthe originalon 1996-12-19.Retrieved2007-05-10.
- ^abcWilson, Hugo (1995). "The A-Z of Motorcycles".The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle.London UK: Dorling-Kindersley. p.108.ISBN0-7513-0206-6.
- ^abcdeCharles McLendon, ed. (September 1942). "Motorcycles for Combat".Popular Science.141(3). New York, NY, USA: Popular Science Publishing: 118–121, 212, 214.ISSN0161-7370.
- ^Walker, Mick (2 October 2006).Motorcycle: Evolution, Design, Passion.The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 40.ISBN0801885302.
- ^abcMitchel, Doug (1995).Motorcycle Classics.Lincolnwood, IL USA: Publications International. pp.56–57.ISBN0-7853-0889-X.
- ^abcdTooth, Phillip (November–December 2012). "War Horse: Indian Model 841".Motorcycle Classics.8(2): 61–64.ISSN1556-0880.
- ^ab"Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum: 1942 Harley-Davidson XA".Motorcyclemuseum.org. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-07-27.Retrieved2011-02-25.
- ^abcDoyle, David (Feb 28, 2011).Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles(2nd ed.). Krause Publications. pp. 17–18.ISBN978-1-44022-799-8.RetrievedJuly 24,2012.
Unfortunately, the gearbox was hard to shift and trouble prone.
- ^Margie Siegal (September–October 2007)."Sammy Pierce's P-61 American Rocket".Motorcycle Classics.Retrieved2009-08-11.
- ^Wilson, Hugo (1995). "The A-Z of Motorcycles".The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle.London UK: Dorling-Kindersley. p.191.ISBN0-7513-0206-6.