# Late 30s Columbia built Indian



## dfa242 (Jul 8, 2012)

I finally got around to taking pictures of this one.  Other than some overzealous cleaning by a previous owner, I like the original patina.  If that first digit/letter in the serial number is a B, does that date it to 1937 or does the D make it a 38 or 39?  Thanks for your thoughts,  Dean


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## scrubbinrims (Jul 8, 2012)

My only thoughts are...I love it!
Chris


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## IJamEcono (Jul 8, 2012)

Now THAT is a cool bike!


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## jkent (Jul 8, 2012)

I didn't know columbia buit bicycles for Indian. Not dissing the bike by any means, I love this bike,but couldn't anyone put an indian badge on it?
It looks like the off set screws for the badge would line up with a prewar columbia badge. Just my observation. So somebody school me on this one.


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## jkent (Jul 8, 2012)

*OK I was wrong!*

The Indian bicycles were initially made by the Hendee Manufacturing Company of Springfield, Mass. The company had three names in its lifetime: "The Hendee Manufacturing Company" (1901-1925), "The Indian Motocycle Company" (1925-1951) and "The Indian Company" owned by The Indian Sales Corp. (1951-1962).

The bicycle first appeared in 1898, named the "American Indian", it was shorten to simply "Indian" because it gave better product recognition in export markets. By 1900 the small shop on Worthington Street in Springfield, Mass., was fabricating 4,000 bicycles a year. In 1904 Hendee Manufacturing Company introduced the deep red color that would become Indian's trademark. In 1906, the Hendee Manufacturing Company was still manufacturing bicycles at this location even though more than a thousand motorcycles were also produced at this small shop in 1905.

Even while expanding their facility and becoming the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, bicycle production continued at the Worthington address until at least 1909. In 1910 the company had 3,000 agents and had set up assembly factories in Chicago and San Francisco. In 1911 they were manufacturing aircraft engines and selling motorcycles around the world, yet the 1912 sales catalog features two entire pages dedicated to the Motobike (bicycle). By 1916 the Hendee Manufacturing Company was aggressively advertising both men’s and women’s Indian bicycles in national magazines.

The 1912 Model 91-T Indian Motobike was designed to resemble their successful motorcycles, equipped with an electric light, and dry cell batteries to fit in the pseudo gas tank. Even the Men’s Motobike, which didn’t have electrics, was styled with a skirted front fender and a rear wheel stand just like the current motorcycle models.

Around the early 20's as the their motorcycle division continued its rapid growth, its unknown whether Hendee Manufacturing Company was producing their own bicycles or sub-contracting them? But all indicators suggests that Westfield was indeed making them, models and frame builds are identical to the Columbia and different styling cues then a Davis build. 

Harley-Davidson bicycles were made by the Davis Sewing Machine Company of Toledo, Ohio, from 1917 to 1922. One of the leading manufacturers of bicycles in the U.S., Davis also produced Dayton bicycles (and the Dayton Motor Wheel). The Davis company went bankrupt in 1922.

Sadly, the Indian bicycle last appeared in the company’s sales catalogs in 1923. Indian would make other attempts for a bicycle revival, including contracting a German manufacturing firm in 1937 and a British bicycle company in 1950.


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## fordsnake (Jul 8, 2012)

jkent I think I've seen this before?


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## dfa242 (Jul 8, 2012)

jkent said:


> I didn't know columbia buit bicycles for Indian. Not dissing the bike by any means, I love this bike,but couldn't anyone put an indian badge on it?
> It looks like the off set screws for the badge would line up with a prewar columbia badge. Just my observation. So somebody school me on this one.




Oops, of course I meant to say Wesfield rather than Columbia.  I'll defer to the experts on unraveling this one - if Westfield didn't build it for Indian, someone went to a lot of trouble a while ago to make it appear that way.  Here are a few more pics -


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## mruiz (Jul 8, 2012)

I like it also.
 Mitch


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## jkent (Jul 8, 2012)

*previous post*

Yes You post this information on a post originally started by bicyclbones on 4-4-12 
This is what makes The Cabe such a great informative place. 
Thanks for the info just thought i'd pass it on.


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## slick (Jul 8, 2012)

Yes this is a beautiful bike. Every inch. Nice score indeed.


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## catfish (Jul 8, 2012)

Westfield did make this bike for Indian. I've seen quite a few of these over the years. Even owned one.  I've also seen this badge used on an early 50s Wesstfield Built Five Star.


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## MagicRat (Jul 8, 2012)

*My WILD INDIAN*

It now has truss rods over the bars.

http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=5490&p=56826&hilit=wild+indian#p55180


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## MagicRat (Jul 8, 2012)

*Let me school yas a little bit...*

Indian boardtrack motorcycles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPZY-MUx8qk


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## dave the wave (Jul 8, 2012)

jkent said:


> The Indian bicycles were initially made by the Hendee Manufacturing Company of Springfield, Mass. The company had three names in its lifetime: "The Hendee Manufacturing Company" (1901-1925), "The Indian Motocycle Company" (1925-1951) and "The Indian Company" owned by The Indian Sales Corp. (1951-1962).
> 
> The bicycle first appeared in 1898, named the "American Indian", it was shorten to simply "Indian" because it gave better product recognition in export markets. By 1900 the small shop on Worthington Street in Springfield, Mass., was fabricating 4,000 bicycles a year. In 1904 Hendee Manufacturing Company introduced the deep red color that would become Indian's trademark. In 1906, the Hendee Manufacturing Company was still manufacturing bicycles at this location even though more than a thousand motorcycles were also produced at this small shop in 1905.
> 
> ...




so,do you have a copy of the 1912 motobike to share with us? the way i understood it was that the frame style did not come out until late 1914.


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## MrColumbia (Jul 8, 2012)

To answer the original question, it is a 1937. The letter preceeding the numbers is the one to use. Confirming that is this chainguard was last used in 37.


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## dfa242 (Jul 8, 2012)

MrColumbia said:


> To answer the original question, it is a 1937. The letter preceeding the numbers is the one to use. Confirming that is this chainguard was last used in 37.




Thanks, Ken - I thought that was the case but wanted to be sure.  
I appreciate the help,
Dean


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## MagicRat (Jul 9, 2012)

Its easy enough to make a fake...

I would never pass this off as an original.

http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3996&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=silent+grey+fellow


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## weaponmark (Mar 20, 2022)

I know this thread is mega old, but I've had this bike around for a long time (and I still ride it lol)  I had been researching it to see how much of a Frankenstein it is.  Seems somewhat similar configuration.

I do have the chain cover which looks the same as the OPs.

The chainring looks like the same pattern, but I cannot tell if the OPs a skiptooth or not.

I dont have a hole in my fender for wiring, so likely no tank originally.


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## Archie Sturmer (Mar 20, 2022)

weaponmark said:


> I know this thread is mega old, but I've had this bike around for a long time (and I still ride it lol)  I had been researching it to see how much of a Frankenstein it is.  Seems somewhat similar configuration.



Welcome to the CABE.

Recommend starting a *new* thread and showing or reading the serial numbers for a date estimate.

Nice Westfield-built _Columbia_ bicycle.

Reproduction _Indian_ badges and decals are often made available, should one wish to create an Indian-tribute rat rod bicycle.


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## Mercian (Mar 22, 2022)

Hi @dfa242 

B89961 / D5 means the frame was made in May 1937, and the bike was built up very soon after.

Best Regards,

Adrian


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## Mercian (Mar 22, 2022)

Hi @weaponmark 

As @Archie Sturmer mentions, if you can give us the two sets of letters/numbers under the crank (see the first post on this thread for an example of the layout), we can tell you to the month when the bike was made, and perhaps a little more about it.

Best Regards,

Adrian


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