1922 Indian Standard

[Dr.John1922]

Hi All,
Don't know where to begin. Purchased this 1922 Indian 'Standard' with Princess Sidecar from I man who had the bike in storage in his neighbors garage who is a friend of my daughter. He's moving to North Carolina. It's been in his family from it's original purchase from a dealership in Newark, NJ and because of his impending move, he must sell. At first I thought it was all complete and 'functional', but as I'm examining I see that many cables, foot boards, chains, etc. have been removed and are hopefully in the extra parts included.

The owner told me that this Indian is a 'Standard' model and not a Chief and is one of three that was built with a Princess Sidecar ( which I have as well ).

Any photos, literature, contacts, etc. to get me informed would be deeply appreciated. Have many photos, here are a few.

Dr.John1922
IMG_1597.jpgIMG_8397.jpgIMG_8396.jpgIMG_8398.jpg

[exeric]

I've always loved the Indian Standard and wish there was more information about it. They were made for 3 years, and no telling how many were made. I'm sure Indian used up PowerPlus parts, but I also suspect it had decent sales; particularly as an export motorcycle. Obviously, at a certain point (1924) Indian didn't want the Standard to compete for sales with the Scout, and Chief. There was a lot going on at Indian in the early '20s; and much of it was good (the Scout, the new Chief) and Indian was still a dominant manufacturer. However, there were bad financial things happening under the table, and Indian was packed full of crooks at the top. I've never seen reliable production numbers on the Standard and wouldn't know where you could find that information. Hopefully, someone here can fill in some of the blanks on the Standard.

[ryan]

Is that an electric start bike? A guy I know has with a starter, does not work though. I could be off though.

[exeric]

Ryan, in 1914, Indian offered the Hendee Special which had an electric starter, but no generator so the owner had to charge the 2 batteries overnight. That inconvenience, along with no auxiliary manual starter made the Hendee Special a failure. Too bad Indian didn't continue refining the electrical issues. Electrical systems were quite new in 1914, and it wasn't until 1917 and later that buyers had confidence in factory electrical systems.

[Dr.John1922]

Eric,
Thank You for the history on the Standard. Hope others will have something to add.
John

[Sargehere]

There was a handle on the switch on the gas tank "tool box" of a Hendee Special that you threw from "start" to "run" after starting, which manually changed the starter motor into a DC dynamo for recharging while running. Even with two 6v batteries, the set-up was insufficiently developed, and Indian's marketing experiment died; the bikes that had been sold were recalled and converted to kick start.

[Dr.John1922]

Gerry,

Thanks for chiming in. All info is deeply appreciated. This bike has the original generator ( minus the V belt ) and a kick pedal. Hmmm?

John

[exeric]

Gerry is referring to the Hendee Special, which was 1914 only. By 1922, Indian used Splitdorf electrical components which your 1922 Indian Standard should have.

[Dr.John1922]

Eric,

I'm a virgin as it applies to a Vintage Bike. I know it's a piece of history and I wasn't going to let it be bastardized. My intent is to get it back together as it was in its day and not alter its present patinated condition. Starting or riding it are questionable.
Great having you comment on what I have but I have to confess my ignorance as to the electronics of the bike. Was there a battery ? Did the generator recharge it ? There is no wiring to be had at any of the lights or horn. Any literature or diagram as to its functionality would surely educate me.

John

[pisten-bully]

John, have you looked in the club library yet?

[exeric]

John, if they don't have this pamphlet in the library, I hope this is of some use to you. I have had this old literature for many years and it was one of the reasons I like the Indian Standard so much. I think there is some good information here.

[exeric]

Here are the following pages of the pamphlet.

[exeric]

Photobucket puts things in a different order than you upload, so here is the page that was missing, U believe it was the 3rd page.

[Dr.John1922]

Harry,

Thanks, I'll do my homework.

[Dr.John1922]

Thank you and ever one for all the pictures, advice and continuing education keep it coming.