But the folks at Harley-Davidson were significantly more knowledgeable about marketing and sales than Indian techs. Harley was well on the way through the army orders in WWII. Indian missed the boat there… and entered the ship. The Indian Scout 500 side valve.
The new Indians are authentic
Under the mighty wings of Polaris Industries, the legendary brand was reborn while retaining character. The Indians are 100% American motorcycles without being - like so many non-American attempts - pathetic Harley-Davidson clones.
At Harley-Davidson, meanwhile, there are serious concerns about the reborn brand. Where Harley, partly due to the aging of the buyers, fled further and further into the past. And in a sort of death throes just started making modern motorcycles in a cheaper country. In addition, it is used to put a GS killer on the wheels, Indian attracts an equally enthusiastic, but more open-minded and (somewhat) younger audience.
That is of course nice and nice.
But we still like the classic Indians, like the 500cc Indian Scout. This model of the legendary brand was designed in 1939 for use in the US military and the armies of its allies.
The Indian Scout 500 side valve
The configuration is very similar to that of its bigger brother, the 750cc Military Scout (model 640 B), but the 500 is lighter in both frame and engine construction.
Production ran for approximately 6 years until 1944. During that time, no significant changes were made to the specification of the 741; about 35.000 machines were made.
Compared to the Harley-Davidson 'Liberators', such an Indian Scout is a smaller, slender machine
Our fashion model has now handed in his combat uniform and it looks good on him. This Scout was already a barn find thirty+ years ago, or rather an attic find. The current owner then heard from a colleague that that colleague knew someone who had heard from someone that someone had an old motorcycle in the attic. It required quite a bit of detective work locally. But the Indian Scout was found. In parts. In an attic of someone who didn't want to sell it. 'Not' is not 'never'.
Regular visits developed a mild bond between the parties and the Indian Scout was awarded in parts. There was a lot of work involved. The block was tired and encrypted. And about thirty years ago, parts were not yet available on the Internet. What was there was rare, broken or expensive. But there was still more craftsmanship among the people at the time. So a lot was done and made in-house.
Long restoration
All in all, it took almost ten years for the Indian Scout to look the way it does today. And now it is a wonderfully usable classic for quiet secondary roads. At least: for the people who have the knack of starting it and putting it into first gear without 'brushing their teeth'. Manual shifting and operating a foot clutch takes getting used to. Once in three, there is no need to change much here in the Netherlands. Playing with the ignition advance makes the Indian Scout a wonderful strolling bike.
Engine power is about 15 horsepower at 4800 rpm. Ignition is by battery and coil, (the B in the model designation refers to battery/coil ignition) weight is 450 lb, top speed 65 mph.
Transmission 3-speed manual, tires 3,50 x 18.
Also read:
– How you can sign up as a subscriber and only pay € 3,75 per song
- Harley-Davidson WLA or C: Factory or Time Original?
- Harley-Davidson and AMF… A bittersweet symphony
- More stories about classic engines on AMK
- Harley. A step back in time
I own a 1939 Big Chief. There are different stories about the gas on the left and ignition on the right, the most popular of which is that Indian took into account the use of police and that they should be able to handle a gun while driving with the right. I was told here in the US that the Indians cabling was assembled at the dealer. Because the rotating handles on the left and right make the same stroke, the choice was made which gas and which ignition was used. It is true that Harley had the gear lever on the left of the tank and Indian on the right. Perhaps that is why the gas was often mounted the other way around. On mine I just have the throttle on the right so as not to get confused. Incidentally, the foot clutch also works the other way around as with Harley. With Indian actually just like with modern cars, kicking in with toes is declutching. For Harley, declutch with the heel, and with the toes coupled. Furthermore, at that time Harley was more progressive in terms of engine with the Knucklehead OHV in 1936. The Indian, however, with rear plunger springs in 1940.
In this well-known training video from 5.20 it can be clearly seen that shooting from a (manual) driving motorcycle is practically impossible.
So it's still a nice story
A nice attachment. But you can of course throw just fine with such a fist weapon!
Hi Jan, Thanks for this addition!
After four years of restoration, another one has come back on the road in the Netherlands. Even though I am more for the competition myself, it was a fun project and the owner is very happy with the result.
I see the happy owner! Thank you for preserving this historical heritage!
Nice brand. But a bit much gif from HD's, don't we think? Just like the compare audi-vw. Until you see the bill after maintenance! HD simply had better marketing. They have now only become much better, lighter, more economical.
The US Army was not involved in WWII in 1940, but the British were.
They mainly strummed around on 350 and 500cc single cylinders, and the US Army thought it would also benefit from a 500cc.
Indian did what was expected of it, and in 1941 came up with the 500cc 741B.
HD refused, and gave a green sprayed WL with side-free fenders: “test that, we'll hear about it!”…
In the end, the 741 proved too light for its intended task, and Indian's 640B (750cc) too bulky and expensive.
The Army didn't like either of them… and went for the modified HD WL.
First in 41WLA form..with extended front fork and wide handlebars, eventually it became the 42WLA with regular fork and saddle 'on the tank'.
Indian was good at the P, and tried to sell the 741B to the Russians, but Pjotr also found it unsuitable and sent them back…!
In the end, especially the English and their Commonwealth (Australia, New Zealand) turned out to be a reasonably good market for the bird.
The 741 did not see the Netherlands in wartime, which is why there are still so few here.
Almost everything was imported later.
Nice addition! Thank you!
At our auction there used to be a grower who brought his trade to the auction with a fat Indian with a trailer behind it
My parents had an Indian with whom they made long trips in the period 1950-1955, to Austria and Switzerland, among other places. According to my father, Indian was indeed the better Harley. When I was born in 1955, the Indian was dismantled for storage and a “car” was purchased, ie a 2 stroke Aero Minor equipped with Jawa technology. At that time a fairly popular car and it was also widely traveled. For a car with a top speed of about 80 km per hour, the Black Forest or Tyrol was quite a journey.
Over time, the Indian was unfortunately sold to an enthusiast.
PS it would be nice if Auto Motor Klassiek once would pay attention to the Aero Minor.
Aero Minor: Let's look for it!
That warm oil tank was very nice in winter
Left is gas, right is ignition. What a sensible story this is, especially the comparison with HD
As far as I remember those Indians had the throttle on the left. Or is that a monkey sandwich story? My very first self-driven motorcycle ride was on a Harley WLA.
When I see that Indian, I now think it would have been even more fun if I had ridden the Indian. A WLA sometimes wants to be seen in the wild. An Indian, unfortunately I've never seen him drive, if I'm very honest.
Wasn't that the ignition?