Manufacturer | Indian |
---|---|
Also called | Indian Light Twin,
[1] "Model Nothing" [1] [2] |
Parent company | Hendee Manufacturing Company |
Production | 1917–1919 [1] [2] |
Assembly | Springfield, Massachusetts, USA |
Predecessor | Indian Model K Featherweight [2] |
Class | Lightweight standard |
Engine | 15.7 cu in (257 cc) [2] flathead flat-twin |
Bore / stroke | 2.0 in × 2.5 in (50.8 mm × 63.5 mm) [1] |
Top speed | 36 mph (58 km/h) [3] |
Power | 4 hp (3.0 kW) [3] |
Transmission | 3-speed manual, hand shift [1] |
Suspension | Front: pivoting fork,
[2]
[3] replaced in 1917 by trailing-link fork
[3] Rear: none, rigid |
Brakes | Front: none Rear: contracting band [1] |
The Indian Model O was a lightweight motorcycle made by the Hendee Manufacturing Company from 1917 to 1919. [1] [2] Indian expected to sell the Model O to young or thrifty riders. The United States' entry into World War I caused Indian to shift manufacture to military motorcycles, and the low cost of the Ford Model T caused the market for lightweight motorcycles to collapse.
The Model O was designed as an entry-level motorcycle to attract young riders. [1] [2] It replaced the two-stroke single-cylinder Model K Featherweight, which was made in 1916 only. [2] In a layout similar to contemporary Douglas motorcycles from Great Britain, the Model O's flathead flat-twin engine was mounted with its cylinders along the line of the frame. [1] [2] This added smooth operation to the Model K's existing light weight and practicality. [1] [2]
The Model O had a cradle frame supporting the engine at the bottom of the crankcase, while the gearbox was mounted under the frame, below the rear cylinder. [2] [3] The rear wheel was rigidly mounted to a subframe bolted to the frame. [1] [2] The front suspension was initially a pivoting fork used on the Indian Single from 1906 to 1910 and on the Model K Featherweight. [2] [3] This was replaced during 1917 by a leaf-sprung trailing link fork. [3]
The Model O was released in 1917, the year in which the United States entered World War I. [2] Indian diverted its efforts to selling motorcycles to the US military. [4] The appeal of lightweight motorcycles as transport was also eroded by the availability of mass-produced cars, [2] especially the Ford Model T, for which mass production began in 1913. [5] The Model O was not designed to appeal to enthusiasts, to which enthusiasts replied by calling the motorcycle the "Model Nothing". The Model O continued to sell poorly until 1919, when it was discontinued. [1] [2]
In 1919, the year in which the Model O was discontinued, Harley-Davidson introduced its Model W Sport Twin. [2] [6] The Model W had a Douglas-like layout similar to that of the Model O, using a flat-twin engine with a transverse crankshaft and cylinders parallel to the frame. [2] [6] Larger and more powerful than the Model O, the Model W had several innovations, including unit construction of engine and transmission, an enclosed drivetrain, and a coil-sprung trailing link fork. [2] The Model W sold well in its first year, but sales fell after that, [2] and it was discontinued in 1923. [2] [6]
But in the U.S., it was a different story. The machine languished in the Harley line through 1923, then was dropped.
In October 1913, mass production of the Model T began at Ford's Highland Park, Michigan, Assembly Plant. Henry Ford had previously organized men and components to enhance Model T production, but the moving assembly line quickly improved chassis assembly speed from 12 hours and eight minutes to one hour and 33 minutes.