company stated : “ When this model quietly made its appearance here and there late last season , it created enthusiasm never equaled in the history of motorcycling .”
Hyperbole aside , from the “ cat ’ s eye ” dash to the 4- speed constant- mesh transmission , the styling , design , colors , and detailing were proof this motorcycle was right for the market . It also didn ’ t hurt that a redesigned version of the Indian Four , the so- called “ upside down ” Four , didn ’ t go over well .
H- D operations experienced significant changes in this era as well . It sold the rights for manufacturing Harleys in Japan to Rikuo , its workforce became unionized , and William Davidson passed away at the age of 66 on April 21 , 1937 .
Photo courtesy Indian Motorcycle
STAR RACERS This was the era of stars like Shirley Temple , Sea Biscuit , and Babe Ruth . Motorcycle fans had Joe Petrali , Sam Arena , and the irrepressible “ Iron Man ” Ed Kretz .
Kretz came on the national scene with a spectacular win in 1936 at the 200- mile race in Savannah , Georgia . He jammed his Indian around the track to take the win and raise the average speed for the race by 10 mph . Then there was his win at the first Daytona 200 in ’ 37 , where he fell off twice and still lapped the entire field of 86 riders .
In March 1937 , H- D set its first landspeed record with a special twin- carb , fullrace version of the Knucklehead . Petrali rode it to 136.18 mph on Daytona Beach , beating the American record of 132 mph set by a special 61ci 8- valve Indian in 1924 . Petrali ’ s record stood for 11 years .
In 1938 , Kretz again amazed spectators during the 200- miler at Laconia , where he fell off and jammed sand into the carb . Fixing the problem cost him 15 minutes in the pits , and then he lost his left footboard after 50 miles , so he had to place his steel shoe on the primary drive . Despite tearing three layers of skin from his hands trying to control the unruly beast , he turned the last lap faster than the first and won the race . When Kretz retired from racing in
Top : Motorcycle dealers used racing as a way to prove the brands they sold were the best in the business . Right : Hard- charging Ed Kretz became a dominant force for Indian in the late 1930s and continued racing all the way through 1959 .
AMERICANRIDER . COM | OCTOBER 2023 | 21