Between 1955 and 1960, the Indian marque was owned by an English firm called Brockhouse Engineering. During this time, they imported Royal Enfield bikes under the Indian name. This 1959 Indian Lance was a variant of the Royal Enfield Ensign, a 148cc descendant of the Flying Flea, a tiny motorcycle designed to be air-dropped to British soldiers in WWII.
The Lance/Ensign was a single-cylinder two stroke that produced 6 horsepower at 4,750 rpm. Wet weight was just 183 pounds, so you could hit 52 miles per hour in top gear (there were only three gears in the transmission).
This specific Indian Lance has just 619 miles on the odometer, and looks to be in excellent shape. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of yellow bikes (this specific shade is considered Sahara Yellow), but it seems that when it comes to the Lance, this was by far the most popular paint option. After being restored, this bike has sat indoors for 10 years. You’ll need to replace the chain and clutch cable at a bare minimum before being able to enjoy your piece of Royal Enfield/Indian history.
Find this Indian Lance for sale here on Craigslist for $4,000 in Benton, Kentucky.
This bike-uriousity brought to you by David N!