In the 1920's, gangsters with tommy guns ruled the streets of New York City, killing police and civilians alike in their quest to control the lucrative blackmarket for bootleg alcohol. The NYPD, in an effort to take back the streets, contracted the Indian Motorcycle Company to produce an armored motorcycle for their patrolman. The result was named the "Bandit Chaser" and at least five units were produced at the end of 1927.
Starting with a Chief motorcycle and Princess sidecar as their platform, Indian's engineers added front shields made with bullet proof 1/16" steel plate. The shields were hinged so that they could fold down out of the way during normal operation of the motorcycle. When trouble arose, the shields could be folded back up to protect the driver and passenger. Inset windows made from 7/8" safety glass were mounted in the front shields allowing the driver and passenger to see. The sidecar was also lined with the same steel plate as were the leg shields for the driver. Indian claimed that the additional armor only added 40 lbs and had no effect on the speed or handling of the machine.
Harley-Davidson was also interested in getting into the armored motorcycle business and produced this prototype. They've taken the armor plating a couple steps further by extending the fenders to protect the tires and adding side shielding to the sidecar. This photo was taken at a motorcycle show in New York.
