Indian Motorcycle VIN Check
The Indian Motorcycle brand is known for its iconic, a growing lineup of bikes and for its technological innovations. America’s first motorcycle company is now recognized as the most loved American brand of bikes next to Harley-Davidson. In the earlier years, the Indian Chief and the Indian Scout were the most popular bikes. Some enthusiasts consider the 1940 Indian Chief as the best Indian motorcycle of all time, and the 2019 Indian Scout FTR 1200 as the best motorcycle
The key to finding the best Indian motorcycle is tapping the right sources of vehicle information. By uncovering the bike’s past, you can avoid costly maintenance due to a history of accidents or damage. You may also get vehicle data you can use to compare different models or make. All it takes is the motorcycle’s vehicle identification number (VIN).
Where to find the VIN? Look for it on the left side of the steering head on the Indian Scout and other models of this brand. For the FTR 1200 models, check the VIN on the right-hand side of the steering head or printed on a VIN sticker located on the left-hand side of the steering head.
Interesting Facts About Indian Motorcycles
Known as the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Co. since 1923, the manufacturer was originally named Hendee Manufacturing Co. when it was founded in 1901. The Indian Motorcycle was the first motorcycle brand in the US and the largest motorcycle producer in the world in the 1910s. After the company’s bankruptcy in 1953, interest in the brand survived as a number of organizations attempted to recover it.
Polaris Industries acquired the brand in 2011 and started producing more models in 2013, expanding the lineup while remaining loyal to the brand’s styling.
- Hendee Manufacturing Co. was a producer of branded bicycles back in 1897 before it manufactured motorcycles. The first bikes were actually motorized bicycles with a 1.75 brake horsepower (bhp) single cylinder engine.
- Indian Motorcycles started breaking records in its earliest years: winner of the first endurance race in 1902, a new speed world record at fifty-six miles per hour in 1903 by Oscar Hedstrom (chief engineer and co-founder), a 31.5-day ride from San Francisco to NYC in 1906 by Louis J. Mueller and George Holden.
- The first V2 motorcycle engine produced in America was the Indian V2-twin engine released in 1907 to power its bikes. From 1913 to 1915, the bikes powered by this breakthrough engine hit sales records.
Other Sources for Indian Motorcycle Owners
Indian Motorcycle Recalls
Indian Motorcycle Co. recalled 52,745 units of 2014-2019 Chief, Chieftain, Roadmaster, and Springfield motorcycles due to the risk of the gear position switch to oxidize. This problem may cause the gear position display to inaccurately show that the bike is in neutral when it is actually in gear. It could damage the bike or make it crash with another vehicle.
As a short-term solution, owners were notified starting November 6, 2019 that the gear position switch will be cleaned by local dealers. A replacement is expected in the early part of 2020. These services will all be free of charge.
Here’s how to check if an Indian motorcycle is covered by recent or previous recalls:
Visit the Indian Motorcycle website
Run an Indian Motorcycle Recall Check
Other contact points on Harley-Davidson motorcycle recalls:
| Indian Motorcycle Customer Service | 1-877-204-3697 |
| NHTSA Hotline | 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) |
| SaferCar.gov (run by NHTSA) | www.safercar.gov |
Why should I run an Indian Motorcycle VIN check?
Access relevant information about any Indian motorcycle by running an Indian motorcycle VIN lookup. You could use information such as vehicle specifications, sales records, recall info, information, and more:
 Theft Records | |
| A total of 40,380 bikes were stolen in 2019 across the US, according to the National Insurance Claim Bureau (NICB). Find out if your Indian motorcycle was not cited in any historical or active reports of theft and theft recoveries from data captured by the NICB and other industry sources. | |
| Accident Records | |
| A total of 82,000 injuries and 4,985 fatalities were reported from 2009 to 2018 across the US. The fatality and crash rates per 100,000 registered motorcycles were 57.52 and 944, respectively. Find out if the DMV has any accident record in the past on your Indian motorcycle that may compromise its safety and performance on the road. | |
| Salvage Auction Records | |
| Check if your Indian motorcycle is included in historical salvage auction listings. Some bikes that have been stolen or damaged due to accidents or other reasons may end up being sold through salvage auctions. Bikes that have been damaged extensively may be deemed a total loss and sold to auctions by car insurers. | |
VinCheck.info also offers these valuable tools:
| Market Value | |
| Check the retail value of an Indian Motorcycle motorcycle based on the price of vehicles with the same model and make in recent months. The VinCheck.info market value tool covers both private party sales and dealer sales across all 50 states in the US. | |
| Ownership Cost | |
| There is more than just the cash price to consider when buying a motorcycle. As a potential owner, you want to know the actual cost of owning an Indian motorcycle. This VinCheck.info tool takes into consideration the depreciation over 5 years of ownership, plus all the additional expenses. | |