The Indian Scout motorcycle was the celebrity of the Indian motorcycle line from’20 until’39. Indian Scout motorcycles were used by police, by motorcycle racers, and during World War II. During the war, Indian made aircraft engines, motors for boats, air conditioners, and bicycles. Possibly the most revered Indian Scout motorcycle was the’28 101 Scout, with its lower slung outline and improved handling.

The Indian Scout was introduced in’20. It had a 37 cubic inch (596 cc) engine that enlarged in size to 45 cubic inches (745 cc) in’27. That increase in engine size was an answer to the popular Excelsior Super X, which was the first American 45 cubic inch motorcycle.

The 101 Scout was the second response which was being produced and some people believed that this was the highest in Indian Motorcycle technology. Another group of fans were pleased to see Indian motorcycle use the body of its other model Chief for the new Scout line which was introduced in’31.

Possibly as a appeasing move for its fans Scout came out with smaller models between’32 till’41with 30.50 cubic inch. These had engines which were smaller and were called Scout Pony, the Junior Scout, and the Thirty-Fifty.

The two heavyweight motorcycle companies Indian Motorcycle Company and Harley Davidson were trying to out do each other in America in the early years of 20th century. The rivalry was well known and was written about in a book called Harley-Davidson and Indian Wars by Allan Girdler. The run away success of Scout was fiercely retaliated by Harley Davidson.

To give an example of speed Burt Munro, a New Zealander and a motorcycle racer set a record in land speed under-1000cc between’62 and’67 with his 47 year old’20 modified Indian Scout motor cycle. At the time he himself was 68 years old and nobody has been able to defeat this record till today. This shows the speed and stoutness of Indian Scout motor cycle. There were other achievements too and everything taken together was made into a movie in 2005 called The World’s Fastest Indian.

The company Indian Motorcycles witnessed a series of trouble and was ultimately declared bankrupt in’77. In’35 controlling interest of Indian Motorcycles was sold and by’46 it stopped manufacturing any motorcycle. After that till’77 it changed hands several times. Through out’80s and1990s the company was fighting court battles over the ownership of the brand name.

Finally, in December’98, the claim was established in Federal court in Denver. IMCOA Licensing America, Inc. was awarded the trademark, and the Indian Motorcycle Company of America was formed as a conglomerate of nine companies. Production began again in’99, and Scout models were manufactured from 2001 to 2003, until the company went bankrupt again.

In 2006, the company re-formed and set up shop in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Though the Chief model is being reconstructed, the Indian Scout motorcycle is no longer made.

The Indian scout motorcycle has been a favorite with fans for decades. If you want to read more about the 1947 Indian motorcycle click on the preceding links.

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