Franklin’S Indians: Irish Motorcycle Racer Charles B Franklin, Designer of the Indian Chief

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Harry Havelin Harry Sucher

Franklin’S Indians

Irish Motorcycle Racer Charles B Franklin, Designer of the Indian Chief

Harry Havelin, Harry Sucher, Liam Diamond , Timothy Pickering

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English

Veloce
15 February 2018

Motorcycles: general interest; Motorcycle racing

The Indian has been the iconic image for American big V-Twins down the years, due in no small measure to the motorcycles designed by Charles B Franklin – the Indian Scout and the Indian Chief. Charles Franklin was born and raised in Ireland where he quickly became involved in motorcycle racing during the pioneer years. He rapidly established himself as Ireland’s first big star of racing and was the first to represent Ireland in international motorcycle competition. In the Isle of Man TT he consistently finished in the top eight, and in 1911 claimed second place, a remarkable achievement in itself.

But it was when he moved to Indian in the USA, where he became the Chief Design Engineer, that his genius really flowed. His designs catapulted Indian back into the forefront of motorcycle design in the 1920s and ’30s and his racing engines and motorcycles won much glory for Indian against stiff opposition. Franklin introduced remarkable improvements in sidevalve combustion chamber design that pre-dated the work of Ricardo. He championed an holistic approach that popularised new features such as the semi unit-construction ‘powerplant’, helical-gear primary drive, double-loop full-cradle frames and a host of other improvements to the early motorcycles. This book not only chronicles his life but also sheds much new light on the history of Indian motorcycles and the often turbulent times of the Indian Motorcycle Company itself.

A much needed book for all Indian fans and all who love the history of the classic American V-Twins.

By: Harry Havelin, Harry Sucher, Liam Diamond, Timothy Pickering
Imprint: Veloce
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 2nd edition
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 192mm, Spine: 26mm
Weight: 1.337kg
ISBN: 9781787112230
ISBN 10: 1787112233
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 15 February 2018
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Harry V Sucher first began researching the history of Indian motorcycles in the 1930s when still a teenager in California. A veterinarian by profession and life-long motorcyclist by passion, he was the first to take a scholarly approach to documentation of America’s motorcycling history. He personally interviewed Indian personalities like Frank Weschler, Thomas Callaghan Butler, and Helen Hedstrom-Carlson and he drew upon these sources for his seminal work The Iron Redskin. His recollections provided the Franklin’s Indians book project with a last remaining living link to Franklin’s contemporaries at the Wigwam in the production era. Dr Sucher passed away not long before the first edition of this book went to print.

Reviews for Franklin’S Indians: Irish Motorcycle Racer Charles B Franklin, Designer of the Indian Chief

An extensive and well-presented study of designer Charles B Franklin and the Indian motorcycles he created. Doesn't simply focus on the Scout and Chief (although they get a lot of coverage) but sets Indian's history in context with the social and industrial situation in the early decades of the 20th century. Originally published by Panther and out of print for a while. This edition is a good quality soft back with useful and well-captioned illustrations (some colour, mostly mono). - Real Classic. This excellent book not only chronicles Franklin's fascinating family history and life and times in Ireland, but also contains detailed descriptions of early TT races. Much new light is also shed on the history of Indian motorcycles and the often turbulent times of the Indian Motorcycle Company itself. An absolutely essential book for Indian enthusiasts and motorcycle historians alike. This is, in my opinion, one of the best motorcycle history books in recent years. - Jonathan Hill - freelance.