Indian® Motorcycle Dealer Near Tampa, FL

History Of Indian Motorcycle®

For rugged, American-made motorcycles, a lot of people turn to Indian Motorcycle®. This is because the company has come a long way from their humble beginnings back in 1897. They're now known for their top-of-the-line bikes that are comfortable, performance-packed and durable.

As your local Indian Motorcycle® dealer, we at Sky Powersports Lakeland want to provide you with more information about the company so you can know them better. If you're looking for Indian Motorcycle® for sale in Lakeland, FL, get in touch with our sales department to see what we have in stock! We welcome all our patrons from Tampa and Orlando!

The Beginning

Originally called the Hendee Manufacturing Company by founder George M. Hendee, the company manufactured motorcycles for the first three years before they entered a partnership with Oscar Hedstrom. With this change, they began to work on creating three prototype bikes that paved the way for their 1.75bhp single-cylinder engine. This was an immediate success and skyrocketed sales for Hendee's fledgling company.

It was in 1902 that the world finally got the first Indian Motorcycle® models that had sleek frames and chain drives. Only a year later, an Indian Motorcycle® set the world record for motorcycle speed. Then the first Indian Motorcycle® V-twin factory racer took to the racetrack to bring home trophies and set records. Later the V-twin found its way onto street models and roadsters.

Mid-Century History

With the start of the First World War, the United States government bought a large number of Indian Motorcycle® 1917-18 Powerplus models. This made that particular series unavailable to the general public. Since there were fewer bikes to sell, many dealers had to close their businesses.

Other motorcycle manufacturers then took the opportunity to take over the ground that Indian Motorcycle® had claimed. Their loyal customers had to turn to the other companies, making the company lose the lead they had claimed. Eventually, they even lost their title of being the #1 motorcycle maker in the country.

Post-War History

When the Second World War was finally over, the company's controlling shares were bought by a group led by Ralph B. Rogers. His first step was to cut some of their more successful lines and start focusing on creating more lightweight and manageable bikes. By 1953, all product manufacturing had ended and the brand went back and forth between different controlling groups.

Finally, in April 2011, Polaris Industries ended up acquiring Indian Motorcycle®. By 2013, the company was manufacturing ten models. They kept growing from there and now the Indian Motorcycle® lineup offers plenty of power, speed, agility and style, much like the original bikes did!

When you're ready to check out Indian Motorcycle® for sale, contact Sky Powersports Lakeland and one of our expert staff will gladly help you out! We're proud to be the leading Indian Motorcycle® dealer for our clients from Lakeland, Tampa and Orlando!