CN
III ARCHIVES
BY LARRY LAWRENCE
"R
ed" Armstrong raced
the boards in the 1910s
as one of leading FAM Class
A racing stars. In old age, Red
became the beloved patriarch of
Indian Motorcycle Company. He
worked for Indian, either directly
or indirectly, for most of the 50-
year history of the company. He
was one of the diehard loyalists
who tried in vain to keep the
company going in its final days
in the mid-1950s. Armstrong was
also a Vaudevillian motorcycle
stunt rider, building a special
"Silodrome" and traveling with
various riding partners, putting
on shows in theaters across the
country.
Born in southern Illinois on
April 5, 1888, Erle Armstrong
was the son of a mining engineer
and his family moved to Colo-
rado when he was 10. Armstrong
became Colorado State bicycling
champion at the age of 16. It was
about this time that he became
interested in motorcycles. He
purchased his first machine, an
Orient, in 1904.
In 1906, Armstrong took a job
making 30 cents an hour as a
mechanic for a Denver Indian
dealership. He worked 10 hours
a day, six days a week, to be
able to afford to race. Armstrong
became one of the best racers in
the Denver area. He cut his teeth
racing in Denver on the board
track at Tuileries Park. He won
his first race in 1906 and was
dubbed "Red" for his brightly
colored hair.
Legend has it that as a young
man Red was quite the ladies'
man, which purportedly led to an
infamous incident. He was racing
in Denver and a girl who Red had
P98
They Called Him Red
(Left) Erle "Red" Armstrong