I should explain the title. By the time these little folding motorcycles evolved into having the Indian name on them, they weren’t actually used by WWII paratroopers but they were still able to be folded up and to be used by paratroopers, if that makes any sense? This very rare 1950 Indian Papoose is listed here on eBay in Superior, Wisconsin, “The City of Easy Level Parking”. The bid is up to $1,025 and there is no reserve.
I should also explain the Superior motto, too. That was Superior’s slogan when I grew up across the bridge over on the Duluth MN side so it has always stuck with me. Duluth was built on a hill for the most part but Superior was nice and flat. Too much info, sorry. The original story on these portable motorcycles is that they were designed in England under the name of Welbike to be used by paratroopers and they had to be able to fit into a standard canister to be dropped out of planes and could be assembled and ridden off in less than a minute!
There are only two overall photos of this bike which is a bummer but there are several detailed photos so you can see the condition of a few of its components, including the slightly-crushed headlight housing. There were almost 4,000 Welbikes built for the war effort. As was often the case, civilians ended up using many of them after the war so the company came up with a civilian version called the Corgi with fenders and a larger gas tank. Around 27,000 of the Corgi models were sold which is amazing.
I like this photo for the Duluth connection. I have no clue what that says, is it one of those vintage travel stickers that we used to put on our campers or station wagon windows? The seller says that this one is original but they only came in a burgundy color with nice Indian graphics so this one has been painted at some point. It should be restored back to its original spec and color, in my opinion as it’s a very rare motorcycle to see today. The Indian Papoose bikes were mostly badge-engineered Corgis but they added a headlight and a brake light, although many Corgis also had those features. The Indian Papoose was made from 1947 to 1954.
The engine, in keeping with its British heritage, should be a 98 cc Villiers two-stroke single-cylinder with three horsepower. The seller’s description is a little overwhelming due to its size but it’s fantastic that they gave so much good information on this particular bike. They are selling this bike for the son of the original owner and they went through it as much as they could to ensure that it was a running, driving bike but didn’t go too far on anything since they wanted to keep it as original as possible. Have any of you seen this model before?
Ever seen one? Only here and a round of applause. Only Scotty would bring this to light. No offense to the other writers, but when most are writing about Grand National Buicks or LS something Chevelles, this guy is looking at,,,a what now? An Indian Papoose? Fascinating,, Captain.
Apparently, I read, it appears, just the handlebars folded flat, so it’s not like it was strapped to the paratroopers back, I don’t think, but lucky was the soldier that had one. Intended for “Special Forces”, only a small fraction were actually used in combat. With the political correctness of today, I doubt you could name it “Papoose” without some Native American group calling afoul. Cool find,,,
I ride an Indian Scout, I’m waiting for my Native American logo to arrive any day now.
Hey – I drive a Midget.
Aw, be kind to Midgets, they’re a little short this week,,( boom-tis)
Great car!
I agree Howard. So many times I come on here, and I just skip right by all the Camaro’s, mustangs, grand nationals, coda’s, etc. I love seeing the articles on the eclectic vehicles, the Hudson’s, the old Ford/Chevy/dodge coupes, and then there’s this motorcycle!
🙌 Papoose 👍
Scotty…….My man!
There is footage online showing soldiers riding these in battlefields. Wonder how much they weigh?
I bet that video is a Hollywood production. Allied troops on motor cycles are, from whatever I have been able to determine, movie hype. Aside from that, this one is really cool but I wonder whether there are parts available for a Villiers 2-stroke.
I can see this being a prop for some Circus clown act.
Couldn’t find that one but did find this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOB0ga9yF-I Love how it’s started.
Had a few of these and rode them about. Never new anything about the Indian badging though.
Looks identical to my old Corgi which was 1954.
I’m going to check for fun but is it not possible that this is just a Corgi with Indian written on it?
Fun bike. Can buy one here in the uk for 1000-1500 US dollars or there about.
Quite loud so the Germans would have heard you a mile off…..
Yes, I owned a Corgi in the fifties in England. The fuel tank and the exhaust are the clues!
Dermot Harvey
$2,025 now.
Greetings from Duluth, MN.! ’72 Denfeld grad here. You’ve got me thinking hard about this one!