Vehicle Description
This absolutely spectacular 1939 Indian Model 439 is restored in
World's Fair colors, and it's considered by many to be the best of
all the Indian fours. While Indian had been building and improving
its four-cylinder models since acquiring the Ace name, rights and
tooling in 1927, it made considerable changes between 1936-38.
Indian chose a radical redesign of the motor for 1936, which became
known as the "upside-down fours" with exhaust-over-inlet cylinder
heads. While these engines produced more power, they proved
unpopular with riders as the exhaust ran close to the rider's leg,
which became uncomfortable in hot climates. After two years of
production, the engine was totally redesigned all over again in
1938, this time with the usual inlet-over-exhaust configuration,
albeit with many improvements, including for the first time a full
enclosure of the valve gear, full lubrication of the valves and the
cylinders cast in pairs. The resulting engine of the Model 438 was
a far more attractive and more integrated design, with horizontal
finning from the top of the valve enclosure right down to the
radial finning on the crankcase sump.
Some consider the 1938-1942 Indian four engines to be among the
most attractive motorcycle engines ever built. When combined with
the spectacular styling of the late 1930s Indian range with
sweeping, elegant fenders, teardrop tanks and perfect paint
schemes, you have one of the most spectacular and beautiful
motorcycles ever built in the 1938-39 Indians. Some consider the
1939 Indian 439 in a World's Fair paint scheme-with its metallic
silver or metallic blue-to be simply the finest expression of
motorcycle art produced before World War II. These are the last of
the rigid-frame Indian Fours, were 50 pounds lighter than the
plunger-frame models that followed (the 439 weighed 480 pounds),
and still came with sporting pretensions and an excellent new
motor.
