|
Classic Bikes
Custom Bikes
Individual
Racing Bikes AJP
AJS
Aprilia
Ariel
Avinton / Wakan
Bajaj
Benelli
Beta
Bimota
BMW
Brough Superior
BRP Cam-Am
BSA
Buell / EBR
Bultaco
Cagiva
Campagna
CCM
CF Moto
Combat Motors
Derbi
Deus
Ducati
Excelsior
GASGAS
Ghezzi Brian
Gilera
GIMA
Harley Davidson
Hero
Highland
Honda
Horex
Husaberg
Husqvarna
Hyosung
Indian
Jawa
Kawasaki
KTM
KYMCO
Laverda
Lazareth
Magni
Maico
Mash
Matchless
Mondial
Moto Guzzi
Moto Morini
MV Agusta
MZ / MuZ
NCR
Norton
NSU
Paton
Peugeot
Piaggio
Revival Cycles
Roland Sands
Royal Enfield
Sachs
Sherco
Sunbeam
Suzuki
SWM
SYM
Triumph
TVS
Ural
Velocette
Vespa
Victory
Vincent
VOR
Voxan
Vyrus
Walt Siegl
Walz
Wrenchmonkees
Wunderlich
XTR / Radical
Yamaha
Zero
Video
Technical
Complete Manufacturer List
|
Indian Century V-Twin Chief Prototype
The 1994 Century V-Twin Chief was a prototype motorcycle developed in the hopes of reviving the Indian Motocycle marque, it features an entirely unique engine that was CNC milled from billet aluminium alloy and unusually it features three valves per cylinder. There were multiple attempts to revive the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company, originally named the Hendee Manufacturing Company, between the time the original company closed its doors in 1953 and the time the brand was taken over by Polaris Industries in 2011. Today we recognise Indian as a popular, booming motorcycle company providing much needed American competition for Harley-Davidson – just like they did for the first half of the 20th century. In the early 1990s legal wrangling was taking place over who actually owned the rights to the Indian name, one of the claimants was Wayne Baughman, an Albuquerque car-parts salesman who formed Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Inc.
Unlike many of the attempted revivals, the Baughman attempt was actually quite far along. The team had designed and produced two running and rideable prototypes to garner the attention of the media, and hopefully acquire some investors. The prototypes worked and approximately $5 million of investment was secured to get the project off the ground. In order to bypass the legal battle that was underway over the Indian name, Baughman named his motorcycle the “Century V-Twin Chief”. His plan was to use the Indian name if he was legally permitted to, but in the meantime he set about making a motorcycle as close to a modern version of the iconic Indian Chief as he could. The relaxed riding style, large V-twin, elegant fenders, and classic American motorcycle profile of the original Indian were all carried forward onto the Century V-twin Chief, and it was (arguably) quite handsome motorcycle by the standards of the cruisers of the day. From an engineering stand-point, the Baughman Chief was notably more advanced than the road-going Harleys of the era. Its CNC milled alloy engine still used pushrods, but they were gear driven pushrods actuating three valves per head – two inlet valves and one exhaust valve. The total swept capacity of this V-twin is 1646cc and it has a dry sump design, with a 100mm x 100mm bore and stroke, a 10:1 compression ratio, and it’s air and oil-cooled with twin oil radiators. The fuel injected engine produced (according to company claims) 98 hp at 5,600 rpm and 90 ft lbs of torque at 4,300 rpm. Final drive was via toothed belt and although the bike looks like it’s a hard tail, it actually has hidden rear suspension. Baughman had been successful in having a prototype designed, bringing in investment, and acquiring 50 dealers worldwide to sell his new motorcycle. What he failed at was securing the rights to actually use the Indian name, and once a large court case settled ownership in the favour of someone else, the project to build the “Indian” Century V-Twin Chief quickly fell apart. Source silodrome.com
|
|
Any corrections or more information on these motorcycles will be kindly appreciated. |