Throughout 2015 Indian Motorcycle will unveil a series of custom Indian Scouts designed and crafted by some of America’s leading custom bike builders — each designed to celebrate an important Indian Scout milestone or achievement since its debut in 1920. Each of the custom Scouts will be accompanied by vignettes to share the legacy of the Indian Scout. To kick-off the series, Indian Motorcycle today launched the Custom Military Scout in a vignette narrated by Mark Wahlberg. The Custom Military Scout is a tribute to the company’s nearly 100-year history of supporting the U.S. Military and to celebrate Indian Motorcycle’s partnership with USO.
The Custom Military Scout is customized by Klock Werks Kustom Cycles on the award-winning 2015 Indian Scout platform, sporting a matte green paint indicative of a vintage military bike that was perfectly applied by Brad Smith of The Factory Match. It utilizes taillights that are modern street legal reproductions on a custom bracket to mimic the original military-style lights. The Custom Military Scout features Genuine Indian Motorcycle Accessory leather saddlebags, a Klock Werks “Klassic” seat kit and leather wraps for the base of the Indian accessory quick-detach windshield — all upholstered using matching leather hides. A custom gun scabbard mount holds a Thompson sub-machine gun with a custom gunstock by Boyds Gunstocks of Mitchell, SD etched with both the USO and Indian Motorcycle logos. The first public showing of the bike will be at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering in Monterey California on May 15th & 16th.
The Custom Military Scout and accompanying video vignette narrated by Mark Wahlberg can be found by visiting Indian Motorcycle, along with upcoming stories in the Scout Inspired Custom Series.
(yawn) Excuse me!
Where was I? Oh yeah, another green bike with a white star. A WLA I could see, being period correct and all. This is a modern bike with all the modern visual cues. (the brake rotors and cylinder heads being about as far from retro as you can get, not to mention the radiator) I get that it’s a tribute ro their history, but it’s been done and redone. How about reflecting the modern military in the “design?”
Let’s see…
Black frame
CARC sand tank and fenders
BLACK star, and small, on each fender
Saddlebags? Yeah, I can see that. But how about this:
Intead of some soon to change again whack digital pattern, how about canvas or nylon in Coyote, the color Special Forces and USMC uses on most of their kit? And if you really want a nod to the past with the leather, where is the black US?
Gun holster? Well if you HAVE to, why not go with a Blackhawk Serpa for either an M9, or better yet an M1911A1? Yeah, speaking of going back in time. we’re getting those again.
Finally, the reproduction “military-style” lights? Okay, I get it-it’s a production bike, although on a very limited scale would be my guess. Can you not get the real things? (Yes, we can. My garage is full of them). But I’ll accept that the attempt was made. Do they have LED lights in them?
Again, if you have a 21st century bike commemorating the military, why not the 21st century military? Just my thoughts.
Why to call a custom builder to repaint a Scout in military green and add a set of Indian leather bags. Result, it looks like 1000’s of “Military Harleys”. Absolutely zero creativity. from Klock Werks. Hey, Indian, challenge a good custom builder to invent and create a unique Indian Military look. This Scout brings nothing to the brand, quite the opposite. By the way, a Chief would be more appropriate for military stuff. Hope the next custom of the Scout series is more creative.
Like the Scout, but this custom (huh) is ugly.
Klock sold a military windshield!
It looks all wrong. Makes the Scout look bad. Not the Indian model for this.
What’s that quote from a famous French philosopher ? Oh yeah …
” A society or entity focused on the past is a society or entity intent on decay ‘
And errr … for the record .. the Motor Company won the battle of the bikes in WWII … by a healthy margin .. so not exactly a bragging point for Indian to be revisiting either .
Lmao TJ! I’m not super impressed with this effort either but, “A society or entity focused on the past is a society or entity intent on decay.” Pretty much sums up exactly what Harley and their fans are.
Tough crowd. Probably because bikers expect a lot from Indian, not the average custom, or more exactly the average bolt-on.
What 18bravo said; may have come across better as a contemporary military build exercise
Polaris Industries coming on again and again with the history of the name they bought is like a kid continually going “my Dad this, my Dad that…” You are not your Dad; even if you have the same name
The right bag is sitting on the top exhaust pipe! LOL. Klock better at selling windshields.
If the purpose is to promote the Scout (I am pretty sure), it’s a MISS.
Pull it’s own gun out and shoot it!
That’s so sad………………
I like it but I still prefer mine over this version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x28hPQ-yyy0
I don’t quite get the concept. Polaris takes a new design Indian and paints it up to look like a World War II Indian! What are they trying to commemorate? Olive drab paint?
Seems a bit pointless but I am sure it is well built.
Odd foot note. New Zealand got mainly army Indians and British singles.. But because we normally got 500 and 350cc British singles some CLOT, who I expect would of been British decided that you cannot have 750cc MotorCycles. You can imagine the hand wringing .As a result our Army Injuns were 500cc. Under bored. So when they were civilianised the first thing that happened was they were bored out. There are stories of the odd pistons used including I think from Bedford truck motors as no Indian pistons were available.
Guess that’s a bit boring but there is allot of Army Injuns here and they are great MotorCylces.
Best they are not copied because nothing could beat those old Warriors.
Wow, the nit pickers and nay sayers have come out in force on this one. Brian Klock is a world class builder and has done a great job of taking a modern Scout and giving it a retro-military look to commemorate the vital role Indian Motocycles played in WWII. It’s a neat idea, and well carried out by any standard. And Don Diamante do you really think the right bag is going to burn on the pipe? Boy you don’t give Brian much credit do you?
Being a “world class builder” doesn’t give you a pass. I think most of us reading this could have replicated this effort. Most likely would have surpassed it. I’m a Polaris stock holder. This thing makes me want to go to the next meeting and ask where the hell my money went.
And by the way, my comments were not “nit picking.” If they were, I’d point out to Boots above that they didn’t even commemorate Olive Drab correctly. WWII Olive Drab was derived from a mix of black and yellow ochre paint, which clearly that – ain’t. (nice rhyme) So now weve got lack of original vision AND lack of research on top of that.
Personally I like it for what it is. A themed bike. I understand that some CHP readers are not fans of those but to criticize it as if Indian or Klock Works intended it to be a historical replica is being a bit over zealous I think.
Not picking nits Doc, And I am sure the build will be first class.
You have to remember people died for King and country riding those old Girls into action.
Should you copy them even to honour their memory. I’m not sure.
Up to the individual I guess.
Fake fakery is fake.
add a sidecar and BAM !!! Instant classic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are proud of what we built and proud to be part of the project. I’m also proud of my team and what we produced for Indian and the USO.
Oh My God! A whole new herd of ostriches has arrived… the sand is deep and warm boys. Enjoy yourselves. Later Jay
This bike was built to help announce our partnership with the USO. The KW team built a rideable custom for that purpose. Brian and his team are great people who built a cool bike for us.
I’m proud of the effort, the cause and that Indian Motorcycle and Victory Motorcycles put so much effort into military support and initiatives.
You may not care for the custom or just see through orange colored glasses, but this project and more will continue to exhibit the dedication of the brand to recognize its heritage and push forward.
The bike will be in display this coming weekend at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering among dozens of vintage military machines of all brands. Brian and I will be there too.
Take the time to watch the video to get why this bike exists.
Robert Pandya
External Relations Manager
Indian Motorcycle
Robert. About the negative comments. We all expect much more from a Custom Indian. Reason why. Let’s wait for Cyril to publish the next ones.
It’s a tough crowd, but if you make it with positive comments from a vast majority of readers here, it’s excellent. If not, it’s not.
Nice pics ; )
Gerald – we may be a burr under a few saddles…it’s kind of awesome in my opinion.
Rp
L………….….O……………….L
bloggers gonna blog…….I’m so glad I can click some of you out of my day instantly.
Congrats to Polaris for bringing back the Indian brand and the all parties involved for putting this bike together. Excited to see more of the upcoming projects and what/who they will
I hope that they raise a bunch of cash with this bike and help some well deserving military folks. At the end of the day that is what it is really about.
Ok, so it’s not the most accurate interpretation
But kudos for the attempt….
I would buy it, just for the simple fact it’s a Scout
Strip off what I didn’t want & ride the heck out of it !
Let’s see what the rest of them look like ???
Beyond my grasp why Indian wouldn’t have someone like Kiwi Indian Motorcycles do their interpretation on one of the Scouts. They are one of the most qualified in the business in this area for the ‘retro’ look.
Their Coast Guard tribute bike is a perfect example of what they are capable of.
Rick. Because Mike Tomas builds Indian replicas or fake Indians.
@joshua … now .. that .. is funny.
1. He Restores Indians
2. He builds Replicas that more reliable than the originals some might argue.
3. He creates parts to keep the old ones running
4. His expertise is over and beyond the vast majority ( lol.. maybe all?) reading this article
Now .. having said that .. he’s more qualified than some of the ‘custom’ builders to touch an Indian. Fake Indians? That’s funny … don’t recall seeing a Scout 101 with liquid cooling .. may want to rethink the argument.
RickkcriR. I think that you listed all the reasons why Polaris Indian engineers will never work with him. Understand if you can.
When it comes to raw talent, an extraordinary eye for detail, an unwavering and uncompromising passion for Indian motorcycles, there is no match (toe to toe) on the planet to (kiwi) Mike Tomas.
Contemporary or vintage Indians bikes, this man is easily on the top of a very short global list of motorcycle intellectuals in design and performance. Why a company like Polaris would pass up an extraordinary opportunity to latch onto an individual with such unparalleled brand dedication, when considering any new Indian model design is beyond me and many other collectors. This green army classic (thrown together) wannabe, illustrates my point.
Fake Indians??? Clear unqualified statement. Little bit of “wish I could, or had” going on there. I’d pit Kiwi Mikes knowledge next to any other, as does many other “whales” ‘out there who have the wherewithal to step up and experience one his masterpieces.
SM.
Hi Joshua.
Over the years I’ve taken a lot of knocks but the one thing that has remained a constant is I am still here going from strength to strength.
Over the years I’ve designed and built many bikes from scratch and about 1500 different part numbers. I also take 70 year old piles of shit motorcycles and turn them into world class masterpieces. I also squeeze in design, engineering and consulting work for several OEM’s and aftermarket companies. I am having a grand time. But honestly I am not a corporate player, it’s just not me. I will always remain an independent thinker and operator. I just go about my daily work for folks who appreciate what I create with my own bare hands in AMERICA. My clients tell me their likes by what they spend and they spend very well. Corporate MC designers, engineers and executives all have checked out my website, bikes, parts and admire what I have accomplished especially for an immigrant.
I’m just a humble guy who was living the American dream until my 20 year old son Ross was killed on July 22, 2014. Now I just say phuck it and I go for it. I don’t have a thing to loose mate so it’s full throttle ahead. So if you think your words can hurt me, they can’t.
Please share with me your your name and your accomplishments as I’m always eager to learn and meet new people. My email is bigchief@kiwiindian.com. At 54 I still have more models to develop and I will do so till the day I die. You see, I have nothing to loose and none of us will take 1 single thing with us when we go. And if I ever do get a chance to look back, I can hold my head up high and say, I lived a good life, built a lot of kick ass stuff, treated others fairly and with respect and contributed to my fellow mankind in a positive fashion.
This is the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world. If you can dream it, you can make it. Like my Grandfather would say, “Never look back, look forwards to what is to be done”.
I say Lead by example.
I saw this Scout wannabe military bike yesterday at QUAIL. It was surrounded by real WWII Indians, HD, BMW’s Zundapps, Triumphs. Big unveiling hype then back to enjoying the other 349 great bikes on display.
The only words I have for Mike Tomas, Kiwi Indian is: Keep away from Federales!
Federales?
Mike Tomas could be in trouble and shut down for building Indian replicas with the name INDIAN. I think it’s what it means.
right before the Indian was released, we attempted to get our hands on 2 of the Scout platform in mil spec…no replies, no ijnterest, NOTHING! Why? It seems as though everyone wants the “sizzle’ but no one will step up and provide “the steak”,……The only way we will be able to get a coupleof milspec replicas, is to BUILD THEM!!!!!