In 1904, the Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company, which had been founded by two former bicycle racers, designed the so-called “diamond framed” Indian Single, whose engine was built by the Aurora Firm in Illinois.
The Single was made available in the deep red color that would become Indian’s trademark. By then, Indian’s production was up to over 500 bikes annually and would rise to 32,000, its best ever, in 1913.