Indian Scout

A bit of a fantasy machine for me this one. An Indian Scout from the late twenties, if I were pushed give an exact year I would say 1927 though am happy to stand corrected.

Without wishing to be controversial, the Scout is from a period where America was still making innovative and world beating motorcycles before hitting stagnation in the thirties. A machine to rival anything produced in Europe in performance and quality. The handlebars on this particular example are a thing of beauty, were they a standard fitment, an option or aftermarket? They are certainly different from the more usually seen sit 'up and beg' bars. Alas, I'm not enough of an Indian afficianado to know.

Stunning Indian Scout in sporting spec.

Be-tassled Indian 741

I think this photo is from the seventies when an Indian 741 was already collectable rather than from the time it would have had to earn its living. I'm fairly sure I recognise the actual bike as it has stirred a few memories: I remember as a child going round local steam fairs and seeing this bike. The chap who owned it was a ruddy faced gent, I think of travelling folk origin and he always wore a traditional Dorset smock and a floppy leather hat. This particular Indian I believe was his as it is a standard ex-WD 741 but for a civilian paint scheme (his was bright red - hard to tell in black and white but could an Indian be any other colour?), big tank transfers, knobbly tyres and leather tassles on the saddle and bar ends. My memories are from 30 or more years back, I dare say the gent himself may have passed but I wonder where the bike is now?

Indian 741 stirs memories....

Indian 741

A nice old image of an ex-WD Indian 741 on holiday. The photo is annotated to the reverse 'Horse Shoe Pass August 1949'. Indian 741s were sold off army surplus in great numbers by Pride and Clarke in London. All Pride and Clarke ex WD bikes were re-finished from olive drab to their trademark shade of maroon.

Though very desirable these days Indian 741s were seen as a wonky option in post war Britain. Rather outdated with a hand change gear lever and performance that could be described as stodgy at best, an ohv British 350cc single would leave the 500cc v-twin 741 for standing. I know someone who has stories of ownership of a 741 back in the day and he maintains that it was the very worst bike he ever owned! Times and tastes however change and I for one would love to own a 741, though I think I would tweak the motor to 600cc Sport Scout spec....

The vintage scene from days gone

Several more pictures from vintage events in the seventies and eighties. Thanks are due once again to Bettie Barber for letting me scan pictures from her family album.

Veteran Chater Lea v-twin, Norton CS1 and Rudge Ulster
were all in the Barber collection.

Not so sure about my Sunbeams. I'm going for a Model 8 of
around 1936.

Stunning Indian Power Plus c 1914 / 1915.

Mk II Ariel Square 4 combination. 

Indian Brave brochure 1955

The once noble Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company of Springfield, Massachusetts had to endure many an ignominy before reaching the current revival. The first of these was at the hands of the British Brockhouse company who bought the rights to the name after Indian went under in 1953.

Brockhouse was a heavyweight engineering company who had already dabbled in motorcycles in a small way with the Corgi scooter. After purchase of the Indian name the Corgi was marketed in the States under the Indian brand as the Papoose model. The next step was the Brave.

The Brave was sold primarily on price and was notable for having a sidevalve motor of 250cc when other manufacturers had moved away from that format to overhead valves or two strokes. Also noteworthy was the Indian's woeful lack of power, one can only speculate in disbelief over how appalling the performance must have been when hitched to the optional sidecar. Despite all this the Indian Brave is now sought after (just shows the power of branding folks!). This brochure dates from 1955; the over-egging of the 'Red' Indian Brave connection is hugely crass to modern eyes. 

Brockhouse were later responsible for bringing Royal Enfield motorcycles in to the States under the Indian brand.

Front cover of the 1955 Indian Brave brochure. The 'S' in
Model 'S' is for spring frame.

It's a fold out brochure. Apologies
for cutting it up in the scan but it
was the only way to do it.

'No reservations about this Indian' - eugh!

Last scan of the centre fold out.

Rear cover of the 1955 Indian Brave brochure.

Vintage Indian Combination

Blurry and badly cropped snap of an Indian combination dating from the early twenties. On the plus side the focus isn't too bad! The CR prefix on the reg number denotes a vehicle registered in Portsmouth (UK).

Vintage Indian sidecar combination.

Thor Thor Indian

Fantastic period photo from around 1911 of two Thors and an Indian. The picture is annotated '4 Carpenters outside our house' on the reverse.

Left to right, Thor v-twin, Thor single, Indian v-twin all
dating from around 1911. Note the enormous headlight on
the middle bike.

Indian Chief 1940

A very unusual bike in the UK at the time. An Indian Chief from c1940. I'm guessing the picture is taken post war and the bike is ex-WD. There were a lot of 741 models floating around army surplus in the post war years but a Chief would be something special.

Indian Chief posing in the garden. She looks
pretty non-plussed by it!

Another view of the 1940 Indian Chief. Looks
pretty standard, a spotlight has been added
on the handlebars.

The Grom Motorcycle Museum, Vransko, Slovenia part I

The Grom Motorcycle Museum is a private collection housed in an old industrial building in the centre of the town of Vransko in central Slovenia. It claims to be the largest motorcycle museum in Slovenia, a claim undoubtedly well founded as it is a large collection by any standards.

The Grom collection has a strong emphasis on unrestored machinery and the unusual. The geographic location meant that back in the day the motorcycles of Slovenia were truly international. Italian brands are strongly represented but there is a decent spread of French, German, American and British machinery too along with a patriotic smattering of Tomos products. 

Many of the exhibits are working and used on the road and a good number are held in a preserved state. There is a wonderful 1906 Puch in a glass case that is completely unmolested and original down to period tyres which have worn down to the string casing. The collection is expanding and projects are trundling out of the workshop on a regular basis. On the go whilst I visited was a French Majestic hub centre steered machine from the late twenties.

Though Vransko is a sleepy town it's got a lot of charm, is set in stunning countryside and  definitely warrants a night or two stay. The Museum itself has a bed and breakfast attached, no-one was in when we arrived so we ended up next door in a friendly small pizzeria restaurant and bar which had comfortable and reasonably priced rooms.  

The Museum is well worth going out of your way to visit, Ljubljana airport isn't far away and a long weekend in Slovenia isn't out of the question for Europeans. Below a selection of the Museum's exhibits, more to come over the next few days...

Narrow frontage belies the size of the Museum.

Puch 500VL from the mid thirties. An in-line
parallel twin two stroke.

There's a lot of love for Puch around these parts. This is a 1923
Puch LM of 122cc.

Shame on me for not noting the marque of this
beautiful path racer bicycle. Wooden rims and
shaft drive mark it out. The head badge looks like
'Regence' of Lille, though I can find no reference
to this brand anywhere.

1928 Ultima C1 500cc side valve v-twin from Lyon, France.

Lovely Indian Prince from 1926. Check the handlebar collection
closely and there is an unusual set of leaf spring bars.

Double overhead cam vintage BD Praga from the Czech Republic.

For me this 1931 Triumph sloper is a stand out bike of the
collection on account of its originality. Check out the unusual
instrument binacle on the handlebars. This was also an option
on BSA bikes of the same era.

The Triumph sloper still carries the mark of the original supplier
in Milano on the front numberplate.

1922 Austro Motorette cyclemotor. 81cc. It
attached to the bicycle's front forks. 

Dragon Rally 2015 pt 3

A few pictures of bikes at the Dragon Rally that caught my attention. Something great about the rally is that every one of the bikes there is used and used properly. Somehow they look sexier with a little road dirt and use. Great to see folks making an effort to turn up on some fairly unlikely machinery.

Austell Pullman from the early 90s fitted with a BMC car
engine. Designed as a sidecar bike and sold as a kit. The
most charitable description of the looks is 'functional'.
Somehow appealing though and very practical.

These two mopeds were bought for the rally and ridden
down the day before. A Honda Camino and a Peugeot Vogue.
Had a chat with one of the guys and he said that both 'peds
were very capable of the trip mechanically but that comfort
was lacking. He was on his 43rd consecutive Dragon!
Bravo gentlemen, bravo.

Peugeot Vogue moped.

Very tidily turned out Triumph TR6.

Rare Villiers-engined Panther.

Plenty of MZs around and about.

Skis! Not quite sure how they work but they
looked very purposeful.

Guess the charging on this Norton 16H isn't very good!

Norton 16H again.

A trio of Honda Cubs.

Indian Scout 101 from 1928. I didn't walk around the whole
site but I'm pretty sure this was the oldest machine there.
Well done that man!

Close up of Indian Scout 101.

Indian Dakota 4

The Indian Dakota 4 was brought to market back in 1999 and that is when this brochure dates from. It is hard to find out if they are still available. I've seen pictures of an updated model and they are built to order so quite possibly if you had deep enough pockets one could be yours. The answer could be to track down the builder, Alan Forbes, at Motolux and give him a call. 

Alan Forbes had (or possibly still has) the rights to the Indian brand in the UK so you have to assume that a deal has been done with Polaris now that they are marketing new Indian Chiefs in a big way. Over in the States the Dakota has always been sold simply as the 'Dakota 4' rather than as an Indian.

Here's the US Dakota 4 site.

And follow this link for the UK Indian Dakota 4 pages.

Neither site seems to have been updated for a while.

Indian Dakota 4 brochure page 1.

Indian Dakota 4 brochure page 2.