Indian Touch Up Paint

Indian is not only a renowned American motorcycle company but it is also one of the oldest in the world. Originally founded in the late 1800s as a bicycle manufacturer by George H. Hendee, the young company soon welcomed Oscar Hedstrom within its ranks. Both men were participating in bicycle races and worked as constructors, so when they teamed up they agreed to push the limits of their bikes further by attaching an engine on it. 

The first prototype the partners made, appeared on the market in 1902 as a single-cylinder 1.75 horsepower motorcycle. The success of this model propelled the company to join in races where they broke both speed and distance records with their machines. The organization continued to ride on their victories with motorcycles featuring the recognizable deep red paint used on the bikes they produced.

As the First World War unfolded, Indian had to re-purpose its production in order to comply to the needs of the army. This situation put a strain on domestic sales as they could not support both the U.S. Military needs and the interior market demand. As a result, many of the dealers who offered the Indian bikes turned to their competitors to satisfy their customers. As a direct result, Indian lost its pole position in sales to American competitor Harley-Davidson as soon as 1920.

The following years led the company to develop its more famous models; the Scout and the Chief. Even if these models have earned a fair amount of popularity, Indian failed to obtain the lucrative government contract for World War II. As of 1945, a group of investors bought a controlling interest in the company and they initiated a line of lightweight motorcycle while discontinuing the production of the Scout. These bikes did not gain enough market shares and all production of Indian bikes ceased in 1953.

From this point into the end of the 70's, the Indian trademark switched hands many times. All the Indian brand name motorcycles sold during this period were in fact European models imported in the U.S. and rebadged as Indians. Three more unsuccessful attempts, but this time with new models, were made from 1977 to 2011, until Polaris Industries bought the company and moved the production line to its own. From its factory in Iowa, Polaris unveiled new Indian models based on the vintage style and feel of the original company.

In case you are the glad owner of a vintage dark red Indian or a new shiny black one, take care of its paint with TouchUpDirect perfect colors line of Indian touch up paint. Our paint is designed to match your motorcycle perfectly while being easy to apply.