McQueen's 1949 Indian Arrow sale

The estimate is $60,000 - $70,000, and the sale results are imminent. This 250cc, 4-speed 1949 Indian Arrow hails from the Larry Pedersen Collection and is currently (10th - 11th June 2016) being auctioned at Chicago, Illinois, USA by Mecum Auctions. It's Lot S93. And if you're unfamiliar with these bikes, the picture hasn't been flipped. The mirror-image design is how it left the factory. Timing gears on the left, and the primary drive on the right.

Larry Pedersen acquired the bike in 1984 at a sale of the late Steve McQueen's estate. Said to be correct in every detail, the Arrow had earlier been restored by McQueen's friend, Sammy Pierce. Barbara McQueen (McQueen's third and final wife) reckons that this is the same motorcycle that McQueen used to instruct her in the finer points of carburettor overhaul. We can't see that that revelation adds much to the mystique of the "King of Cool", or the provenance of this machine. But it's there if anyone wants it.

Indian was headed for trouble when this motorcycle was launched. Here's the simplified story: Back in the 1920s, the famed du Pont family had invested heavily in the company (and many other companies). During the Wall Street Crash, they lost a lot of money. But they were keen motorcyclists and saw Indian as a path back to profit. So in 1930 they grabbed the handlebars of the business and merged it with du Pont motors which made automobiles.

E Paul du Pont was the head of the family, and under his control Indian did pretty good with its established range of V-twins. The family was clearly serious about the firm and no doubt wanted to give Harley-Davidson a good kicking in the traditional way. But post WW2, E Paul du Pont was on the wane. His health was failing, and the motorcycle market was losing ground as automobiles became cheaper and cheaper. And more desirable. Meanwhile, imports of foreign bikes were increasing dramatically.

The company was soon unloaded. A combine headed by Ralph Rogers took over, and Rogers had his own ideas about where the future lay with regards to motorcycles. He'd seen that lightweight singles and parallel twins were, for that generation at least, the way ahead. The heavyweight touring machines were looking increasingly dated.

So Rogers commissioned a modular lightweight of his own, the first being the 220cc Indian Arrow (nominally a 250) featuring a single cylinder OHV engine designed by the Briggs Weaver Machinery Company (established in 1896). That engine went into a rigid frame, and that rigid frame was sprung at the business end by a "modern" telescopic fork. Ignition was by magneto. Charging was via a dynamo.

A 440cc twin-cylinder Indian Scout was also introduced, and both bikes were reasonably attractive and fairly radical (for Indian, that is). But the bikes, which shared many parts, suffered from a rushed development program, and there were issues with the primary chain, the wheel spokes and carburettor.

▲ We ain't engineers or mechanics, but it looks to us like those pushrods ain't exactly angled ideally. The frame number is: 1491156. The engine number is: AD11156.

▲ 1949 Indian Arrow gearbox. Looks like this bike hasn't been getting the loving maintenance it needs. No big deal in itself, but this motorcycle is carrying an estimate of $60,000 - $70,000. McQueen, we're guessing, would not be impressed with the condition.

Indian did eventually iron out the faults, but the reputation was damaged and a lot of momentum was lost. The Arrow, however, did well in competition, and it's perhaps largely for this reason that McQueen took an interest in acquiring one. But then, he had an eye for the rare and quirky stuff, so perhaps that accounts for it.

Mecum Auctions is calling this motorcycle "a nice piece of history". That's not exactly how we'd describe it. But it is interesting. Overall, the 220cc Indian Arrow and the twin-cylinder 440cc Indian Scout represented the right idea, but the bikes arrived a little ahead of their time and were simply not sufficiently finessed.

UPDATE: The Indian Arrow sold for (a more realistic) $33,000.

www.mecum.com

— The Third Man