Indian 841 Military Motorcycle
Indian's Model 841 was developed at the request of the U.S. Army for a shaft-driven motorcycle built around desert-service requirements during World War II. Unlike the Harley-Davidson Model XA, which closely resembled the BMW R71, Indian's engineers designed a motorcycle that was very different.
The Army wanted a machine that could deal with heat, sand, distance, and low-maintenance field use. Indian answered with a 45 cubic inch side-valve V-twin, shaft drive, a four-speed foot-shift transmission, and suspension ideas that were far removed from the company's normal civilian machines.
Indian's Desert-War Motorcycle
By 1941 and 1942, the U.S. military was studying motorcycles that could work in the same kind of desert conditions where German BMW and Zündapp machines had earned a strong reputation. The requirement favored shaft drive, durability, good cooling, and the ability to run on lower-grade fuel. Indian's response was not a copy of the BMW layout, even if the problem it was trying to solve was similar.
The result was the Model 841. It kept the displacement in familiar American 45 cubic inch territory, but nearly everything about the layout felt experimental for Indian. The engine was turned into a 90-degree longitudinal-crankshaft V-twin, the final drive was enclosed in a shaft system, and the chassis was built around the kind of heavy-duty service expected from a military test machine.
A Different Answer Than the Harley-Davidson XA
The Harley-Davidson XA and Indian 841 are often discussed together because both were wartime shaft-drive prototypes built for Army evaluation. Harley's XA followed the BMW R71 idea more directly with its flat-twin engine and shaft drive. Indian went a different direction, using a 90-degree V-twin with the crankshaft running lengthwise in the motorcycle.
That difference is what makes the 841 so interesting. Indian was not simply adapting its standard Scout or Chief formula to a military paint job. It was trying to solve the Army's desert-motorcycle problem with a purpose-built machine that looked, cooled, shifted, and drove differently from the Indians most riders knew.
The 90-Degree V-Twin and Shaft Drive
First and foremost was the 90-degree longitudinal-crankshaft V-twin engine. Although it shared some internals with Indian's Sport Scout, this 45 cubic inch side-valve motor was something totally different for Indian. Like the BMW, the cylinders were arranged to take advantage of airflow across the motorcycle. The difference was that Indian's cylinders were set in a 90-degree V instead of the 180-degree layout used by the BMW-style flat twin.
Moto Guzzi would later make the longitudinal-crankshaft 90-degree V-twin layout famous with its V7 family, but Indian had already tried the idea in this wartime prototype. The 841 was rated at about 25 bhp and used a low compression ratio so it could live on the kind of fuel expected in military service.
Indian also departed from both standard Indian practice and Harley-Davidson's XA by using a girder front fork with coil springs and shock absorption, along with a heel/toe foot shift for the four-speed transmission. These were joined by other service-minded features, including 8-inch drum brakes, rubber-mounted handlebars, plunger-type rear suspension, and the enclosed shaft final drive.
Army Testing and Why the 841 Was Not Adopted
Most sources place Indian 841 production at roughly 1,000 machines, with 1,056 often cited for the prototype contract. The machines were built during the 1941–1943 development and testing period, but the 841 never became the Army's standard motorcycle.
As with the Harley-Davidson XA, the Army ultimately passed on the Indian 841. The Jeep's versatility was a major factor, and the 841's own problems did not help its case. The motorcycle was smooth and mechanically ambitious, but it was also heavy for its power output, and test reports pointed to transmission and shifting issues. The 841 was interesting, but it did not offer enough advantage over simpler machines like the WLA, or over the rapidly expanding role of the Jeep.
After the testing program ended, the 841 remained a limited-production military prototype rather than a combat-service motorcycle. Surplus examples later moved into civilian hands, which is why surviving 841s are usually seen today as collector or museum pieces instead of battlefield veterans.
Indian 841 Specifications
- Engine: 45 cu. in. (737 cc) 90-degree air-cooled side-valve V-twin
- Bore / stroke: 2.87 in. × 3.50 in. (73 mm × 89 mm)
- Compression ratio: approximately 5.1:1
- Top speed: approximately 70 mph (113 km/h)
- Power: approximately 25 bhp
- Transmission: four-speed, foot shift; shaft drive
- Front suspension: girder fork with coil springs and shock absorber
- Rear suspension: plunger-type with coil springs
- Brakes: 8-inch drum brakes front and rear
- Weight: about 528 lb. (240 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 5 gal.
Legacy of the Indian 841
The Indian 841 ended up as a dead-end military prototype, but it was a fascinating one. It showed how far Indian was willing to move away from its normal production patterns when the Army asked for a motorcycle that could survive hard service in desert conditions.
It also gives the Harley-Davidson XA some important context. Harley answered the problem by staying close to the BMW flat-twin pattern. Indian answered it with an American 45 cubic inch V-twin turned into a shaft-drive, longitudinal-crankshaft military motorcycle. Neither approach displaced the Jeep or the simpler motorcycles already in service, but both remain some of the most unusual American motorcycle experiments of World War II.