Let me begin by saying I am the last person to offer advice on motorcycles; my dad owned several bikes when I was a kid, but I never rode them, much less worked on them. As an adult, I only know bikes by brand, and even then I’m sometimes wrong.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I want to show you a bike that really, actually interests me.

This is a 1905 Indian Camelback, and the first thing you may notice is that it looks a lot like a bicycle. It has a leather saddle , foot pedals, and a thin tube frame. As it turns out, Indian manufactured bicycles from its very beginning, and continued to do so until it went bankrupt in 1953. It’s easy to see from this example how two-wheelers evolved from motorized bicycles to full-blown motorcycles.

Details from the ad:

 

Mort had Ken Smith restore this 1905 Indian Camelback from a nearly complete machine. The major components, including the engine, frame, gas tank, oil tank and fender are believed to be part of the original assembly. This motorcycle is NOT a replica, assembled from aftermarket parts. It is a real important part of American motorcycle history. 1905 was the first year for the front suspension and double twist grips that remained in use until the last bike in 1953.

The early Indians were known to be the best in the world at the time, capable of accelerating while going up a hill and a top speed of nearly 40 mph. This is a total restoration that will run. Ken Smith told me that when he road tested this machine he was keeping up with 40 mph traffic on this 108 year old machine.

In addition to the wonderful early Indian we have a collection of posters and prints (most are framed), as well as, a 1996 Yamaha Riva Scooter, a set of tools and some new and used parts.

I can only imagine what that single-cylinder engine sounds like, pounding away as it put all of its 1.75 horsepower in to the back wheel. I wouldn’t mind taking this bike for a spin, although what really interests me about this bike is its historical value. Indian would go on to make some very heavy, very powerful motorcycles, but they never lost touch with their roots as bicycle makers.

What do you think think of this motorcycle? Would you put in a bid on it?

[Source: Hemmings Classifieds]