1949 Indian Motorcycle "Arrow"

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1949 Indian Motorcycle “Arrow”

Motor:  218cc
Frame: light cruiser
Transmission: 4-speed
Mileage: Exempt
Stock: 49IN07-
 

This bike has an older restoration. The paint is not the best but certainly shows character. The parts are mostly original and some reproduction. It just had a new clutch installed and has a proper 1949 Florida title. Mileage of course is exempt.
 

The history behind the “Arrow” is quite interesting. It was a design envisioned right after the war, when Indian tried to predict what type of motorcycles would be needed in the US market and they made a drastic miscalculation. They saw sales of Triumph and BSA on lightweight bikes and thought that is where the market was heading, abandoning their excellent reputation for innovative V-Twin big blocks. After 4-years of R&D and extensive testing the 218cc single cylinder “Arrow” was introduced and while it was innovative and fast it was still too small for the Indian followers. That with a few other costly mistakes was the reason Indian Motorcycles shut its doors in the mid 50s after being the largest motorcycle manufacturer just a few decades before.

The Arrow makes a great entry into vintage collector bikes for a new collection. Full restored bikes trade at over $20K.