10 Rare Indian Motorcycles And What They’re Worth – Jalopnik

Indian formally — but wrongly — payments itself as America’s first motorbike firm (despite the fact that the oldest motorbike model is not Indian and even Harley-Davidson). And throughout the 1910s, Indian was the most important on the earth. But even the greats have to begin someplace, and for Indian, that was Springfield, Massachusetts, the place George Hendee based the Hendee Manufacturing Company in 1897.

In 1901, Hendee employed engineer Oscar Hedstrom, and the pair opened a downtown manufacturing facility to construct gasoline-powered bikes. Their first prototype adopted that yr (with Indian celebrating it 125 years later with attractive hand-painted bikes) and hit the streets in 1902. By 1905, roughly 1,000 Indians had been constructed; in 1913, it made 32,000. Then, in 1953, it closed up store, inadvertently creating one of many rarest and most collectible Indian bikes of all time.

From 1902’s single-cylinder Indian Camelback to the 1953 Chief, Indian constructed a terrific many bizarre bikes and a small variety of extraordinary ones. Some are laborious to inform from a bicycle, just like the 1903 Camelback. Some have been experiments the market rejected, just like the 1914 Hendee Special, whose electrical starter failed and triggered one of many first bike remembers. And some have been contract builds for the U.S. Army and Department of War. 

Below, we rank 10 uncommon Indian bikes, commonest to rarest, primarily based on the most effective out there manufacturing figures and, the place attainable, survivor counts. Values come from verified public sale gross sales or, the place a motorbike hasn’t modified fingers publicly, estimates from main public sale homes.

By in the present day’s requirements, Indian’s first manufacturing motorbike barely seems like one, however as the primary fruit of George Hendee and Oscar Hedstrom’s partnership, it is a key a part of the model’s historical past. Upon assembly Hedstrom in New York City in 1900 — and being impressed by his “motor-pacers” — Hendee wished to construct a motorbike for the typical Joe powered by a series somewhat than the then-popular (however unreliable) belt drives. Hedstrom started working, combining an Indian bike body with a motor-pacer’s engine, and his prototype was introduced to the general public on June 1, 1901.

A 1903 Camelback displayed on the now-closed National Motorcycle Museum saved the important thing options of Hedstrom’s authentic design: a 2-horsepower 13-cubic-inch air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine and a humped rear-mounted gas tank that gave the mannequin its title — all connected to a standard diamond-shaped metal bicycle body. The engines got here from the Aurora Automatic Machinery Company in Aurora, Illinois, whereas the frames have been made regionally in Springfield. Despite their primitive design, these Indians carried out nicely; Hedstrom rode one to a world motorbike velocity document of 56 mph in 1903. Two years later, his design acquired its first main upgrades — a sprung entrance fork and twist-grip throttle/ignition.

How many authentic Camelbacks have been constructed is disputed. The National Motorcycle Museum, for instance, claimed Hendee Manufacturing made simply 1,000 between 1902 and 1905. Meanwhile, a Bonhams public sale itemizing says the corporate manufactured 1,182 bikes in 1905 alone. Whatever the precise quantity, these are uncommon and extremely collectible: the unrestored bike listed on Bonham’s bought for in England for 40,250 kilos in 2015 — equal to $77,867 in 2026.

One of Indian’s strangest (and most collectible) motorbikes wasn’t constructed for cruising, however below fee by the U.S. authorities and army. In 1941, the U.S. Army commissioned Harley-Davidson and Indian to give you a motorbike match for desert warfare in North Africa. Harley-Davidson’s response was the XA, an in depth copy of BMW’s R71 — the civilian predecessor to the heavy-duty R75 German army machine. 

Indian, in the meantime, created the now-iconic 841, constructed round a 45-cubic-inch 90-degree side-valve V-twin with a longitudinal crankshaft that maximized air-cooling. The 841 additionally featured a low 5.1:1 compression ratio, letting it run on low-quality gas; a four-speed foot-shift and an enclosed driveshaft; a girder entrance fork with coil springs and shocks; 8-inch drum brakes, plunger rear suspension, and rubber-mounted handlebars — all to satisfy the Army’s demand for a low-maintenance machine that would deal with warmth, sand, and lengthy distances.

Despite its distinctive design, there have been no winners on this Harley-vs.-Indian motorbike struggle inside a struggle. The Army rejected each Indian’s 841 and Harley’s XA. Indian had constructed round 1,000 prototypes, maybe as many as 1,056, however none ended up deployed; the Army selected to make use of Jeeps as a substitute. What grew to become of the 841s is not clear; some sources say they sat in storage till the struggle ended, when Indian tailored them for civilian sale. Bonhams says the excess bikes bought for $500 every circa 1945, equal to $9,305 in 2026.

Bonhams places the variety of full 841s left at fewer than 100. One — initially owned by E. Paul du Pont, Indian’s president from 1930 to 1945, and credited with saving the corporate throughout the Great Depression — sits within the Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington, Delaware. In January 2026, a civilian 841 bought at Mecum’s Las Vegas public sale for $25,300.

Next come two bikes from Indian’s second-generation four-cylinder lineup. In an try and improve its first-generation fours (subsequent on this listing) and deal with their lack of velocity and acceleration, Indian threw the engine design it inherited from the Ace Motor Company on its head — actually. It positioned exhaust valves over the engine’s side-facing inlets and created the short-lived Upside Down Four engine.

Early fashions (just like the 436 from 1936) featured uncovered exhaust valves, a Marvel updraft carburetor, leaf-spring entrance forks, a three-speed hand-operated transmission, 6-volt electronics, and drum brakes. The engines in these bikes displaced 77.1 cubic inches and are rated at 35 hp with a high velocity of 95 mph. 

In 1937, an replace birthed the 437, which featured twin Zenith carburetors instead of the 436’s single Marvel; redesigned connecting rods; and a skinny guard over the beforehand uncovered valve rockers. Indian marketed the 437 because the Sport Four, promising increased sustained speeds and higher reliability. It delivered each, however nonetheless failed: The exhaust-over-inlet design uncovered riders to extra warmth from the highest of the engine and required common valve changes. By 1938, and after producing just some hundred bikes annually in 1936 and 1937, Indian reverted to a standard inlet-over-exhaust design.

In 2012, a restored 437 bought by way of Bonhams for $48,000 (equal to $70,033 in 2026). At Mecum’s Las Vegas Motorcycles Auction in 2022, a 436 show bike owned by a former American Motorcycle Owners Club president bought for $126,500 ($144,795 in 2026).

Indian’s first four-cylinder bike wasn’t actually an Indian; it was basically a 75-cubic-inch (1,229-cubic-centimeter) Ace Four, designed by William G. Henderson. In truth, the earliest fours to roll off Indian’s manufacturing strains in Springfield nonetheless carried solely the Ace title on the tank. The bikes stayed in manufacturing from April 1927 till July 1928 earlier than they acquired rebranded because the Indian 401. Hard manufacturing numbers aren’t identified, however some sources put the whole at simply 260, making this a extremely fascinating collector’s merchandise.

Beneath the tank, Aces featured an air-cooled inline-4 engine with inlet-over-exhaust valves, a three-speed hand-operated transmission, and a series drive. In 1927, Indian made certainly one of its first substantial modifications to that design: It drilled passages into the crankshaft, letting oil be pushed into each bearing within the engine below 40 kilos of stress. The Indian-built Aces which have come up on the market additionally carry barely extra displacement than the originals (1265 cc towards 1229 cc) — a distinction of about 9 cubic centimeters per cylinder. In 1928, different enhancements to Indian Aces included lighter alloy pistons, a decrease saddle peak, and a brand new camshaft. One of those bikes is presently on show on the Technik Museum in Sinsheim, Germany, ranking at 30 hp with a high velocity of roughly 80 mph.

At the time of writing, few Indian Aces have come up for public sale: Dutch supplier Yesterdays lists one as bought and not using a closing gross sales worth, whereas a 1928 Indian Ace crossed the block at Mecum’s 2024 Las Vegas Motorcycles public sale for $220,000 ($235,062 in 2026).

The Chief is Indian’s most iconic bike, and lives on in the present day with out compensating for something. It arrived in 1922 as a bigger, extra highly effective successor to the sooner Scout. And by the Forties, with its massive, skirted fenders, the Chief was the defining picture of Indian bikes. This bike typically is not uncommon: Indian constructed practically 12,000 Chiefs in 1947 alone — the very best identified manufacturing yr. Chiefs from 1953, nevertheless, are the exception, and a holy grail for collectors.

Early Chief engines displaced 61 cubic inches, however they grew to 80 ci by the Fifties. These later fashions paired the model’s attribute air-cooled 42-degree side-valve V-twin with a 3.25-by-4.8- inch bore and stroke, a three-speed tank-shift gearbox, a foot-operated moist multi-disk clutch, hydraulic forks, and plunger rear suspension. They have been rated at 40 hp, with a 90-mph high velocity. What actually units the 1953 fashions aside for collectors, nevertheless, is that this: Only about 600 have been made they usually have been the final bikes produced on the Springfield manufacturing facility earlier than Indian shut down. 

For a collectible Indian, these bikes typically do not break the financial institution. Mecum presently has a number of on public sale, with asking costs starting from $17,000 to $60,000 relying on situation and historical past. In 2020, nevertheless, a 1953 Chief restored by Dennis Craig fetched $77,000 (or $99,661 in 2026 {dollars}). Indian specialist Kurly’s Starklite Cycle lists one at $89,995, however that bike was assembled over 30 years from new-old inventory components.

By 1913, simply 12 years after Hendee and Hedstrom joined forces, the Hendee Manufacturing Company was producing 32,000 bikes a yr — greater than every other motorbike model on the earth. A yr later manufacturing dropped to 25,000, however Indian saved innovating: It constructed the world’s first bike with an electrical starter, the Hendee Special. Only 200 have been made, and Bonhams estimates fewer than six nonetheless exist in the present day — simply three of them full.

Named after co-founder George Hendee, who then was near retiring, the bike featured a 61-cubic-inch V-twin making 7 hp; a three-speed transmission, and a twin six-volt ignition impressed by the Kettering’s starters fitted to 1912 Cadillacs. The system sadly failed: Its batteries depleted after simply one- or two-dozen begins, and there was no handbook backup. The Hendee Special duly grew to become the topic of the world’s first motorbike recall, with starters stripped out and kick-start levers bolted to the bikes’ transmissions. Surviving bikes that saved their electrical starter are what collectors now chase.

Hendee Specials retailed for $325 in 1914 ($10,887 in 2026). A century later, an all-original, unrestored instance that also had its starter bought by way of RM Sotheby’s for $126,500 ($178,997 in the present day). At Christie’s 2005 Monterey public sale, a family-owned Hendee Special bought for $61,100 ($104,800 in 2026). A restored instance bought for $55,000 at Gooding in 2006 ($91,388 in 2026), and Mecum bought one with its starter intact for $85,800 in 2020 ($111,051 in the present day).

Like Chiefs, common Scouts aren’t rarities — Indian nonetheless builds them, and the 2026 Sport Scout RT could possibly be the right cruiser. Debuting in 1920 because the Scout 37, this bike rapidly grew to become certainly one of Indian’s bestsellers. During World War II, Indian provided bikes to the U.S. Army and Allied forces, amongst them 640 and 741B Scouts. After the struggle, nevertheless, the Scout disappeared from Indian’s catalogue. 

Then, in 1948, it made a quiet, short-lived comeback. Indian constructed simply 50 648 “Big Base” Sport Scouts to satisfy homologation guidelines for that yr’s Daytona 200. This bike gained Indian its final Daytona title with Floyd Emde aboard, and was the final Scout constructed earlier than the corporate closed in 1953. Mecum places the survivor depend at seven.

A show bike on the National Motorcycle Museum, constructed from new outdated inventory components by supplier and race sponsor Erwin Smith, confirmed what these uncommon collectible bikes regarded like. Beneath the saddle sat a 45-cubic-inch 42-degree side-valve V-twin making round 50 hp; a British Amal carburetor; three-speed gearbox; girder fork suspension; a inflexible rear; and a Splitdorf magneto. Modest as that sounds in the present day, it was grunt sufficient for Emde to dominate the 1948 Daytona 200 at a median high velocity of 84 mph, forward of Billy Mathews on a Norton and Woody Simmons on a Harley-Davidson WR. 

Big Base Scouts (named for his or her huge oil capability for racing) not often come up on the market, and command excessive costs after they do. In 2008, a 648 restored by Jim Suter and raced at Daytona within the Eighties bought for $165,000 by way of RM Auctions ($256,716 in 2026). And in 2015, Mecum bought a 1948 Indian 648 Big Base owned and raced by Bob Lutz for $40,700 ($57,522 in 2026).

Hillclimbing emerged alongside observe racing as a preferred type of American motorbike sport within the Twenties, with nationwide championships drawing tens of 1000’s of spectators. For these races, Indian and its opponents made custom-built alcohol-burning machines with prolonged frames and chains across the rear tire for further traction. One of those bikes, the Indian A45, carried out so nicely that it was nicknamed after the Altoona observe in Pennsylvania the place it debuted and dominated. According to Mecum, Indian constructed simply two dozen A45s, making them one of many rarest Indian bikes.

The restricted info on these racers means that that they had totally different specs, presumably to satisfy totally different racing necessities. For instance, American Motorcyclist describes a motorbike belonging to professional racer Bob Armstrong as having an 80-cubic-inch V-twin with high-lift cams, 5.33:1 compression, ball bearings, and a single-speed gearbox. The Vintagent, however, describes a manufacturing facility Indian A45 as having a 750 cc (45 ci) engine making greater than 60 hp and boasting 15:1 compression.

While the specs for these bikes differ a lot in order that specialist Kurly’s Starklite Cycle says there is not any actual definition of a factory-original hillclimber, one factor is for certain: A45s are uncommon and extremely sought by collectors. At 2015’s E.J. Cole Collection Motorcycle Auction, a speed-record-winning 1928 Altoona hillclimber in as-raced situation bought for $247,500 ($349,796 in 2026). And Mecum bought a restored 1926 Indian Altoona three-speed racer with a largely changed body however authentic engine for $110,000 in 2026.

New Zealand driving legend Burt Munro used a Twenties Scout in 1967 to set a still-standing land velocity document of 184 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The Scout made many different observe appearances, too, and tuned racers are a scorching commodity on the collector’s market. Among essentially the most fascinating (and uncommon) are the 18 {custom} hillclimbers Indian in-built 1938 and 1939 — the final devoted hillclimbers the Springfield manufacturing facility produced.

Like the A45 Altoona, 1938/’39 Scout Factory Hill Climbers have been custom-built for racing up steep hills and ran on alcohol. Most acquired modified by the riders racing them: a motorbike listed on Bonhams, for instance, belonged to racer Ken Edmiston and as soon as featured an prolonged body and {custom} gas tank. Other widespread options on these bikes are rear-facing air vents that hold contaminants like sand, mud, or grass from stepping into the engine, in addition to specialised Linkert carburetors. 

The solely ’38/’39 Scout Hill Climber registered for public sale is the bike beforehand belonging to Ken Edmiston. It was listed as a part of the Bonhams’ 2016 Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction at an estimated worth of $60,000 to $70,000 ($83,743 to $97,700 in the present day). However, Bonhams did not announce a closing gross sales worth, and it’s unclear whether or not the bike ever bought.

Arguably the rarest of all classic Indian bikes are the model’s distinctive 8-Valve racers, constructed throughout the peak of American board observe racing within the 1910s. These bikes have been by no means mass-produced; they have been specifically in-built small numbers particularly for motordrome racing. Given the harmful nature of the game, few bikes survived the races, and fewer nonetheless exist in the present day. Mecum, for instance, places the quantity for surviving eight-valve bikes at simply 4. But in 2023, certainly one of these exceptionally uncommon racers got here up on the market and made headlines.

The bike in query is the one identified 8-Valve racer with a prototype keystone/Marion body that includes its authentic manufacturing facility castings, fork, and carburetor. This body went on to outline Indian racers within the Twenties, providing lighter weight and a shorter wheelbase. It additionally carried the matching racing fork and huge gas tank (constructed to swimsuit 100-to-200-mile board races). And it got here with pictures and written documentation to show its wealthy historical past: It was initially bought from the Springfield manufacturing facility and raced by skilled Indian and Excelsior racer Waldo Korn, then bought to racer/tuner Dewey Simms. Finally, it made its manner into the fingers of collectors and historians and, after a full restoration, ended up on show at New York’s Guggenheim Museum in 1998. It bought for $313,500 1 / 4 of a century later ($344,652 in 2026 {dollars}). 

Note that this explicit instance is a prized present bike, and different 8-Valve Indians from the 1910s have bought for a lot much less. A beat-up, un-restored board observe racer, for instance, bought for $48,400 in 2019 ($63,417 in 2026 ). A duplicate of those iconic racers, however, bought by way of RM Sotheby’s for $60,000 in 2026.