The Indian Prince was an entry-level single-cylinder motorcycle built by the Hendee Manufacturing Company from 1925 to 1928. Designed by Charles B. Franklin, who had drawn the Scout, it was intended for beginners and for export, and it was restyled after its first year.
Indian Prince at a glance
| Maker | Hendee Manufacturing Company, Springfield |
|---|---|
| Production | 1925–1928 |
| Designer | Charles B. Franklin |
| Type | single-cylinder, entry level |
| Gearbox, 1925 | separate from the engine |
| Fuel tank, 1925 | wedge-shaped, bolted to a tube under the tank |
| 1926 revision | new separate gearbox and a tank shaped like the Scout’s |
| Forks | coil-sprung girder, not leaf-sprung trailing link |
| Front brake | added in 1928, the final year |
This page is based on English Wikipedia only, so the details could not be cross-checked against a second source.
History of the Indian Prince
A machine for beginners
The Prince was designed by Charles B. Franklin and went into production in 1925. It was a single-cylinder motorcycle meant for beginners and for export markets, where a smaller and cheaper machine made more sense than Indian’s V-twins.
The first version had its gearbox separate from the engine, and a tube under the fuel tank to which the wedge-shaped tank was bolted from below. For 1926 the Prince was redesigned with a separate gearbox and a fuel tank similar in shape to that of the contemporary Scout. Both versions used coil-sprung girder forks instead of the leaf-sprung trailing-link forks fitted to the Chief and Scout of the same years.
Final year and legacy
A front brake was added in 1928, the last year of production, and the model was then dropped after four seasons. Harley-Davidson began building its own single-cylinder motorcycle for 1926 and kept it until 1934, so the class the Prince had opened did not disappear from the American market.
The Prince’s frame and forks had a second life. In 1933 they were revived for use with V-twin engines to form the Motoplane and the Pony Scout. The Pony Scout was later renamed the Junior Scout and continued until the beginning of the Second World War, and girder forks of the same family were used on the 1934–1942 Sport Scout and the 1945–1948 Chief.
Design and features
- Single cylinder: a simpler, cheaper engine than Indian’s V-twins.
- Beginners and export: the model was designed for riders new to motorcycling and for markets outside the United States.
- Girder forks: coil-sprung rather than the leaf-sprung trailing-link type of the bigger models.
- Second life: the frame and forks were reused for the Motoplane and Pony Scout in 1933.
Indian Prince versions
- 1925 Prince: separate gearbox and wedge-shaped fuel tank.
- 1926–1927 Prince: redesigned with a Scout-shaped tank.
- 1928 Prince: the only version with a front brake.
- Motoplane and Pony Scout (1933): V-twins built on the Prince frame and forks.
The Prince was the smallest model beside the Scout and the Chief, and its frame later served the Scout line again. More Indian motorcycles are in the Indian collection.
Sources
- Indian Prince, English Wikipedia: design, production, legacy
