Hogwash November 2013

 

With the recent introduction of the new version of the Indian brand, and the subsequent right hook by Harley-Davidson in introducing the new Rushmore Project bikes two weeks later, it might be a good time to look at a time when the two American motorcycle manufacturers might have been merged.

According to Jean Davidson, the author of 2001’s “Growing up Harley-Davidson” and the new “Harley-Davidson Family Memories” this grand-daughter of one of the founders of H-D, Walter Davidson, wrote that the rivalry between these two great companies was not as severe as it was publicized to be by the companies PR people.

Jean writes about for instance about her mother Emma. Emma was known around Milwaukee in the early part of the 20^th century as a trendsetter by some, risqué by other tongue wagging Milwaukeeite’s. She was one of the first women of that city to wear nail polish apparently, and it was the talk of many in the high society parties’ of the time.  

In the 1930’s Indian and Harley were the only two major American motorcycle manufacturers still standing. The Depression was hard on both these old line companies, with H-D generally thought to have come out on top financially by the start of World War II.  The founders of Harley-Davidson considered healthy competition to be a good thing. The streets and the racetracks around the country were packed with riders from both giants of the bike industry constantly trying to prove which motorcycle was the best.

Jean writes that during the 1930’s there were secret meetings held between HD and Indian in Chicago where the two supposed rivals would set prices for their comparative bikes (illegal now) and share some technical ideas. According to Jean’s book, HD did not want Indian to go out of business. It may have been that the founders of HD did not want it to look like the American motorcycle industry was on its way to extinction. If Indian went under during this most trying time (financially) that the country had experienced, it might appear that HD would be next, with their products not selling, and the whole American motorcycle industry about to go under. There were surely riders out there that would not want to be stuck with a bike whose brand had a questionable future.

In the book it talks about the fact that founder Arthur Davidson was a good friend of George Hendee, one of the founders of Indian. He and Hendee even traded prized Guernsey cows, which both raised on their farms.

An interesting story in the book is how Arthur Davidson talked his brothers and William Harley into agreeing for him to go directly to Indian, which was struggling to stay alive during the Depression, and see if HD could do anything to help Indian out of its financial woes. Arthur did this in 1935 in New York City. Hendee was only a figurehead at Indian at this time and was in poor health. Upon meeting, Arthur realized his old friend was not himself and that his health was apparently worse than was thought. Hendee only wanted to talk of the glory days of Indian, and the rivalry between the two companies. He also wanted to talk about Guernsey cows, which Arthur Davidson dutifully sat and listened to those stories as well. Arthur returned to Milwaukee to give his colleagues the bad news. It’s not known what specific assistance that HD was prepared to give Indian. You might wonder if maybe joint dealerships, combining production facilities or even a buyout was in the offing. I guess we will never know.