You can expect custom Indian Scouts to be built in all styles, from Cafe Racers to Bobbers to Board Trackers to … Off-Roaders… I am not convinced that this one has any true off-road abilities, but it rolls on military Jeep Willy tires. making it at least very different from what I have seen until now. Add a racing spirit coming from a shortened rear fender and lettered tempered glass plates. Factory headlight was replaced by a tiny powerful Heretic LED light., with original exhaust tossed and replaced by a skinnier diameter Arlen Ness system.
For a more aggressive position, a set of Flanders bars was chosen. A limited gloss black out treatment (controls, rear shocks and a few parts) looks nice in contrast to the coat of satin white on the gas tank and rear fender. No mechanical change to the factory setup. Bodywork and paint job by Eric Salin from California Colors for Premium Motorcycles , an official Indian and Victory Dealer on the French riviera (photography H. Roesler for Cyril Huze)
Cool!
I know for a fact that there will be many more custom Scouts making their way to the surface in the coming year.
Robert Pandya
External Relations Manager
Indian Motorcycle
Put race tires on it and race it up Pikes Peak at the Annual Races
Whoopee!
I really like the Indian Scout but adding antique Jeep tires doesn’t really do much for it. I suspect it’s nearly unrideable.
Look forward to some more functional customs.
Wow concept neat but the scout and the streetster with a radiater and agressive tires with no fender seems a touch unthought threw ?
Hideous , vulgar , ugly as the south end of a north bound mule and completely unviable / unridable ! An abject lesson in taking the current / Scrambler ‘ trend to a wretched excess sums it up nicely
Race it up Pikes Peak someone suggests ? Heck …. this thing wouldn’t even make it to Pikes Peak … never mind up it ! Guaranteed !
Eeesh !
TJ Martin should send the pictures of his bike(s) to Cyril…
Robert Pandya. Did you really think cool [ or ] when you put eyes on it. ?
Went to an open house in Saint Petersburg Fl this past week. They are having great success and moving bikes.
Being a grand openning I assumed they would have a Scout on hand. Not so. Apparently very popular so they say.
Liked the Willow Green and Cream Vintage that sold in front of me.
Really?
Those tires must be worthless. I can see putting a set of knobbies on it but jeep tires are just not going to work on anything.
Exactly what was the point of those tires……….???
Sorry, can’t get past that.
Next……….
-nicker-
God damn it, some body should write a post about the history of show bikes here. short story, in the beginning and still to this day most were built to show a shop or manufacturers products, abilities and or versatility by pushing the envelope. while the tires may not be the most streetable (but still plenty ridable) choice its a very stylistic choice and surely helps bring product awareness. I dig it
C’mon!! Enough with the offroad tires on street bikes. Those things would beat you and the bike to death even on a bar run.
I agree in part with Chaos Cycle, but the one-upmanship of going from knobbies on custom street bikes to jeep tires is just another bad example of custom builders misleading our new garage builders to thinking “wow, that will be so cool”. I disagree completely with the idea of these tires being rideable (sic). Maybe if you just want to go straight or power through sand and gravel?
It’s absolutely a cool custom. Makes me think something like this with some dual sport knobbies would be a fun ride.
Love the look,,,,, Lean into a Corner ?? on those tires ?
Looking forward to other Scout customs, it is not my taste but I am sure it was someone’s dream, and I do not wish to rag on it.
looks don’t get you off road! radiator without fender a big no-no!
Rejection forces us to reevaluate ourselves and make one grow
When someone hears the same thing enough times, they generally start to listen.
This bike was a good build that went a little astray of the theme.
RE:
“…. in the beginning and still to this day most were built to show a shop or manufacturers products, abilities …”
-No-
“In the beginning there were no “shops.”
In the beginning individuals built bikes they thought would be cool….. because they could.
(and if they couldn’t…. they made it a point to learn how)
Each scooter was an expression of the builders vision and talent.
There were no “products”…. you made them yourself.
If you couldn’t build it yourself you had to wait till someone had to sell their pride & Joy.
(because they were going to jail or the doctor)
And those who bought their rides suffered the commensurate ridicule.
THAT was “in the beginning.”
-nicker-
Wasn’t AEE Choppers one of the first shops to build wild show bikes and manufacture custom parts for bikers in ’67-’69?
Spot on, @Chaos Cycle. It‘s a bloody show bike, and a darn good looking at that.
An answer for which there was no question. Tires are useless.
Pretty much a waste of another half decent street/road bike…might as well be a rigid too…just to make it a little more uncomfortable and worse handling..
as much as I like the looks of that new Indian engine I can give my one word opinion of that thing the engine is in, STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good thing no one is being forced to own this Scout. Better still it’s a good thing the gallery has no authority to dictate what is built and shown in motorcycleland.
In the “beginning” street motorcycles, no… let’s back up, in the beginning streets were rutted mud filled channels of horse manure and whatever got tossed out of homes mixed in. Motorcycles navigated in that, globally some still do.
Post war motorcycling, at least here in the states, included just loading up and taking off into the backwaters, often into conditions that seem unimaginable today. More than one Scout found itself up the side of some mountain pass in axle deep snow and blithely crossing rivers that cause current adventure bikers to stop and strategize.
What, no outcry over streetfighters? How much Mad Max history is there? Big wheel baggers? Does reminiscence of a a plastic tricycle qualify a motorcycle styling statement? The answer is yes. Of course it does.
At least Scouts are named thus, did duty thus, and those useless tires would likely have provided some edge in motorcycling adventures that were just another weekend for our dads and moms but now something many of us will not dare consider of our garage queens.
Just because you don’t see the value in a styling exercise doesn’t mean that the exercise is wrong and you are right. It does mean that you don’t see what someone else does.
I like the looks of it, A Lot !!!
But would I ride it ?
Probably Not !
But guess what, not every custom has to be practical
& if somebody likes it enough to buy it, sounds like a “win, win” to me.
“What is one man’s garbage is another man’s dessert !!!”
Ride what you like (& can afford)
Cracks me up that so many are grousing about the tires – our world is littered with customs built for fun and entertainment, not really to ride. Having an interesting (and affordable) custom platform in the Scout spark builders to want to play is great IMO. If you don’t like it – OK – turn the page! But seeing builders and shops start to get ahold of bikes and toss wrenches, paint, and effort towards our bikes is in one word – cool.
Frankly I like it that we have a few individuals who explode every time our brand is seen. Tells me we are doing something right and upsetting the old guard.
Next up: Complain about the breathability of exhaust koozies…and GO!
Seriously – it’s Friday – relax and have fun. Go for a ride or tweak your bike.
Robert Pandya (Real name)
External Relations Manager (Real job)
Indian Motorcycle (Really proud of our work)
@Robert Pandya
Since you mention it, I’m not sure those exhaust koozies are EPA compliant. Are you suggesting that we innocent and trusting biker types break the law with non-compliant exhaust koozies? You’ve opened yourself up to some serious litigation, mister.
On a more serious note, keep up the good work. If people are getting bent out of shape, you might be doing something right.