1947 Indian Motorcycle Art

Size: 24"x34"

Indian motorcycle riders are a breed by themselves. Here is a profile view of the classic American made 1947 Indian Chief motorcycle first introduced in 1922. Tap or move mouse over picture to see LED lighting effects. Yellow, Red & Green L.E.D. lights throughout image.

The Indian Chief is an American Classic motorcycle first introduced in 1922. Having a distinctive design for the Chief has always been the hallmark of the Indian brand. Charles Franklin, a designer and engineer at Indian, is credited for coming up with the name "Chief" as a larger version of the highly successful "Scout". The Chief eventually became Indian’s best selling motorcycle. The Chief was also made with a distinct color and is further distinguished by its fringed dual seat, spotlights and a fork with chrome plating. A set of streamlined and skirted fenders were added in 1940 along with a unique plunger rear suspension. Early models of the Chief originally displaced 61 cubic inches. In 1923 they were enlarged to 74 cubic inches. Then in 1950 they were increased to 80 cubic inches where they remained until the end of production in 1950. Telescopic hydraulic forks were added in 1950, just a year after Harley began introducing them. But the Indian Chief had its popular rear suspension 18 years before Harley could match that feature. While Harley-Davidson worked on mechanical and performance enhancements Indian more commonly focused on styling- sticking with their legendary flathead twin engine till the end.