6. Indian
This American motorcycle manufacturer dates back to 1895, where it initially started as a bicycle manufacturer. It wasn’t until 1901 that they started to attach motors to these bikes, and a year later the first Indian motorcycle was sold. They went on to set records on both the racetrack and with production sales. By WWI, nearly Indian’s entire lineup was sold to the United States military to do their part to help out their fighting country; which inevitably limited the availability for civilian use. Due to this, Indian lost their rank as the number one motorcycle manufacturer and Harley-Davidson quickly rose to the top. Nevertheless, it ranks pretty high in our list of best-selling motorcycles of all time. Between the First and Second World War, Indian merges with DuPont and released the Scout and Chief models; which are among their most iconic models to date. Their services were requested again by the American Forces and asked to produce a motorcycle specifically intended as a means of transportation for American troops during WWII. A very rare Indian 841 was presented… and rejected. The company actually went under in 1953, and remained so for 50 years! But its name still held the hearts of many Americans and the brand was brought back to life in 2006. Since then, they have re-birthed their most iconic models, this time only producing a limited supply. The limitations of the quantity in which these motorcycles are produced created the demand for these bikes to rise as motorcycle enthusiasts and collectors race to grab one of their own before they are gone. Although their production ceased for many years, Indian’s legacy carried on and just could not be forgotten, causing other American manufacturers to try their best to revive them. Since their rebirth, they have been battling it out in sales figures with Harley-Davidson—just like the good ol’ days; except this time, they’re winning!
