*
A rare peak inside the early days of the engineering dept. at Indian– year unknown.
*
Charles B. Franklin joined Indian in 1914, and was the first ever formally trained engineer on staff since the motorcycle firm officially opened its doors in 1901. Franklin’s background in engineering, as well as racing, gave Indian someone expertly qualified for the position. Born in Ireland in 1886, Franklin was a graduate of the Dublin College of Science in 1908, then joined the engineering department of Dublin’s municipal government. He was passionate about motorcycling, personally owning several makes and models before finally fixing his sights on Indian in 1910. Franklin entered several local motorcycle competitions where his riding ability and success in the events brought him to the attention to the UK Indian importer, Billy Wells. He was a member of the famous Indian racing team that swept the 1911 Isle of Man TT, gaining second place behind Oliver Godfrey, and in front of Arthur Moorhouse, in the historic first 1-2-3 finish for Indian.
*
1916 Indian Powerplus 1000 cc motorcycle
A brief primer on the Indian Powerplus–
1907 was a major milestone year for Indian– for it’s when the iconic American motorcycle company introduced the first of its V-twin engines. They continued to improve upon the design, and marked themselves as leading innovators when in 1911 Indian introduced the next generation of the Powerplus– OHV (overhead valve), four-valves-per-cylinder racers. In 1916, Indian ushered in their widely popular 61 cu.in. (998cc) flathead V-twin. The powerful engine distributed its power through a three-speed, hand-change gearbox, with foot-operated clutch and all-chain drive.
The side-valve engine design of the Indian PowerPlus proved to be a tough-as-nails workhorse, and in the hands of the new generation of motor-heads and speed-demons of the day– it was force to be reckoned with on any road or racetrack.
*
1919 Indian Military Powerplus— the motorcycle that helped the US win WWI.
*
The Selvedge Yard 