My 1927 Indian Scout

Here is my old 1927 Indian Scout, it was a smaller 37 cu. inch bike.  This was an older restoration that I bought when I lived in Albuquerque New Mexico.  It was sitting in Larry's Custom Cycles and it was love at first sight.  I managed to make a deal with the owner and purchased it.
This was a very cool bike that ran really well even for its small engine displacement.  One time when I was riding it half of the carb fell off on the road.  I found the part, screwed it back on and rode home.  Old solid engineering.
I was flipping bikes and didn't have the sense to keep it.  We all missed it after it was gone.

101 Scout History

The 1920s marked a decade of growth and model expansion for Indian.  The Powerplus-era street bikes, known for their durability and performance, gave birth to the new Scout in 1920 designed by Charles B. Franklin– featuring a 37 cubic inch (600 cc) V-twin engine.  The low-slung Scout model, with its long wheelbase, innovative semi-monocoque construction, three-speed transmission and helical-gear drive, was an immediate hit with performance riders on the street, dirt tracks, and endurance circuits alike.  The Scout wasn’t the most powerful bike on the market, but it gained a following for its responsiveness and agile handling.  In 1928, Franklin masterfully tweaked the Scout, and in the process created the 101 Scout– with an even stronger frame, superior suspension and steering, longer wheelbase, increased fork rake, lower seat, addition of a front brake. and beefed-up engine putting out 45 cubic inches (750 cc) of displacement.  The result was what many consider to be the best bike Indian ever built.

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The New Indian Scout– Power, Swiftness, Stamina, Economy!

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“You can’t wear out an Indian Scout, or its brother the Indian Chief.  They are built like rocks to take hard knocks– it’s the Harleys that cause grief.“

Sport riders and racers were drawn to the 101’s performance– and the new Scouts enjoyed a strong run dominating the competitive scene.  Unfortunately, the 101 model lasted a scant four years in the Indian model lineup.  The country’s Great Depression forced Indian to cut production costs– and the 101 Scout was an unfortunate victim of downsizing. In 1932, to cut down production costs, Indian began pairing the Scout engine with the larger Chief frame. The matchup resulted in a motorcycle that was bulkier, heavier, and according to many– not as capable on the performance front.

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The legendary 1929 Indian 101 Scout motorcycle– many would say it’s the finest bike Indian ever made

Borrowed from theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com

Route for 2012 Cannonball Endurance Run Coast to Coast

Here is the route for the Cannonball Coast to Coast Run, it is 3800 miles and will no doubt be a trying experience for man (or woman) and machine.  Still hunting for a good 101 Scout or 28-29 Chief.
I will be running against some pretty amazing individuals, most have done the 2010 run and know what they are doing.  If nothing else it will be a tremendous adventure just to finish it with the bike and myself still hitting on both cylinders !

101 Scout on Wall of Death

A very cool old picture of an Indian Scout on the Wall riding next to a lion in a sidecar.  This stuff was real back in the day, the riders would train lions from cubs and teach them to ride on the wall.  Some riders were seriously  maimed in the process.  Sometimes they would just turn the lions loose in the bottom after they had gotten up on the wall, as you can imagine it must have been quite interesting at times !

Terrot Touring Sport

Another Barry Solomon bike I restored for him, this bike was a huge pain in the neck as it had been wrecked and the frame was broken.  I had originally owned the bike and sold it to Barry who later asked me to do a cosmetic restoration on it.
It recently sold at Mecum Auctions in Monterey

The four stroke machines that terrot produced in the early twenties had 350 cc jap engines and archaic horizontal spring front forks. they were fitted with terrot's own 2-speed gearbox and chain-cum-belt transmission. two versions were sold of this model g, the sport and touriste. by 1925 it was time for a new model, and in the autumns the model h was introduced at the paris salon. the first machines were still equipped with jap engines and old type forks, but in the middle of november the modernized h appeared, with terrot's own engine, druid forks and pilgrim oil pump. there were four versions: ht, hs, hsc and htc. t stood for touriste, s for sport and c for confort, or luxury. the t had a standard engine and upswept touring handlebars, the hs a stronger engine and flat handlebars. the c type had 27x4 wired-on tyres, 140 mm wide mudguards and a steering damper the standard versions had 120 mm wide mudguards and 700x80 wired-on tyres.

1911 Indian Engine

1911 Indian Single

Here is a 1911 Indian single that I restored for Barry Solomon a few years back.  Barry is a great guy to work with and had a large collection of very interesting bikes you don't see too much such as Scotts, Velocettes, etc.   This bike was brought to me as a complete bike which needed restoration.  Everything was taken down to bits and either nickel plated or painted.
It recently sold at Mecum Auctions in Monterey for $66,000