Indian Powerplus

The Indian Powerplus was a motorcycle built by the Hendee Manufacturing Company, the firm behind Indian motorcycles, from 1916 to 1924. It was designed by Charles Gustafson, who had come from Reading Standard and became Indian's chief engineer when Oscar Hedstrom left in 1913, and its engine was Indian's first flathead, a side-valve design that replaced Hedstrom's inlet-over-exhaust layout. The new engine was quieter, cheaper to build and needed less maintenance than the old one, and it took its name from an output of about 16 horsepower that was noticeably greater than before. It went into the existing Indian V-twin frames and used the existing drivetrain parts, including a clutch, a kickstarter and a three-speed gearbox, and buyers could choose Indian's Cradle Spring Frame, a swingarm on leaf springs, in place of the rigid rear end. A larger engine of about 72 cubic inches became available in 1920. Production of the large engine ended in 1922, when the Chief arrived, and the Powerplus was renamed the Standard.