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Charles B. Franklin

Charles Bayly Franklin
Charles B Franklin 1.JPG
Franklin on an Indian Motorcycle
Born (1880-10-01)October 1, 1880
1 St. Patrick's Villas, Whitworth Road, Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland
Died October 19, 1932(1932-10-19) (aged 52)
71 School Street, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
Nationality Irish, American
Occupation Engineer
Known for Racing Indian motorcycles at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, designing the Indian Scout and Indian Chief motorcycles
Nationality Irish
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Isle of Man TT career
TTs contested 7 (1908-1914)
TT wins 0
Podiums 1 (1911, Senior TT second place)
Nationality Irish
Motorcycle racing career statistics
Isle of Man TT career
TTs contested 7 (1908-1914)
TT wins 0
Podiums 1 (1911, Senior TT second place)

Charles Bayly Franklin (October 13, 1880 - October 19, 1932) was an engineer and a motorcycle racer. He is most notable for designing motorcycles for the Indian Motocycle Company, including the original Indian Scout of 1920, the original Indian Chief of 1922, and the Indian 101 Scout of 1928. Prior to this, he had been part of the Indian motorcycle team that won first, second, and third place in the 1911 Isle of Man TT, finishing in second place.

Franklin was born on 1 October 1880 to Lorenzo Bruce Clutterbuck Franklin, a shipwright and iron merchant, and his wife, Annie Honor Wrixon, née Bayly. He was born at 1 St. Patrick's Villas, Whitworth Road, Drumcondra, Dublin; which became 18 Whitworth Road after the road was renumbered in 1883 or 1884. Three of his siblings died from scarlet fever in the previous year, and another, a sister, died from the disease and was buried four days after he was born.

Franklin had already survived his own bout of scarlet fever when, in his teens, he contracted pneumonia and nearly died from it. Despite his illnesses, he became his parents' first child to survive to adulthood. Two of his younger brothers would also survive to adulthood.

While at St. Andrew's College, Dublin, in which he enrolled in its foundation year of 1894, he lived with his paternal grandfather, Robert Franklin. Upon leaving St. Andrew's Franklin was accepted into the civil service and began training as an electrical engineer. Upon completion of his training Franklin was appointed to the post of engineer at the power station at Rathmines.

In 1903 Franklin began competing in reliability trials, hill climbs and beach racing. On 24 September 1904 he participated in the Auto Cycle Club's annual race meeting at Crystal Palace, London; his first track event and his first event outside Ireland. He won one of the five heats and finished third in the final. His first motorcycles were Belgian FN single-cylinder machines, which he rode in the reliability trials and beach speed trials in 1903 and 1904 and at the 1904 Crystal Palace event. As at May 1905 he had also ridden Humber and Royal Progress motorcycles.


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