While Burt Munro’s ‘world’s fastest Indian’ is the most famous record-breaker to use Springfield iron as its base, it certainly wasn’t the only Indian used in land speed record attempts.  Let’s not forget that the first-ever certified absolute motorcycle world speed record was set by Gene Walker on his 994cc Indian, at Daytona Beach in 1920.  While he ‘only’ recorded a 2-way average of 104.21mph (167.56kph), this was faster than anyone else had done under the watchful eyes of a neutral (ish) sanctioning body – the FIM – who still oversee international records.  Glenn Curtiss was supposedly timed one-way back in 1906 at over 136mph on the same stretch of beach, but that was an unsanctioned record with questionable timing apparatus, and was not averaged out with a return run.  

The front half of the streamlining of the Indian ‘Arrow’ in 1937 at Bonneville. [The Vintagent Archvie]
In 1936, Oakland Indian dealer Hap Alzina supervised the construction of a streamliner shell for another attempt to take the absolute honors for Indian. Alzina had secured a rare factory OHV ‘A-61’ 1000cc racing motorcycle dating from 1924, one of perhaps a dozen OHV racers built under the supervision of Charles B. Franklin that year.  These engines were capable of 120+mph speeds, running on alcohol, and it is supposed Alzina’s engine was used to set the American speed record in 1926, with Johnny Seymour blistering along at 132mph, using the ‘A-45’ 750cc OHV version of this motor. It seemed to Alzina that a bit of streamlining, as was being experimented with by record machines (BMW, DKW, and Brough Superior specifically by 1936), could return the Indian name to the record books, especially as Joe Petrali had recently taken the American speed record on his modified ‘Knucklehead’ at 136.183mph.  Petrali’s bike had started as a semi-streamlined machine, but took the record with its body removed, after it was found to be unstable: streamlining was in its early days, and the American motorcycle industry was not connected with the aero industry, as was the case in Europe, where wind-tunnel testing of streamliners was possible. Still, the last-generation Indian OHV racing engine was at least as fast as any unsupercharged motor then in existence, so in theory the Indian team had a chance.

The aircraft techniques used to build the streamliner included lightweight balsa wood ‘stringers’ and plywood bulkheads, all very light – uneccesarily so. [The Vintagent Archvie]
Understanding that streamlining was tricky business, Alzina hired an aircraft engineer (William ‘Bill’ Myers) to draw up and construct the streamliner body, which was constructed of balsa wood strips over plywood bulkheads, covered in canvas, and sealed with ‘dope’, just like a biplane.  A chassis was constructed around the engine from a variety of Indian racing parts, with 1920 forks, a recent frame, and an older rear section, and the tank was from a ‘101’ Scout: the naked machine looked surprisingly coherent for a cobbled-up special. To economize on the timekeeping expenses, three machines were taken to the Bonneville Salt Flats for record-breaking: a Sport Scout, a Chief which had been stripped down to Class C rules, and Alzina’s ‘Arrow’.  All 3 machines were in fact heavily ‘breathed on’ for the records, and the Scout became the fastest 750cc in the USA at 115.226mph, while the Chief managed an impressive 120.747mph, both Class C American records.

At Bonneville in 1937, with diminutive rider Fred Ludlow, who just fit into the shell. [The Vintagent Archvie]
Fred Ludlow piloted the ‘Arrow’ in tests, and the ultra-light weight and racing chassis geometry of the bike did the attempt no favors.  That the streamline shell was untested, and also very light, was also bad news, and while the bike was very fast indeed, it proved unstable above 145mph, weaving and tank-slapping until it was blown off course.  Realizing the shell was unsuitable, the attempt was scrapped: at least they’d had the sense to bring other bikes for a two-out-of-three success.  It’s easy in hindsight to diagnose the flaws of the streamliner, but Alzina was a private dealer with a little factory help, and not a well-funded, factory-backed racing effort as with BMW, DKW, and Gilera.  It was clear the project needed a lot more work, but he’d spent a bundle on the machine already, and ultimately decided to shelve the project and concentrate on Class C racing, hillclimbs, and selling motorcycles. The ‘Arrow’ languished in Hap Alzina’s back room for decades, and it was eventually purchased by the Harrah’s collection in the 1970s.  It still exists today, in the condition it was last raced, and is a compelling testament to the can-do spirit of racers everywhere, with an inspiration to be the fastest in the world.

The Indian Arrow racer as seen in the Harrah’s Museum in the 1980s. [The Vintagent Archvie]

 

Paul d’Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.
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