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VOL. 52 ISSUE 12 MARCH 24, 2015 P105 Street and the forging factory Hendeeville in East Springfield) while Hendee, as president and general manager, traveled extensively to set up dealerships and arrange financing. By 1912, Hendee Manufac- turing Co was the world's largest motorcycle manu- facturer. In 1913, the company's production peaked at 32,000 units. Even though the motorcycles were called Indian, the name of the company wasn't changed from Hendee Manufacturing until the early 1920s. Hedstrom's designs were so innovative it made the company an instant success. Hedstrom enjoyed supervising the rapidly expanding manufacturing op- eration, but he did not spend all his time in the shop. In 1903, he rode an Indian to a record 56 miles per hour on Ormond Beach in Florida. He continued attempting and coordinating record top-speed runs through the end of the decade. Indian got a major boost at the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904, when the Hedstrom-designed motorcycle was given the Award of Highest Honors, signifying that Indian machines were the standard by which all other motorcycles would be judged. In 1910, Hedstrom drew up plans for a new, five-story addition to the factory. The new factory, called the Wigwam, was completed in 1912, and Indian reached its high-water mark in 1913, when it produced 32,000 motorcycles, more than any other manufacturer in the world. Hedstrom-designed engines powered all Indians produced until 1916. His designs were also used under license by other early American manufactur- ers. All told, more than 135,000 Hedstrom engines were produced. Hedstrom was a generous man. After a 1902 en- durance run that ended in New York City, Hedstrom was sitting with a number of the competitors drink- ing beer at the bar of the Plaza Hotel. One rider, the youngest in the race at only 16, was dejected because he'd wrecked his engine and couldn't af- ford to fix it. Hedstrom, after asking the boy about his plight, told him he would send him a replacement engine, even though the young rider wasn't on an Indian. "All I ask," Hedstrom said smiling at the youngster. "Is that when you can afford a new bike you consider an Indian." Things did not end well for the original founders of Indian. The control of the company was even- tually wrested from them by investors and board members. Hedstrom's retirement became effective on February 25, 1913, ironically on the same day legendary Indian racer Jake DeRosier was laid to rest having succumbed to a third operation nearly a year after a crash ended his career. Although a number of explanations have been speculated on to explain Hedstrom's sudden departure from Indian. He would surely have been dejected over losing a good friend in DeRosier, plus there was said to be friction in the company over whether to invest more into research and de- velopment or focus on profits. Hedstrom, the chief engineer, naturally favored putting more money into making a better motorcycle; the investors seemed to want focus on profits. Even though that friction was known, Hedstrom never gave a specific rea- son for his retirement from the company at just 42 years old when he left Indian. It came as a surprise to most of the factory personnel. Hendee followed his partner out the door a few years later when he resigned in 1916. Hedstrom never held a grudge. He enjoyed working on constantly improving his estate and he frequently played host to Indian personnel. For years engineers from the company would secretly come to Hedstrom to seek advice on how to solve a number of mechanical issues with newer Indian models. Hedstrom resided on his estate and became a gentleman farmer on the banks of the Connecticut River in Portland, Connecticut. Hedstrom and his wife Julia had one daughter Helen. Today a wildlife sanctuary near Portland bears her name (Helen Carson). Oscar Hedstrom died at home at age 89 in 1960. He was a major figure in the creation of motorcycling as we know it today. CN BUILDER Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives

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