Around the time that I was doing the restoration of the 1954 Harley Davidson, a motorcycle that shared my own birth year, I began to think that I might be interested in owning and experiencing something even older. The 1954 Harley was a motorcycle that shared a large percentage of its engineering with the original overhead valve 1936 Harley Knucklehead. This overhead valve design is still being used in Harley Davidson motorcycles today! My thoughts centered on the idea of owning a motorcycle whose technology was even older – in particular, the so-called side valve or flathead motor. In addition, whereas my 1954 Harley had telescopic fork front end suspension, some of the oldest motorcycles had a variety of different ways of absorbing bumps in the road. These included girder styled leaf springs as well as coil springs that unlike the telescopic suspensions to follow had no significant dampening allowing the spring to bounce up and down until it finally stopped.
I considered a number of options. I looked at the Harley UL and VL bikes. Ultimately I found myself looking at the Indian motorcycles built by the Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company between 1901 and 1953 in Springfield Massachusetts. Outside of the last four years of production, the vast majority of these machines utilized side valve motors and a variety of sprung from suspensions. Aside from the classic four cylinder machines built between the 1920s and the early 1940s, Indian Motorcycles were rugged V twin machines that were ridden across the country and around the world. During the 1930s and into the 1950s, outside of Harley Davidson there was only one other American manufacturer of motorcycles to survive and compete in the marketplace and that manufacturer was Indian. Indian motorcycles are beloved by collectors today for their unique engineering and styling.
Having decided upon an Indian motorcycle, I then had to decide which model and which year. I narrowed my choice to one of the two major model lines produced by Indian decade after decade – the middleweight Scout and the heavyweight Chief. Then good fortune turned my way. At an Antique Motorcycle Club of America event, I had the good fortune of having lunch with one of the premier historians of Indian motorcycles (as well as Harley Davidson and other marques) – Dr. Harry V. Sucher. Dr. Sucher was the author of several books on Indian motorcycle history. These included “The Iron Redskin” as well as “Franklin’s Indians”.
So I posed the question regarding which of the Indian motorcycles he would choose if he only had one to choose. Without batting an eye, he said that he would undoubtedly pick the famous Indian 101 Scout. He spoke in glowing terms of the genius of Charles Franklin, the Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company’s chief engineer and designer of the original Scout and Chief models in the 1920s. Dr. Sucher pointed out that Franklin put Indian’s best ever production engine into their best ever frame and running gear. He reminisced about his first rides on the 101 Scout. He remembered being delighted with its great handling for the day and its wonderful stability. He said the Chief was a great motorcycle but substantially heavier and nowhere near the instinctive handling capabilities of the 101 Scout. He said he did many long-distance trips on a 101 Scout as it was also very good out on the open road, with a great power to weight ratio and a long legged stability credited to the frame geometry Franklin engineered. He said with a knowing smile that I would not be disappointed if I obtained the 101 Scout.
So the decision was made – an Indian 101 Scout would represent the best of the engineering of its time, the credit going to Charles Franklin. Because my collection is focused significantly on “superbikes”, the Indian 101 Scout also is an appropriate choice. They were stripped-down and used in all kinds of racing of the day due to the great handling and power to weight ratio. They were used in dirt track, speedway, hill climb, and road racing. Because of their stability and handling, the Great Wall of Death performers preferred the Indian 101 Scout to ride the inside wooden walls of the “Silodomes” round and round at high speed often with hands off the handlebars. Finally, the famous Al Crocker used the Indian 101 design to create an overhead valve hot rod motorcycle in the 1930s, perhaps the first superbike – “The Crocker”.
A famous advertisement for the “New Indian Scout” of 1928 said the following:
“A new thrill – a new satisfaction – a new comfort when you’re riding on the new Indian Scout. Nothing like it has ever been seen in motorcycling! Smooth, flowing power equal to the finest car – more of it than you’ll ever use. Safe – easy – control with brakes, both front and rear (the availability of a rear brake being a new technology for motorcycles of that era). Open-air – blue skies – a shining sun and a shady nook. Get off the beaten track with Indian. Health, happiness, education, and new experiences will be yours. The Scout gets you there and brings you back! Certainly some hyperbole, especially regarding education, but the Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company was clearly excited about its high-performance middleweight motorcycle, the 101 Scout.
Finding a 101 Scout to purchase was a daunting task. These motorcycles were manufactured over a four model year period between 1928 and 1931. Very few of these precious motorcycles remain. Despite another Indian advertisement saying “you can’t wear out an Indian Scout”, many of these motorcycles were abused and thrashed and relatively few have survived intact nearly 90 years later! Fortunately, after several years of searching, I was able to purchase my 1928 Indian 101 Scout.
On my maiden voyage I rode several miles just to re-familiarize myself with the use of a hand shift and foot clutch motorcycle. But soon it was coming quite naturally. With only three speeds, first gear is used only to get going from a stop or up a steep hill. Second gear is mainly a way to get into third gear or for relatively slow putting around. I was impressed right away with the very low seat height and center of gravity. This allows for great maneuverability at lower speeds but also a great inherent stability at higher speeds. The wheelbase of 57.5 inches also contributes to this feel. The 45 cubic inch, 750 cc engine is delightfully torquey and pulls the light weight machine crisply away from stops. Despite its rear brake and other technological advancements of the time, it obviously is--relative to today’s machines-- quite crude. There is no ignition key – it utilizes a magneto ignition that is always on and ready to go. The battery is only necessary to run the lights. One has to retard the ignition, controlled by the twist grip on one of the handlebars, to start the bike and not have the kick starter snapback and propel you skyward. Then once started one must advance the ignition to its normal position. The suspension is comprised of the air in the tires, the front leaf spring, and the spring on the solo saddle. The rear brake, instead of having an expanding shoe inside a sealed hub, utilizes an externally compressing shoe exposed to the elements. Finally, as is the case with most machines from the 1920s, there was no recycling return of oil from the engine sump back to the oil pump. Rather, the oil tank, which is a separately sealed compartment within the gas tank, is gravity fed to the oil pump. This oil pump then sprays an appropriate amount of oil onto the crankshaft, and one hopes that enough flies around inside to lubricate the reciprocating parts. Where does all the oil go? Mainly it finds its way past the piston rings into the combustion chamber where it finds its way into the atmosphere. Internal combustion at its simplest! Because of the crude nature of the machine, I will not be putting a lot of miles on this motorcycle and contributing anything measurable to my carbon footprint!
My 1928 101 Indian Scout serves as a reminder of where the engineering of two wheeled motorized vehicles was about 90 years ago. As it was produced in the middle of the Art Deco period, the simplicity and elegance that characterized the aesthetic of the time is present in the Scout. Its long lean lines are beautiful to behold. The sculptured gas tank/oil tank is placed between two frame rails which contributes to the clean linear design. Though the majority were painted Indian red, exceptions were made in various other colors. Mine is black with red tank panels and gold pin striping. A Corbin 100 mile-per-hour speedometer is mounted on a bracket to the top frame rail. It is driven off a sprocket of the rear wheel that turns a cable within a flexible steel sheath that is snaked alongside the frame and eventually connects to this speedometer gauge. There are only three lights on the machine. A headlamp, a 2 inch barely visible rear tail light, and a small fixture next to the speedometer with a small bulb to illuminate the speedometer at night.
But all of these things are what make this nearly century old machine wonderful. Every piston stroke and every valve opening and closing are heard and felt directly. The motor feels and sounds like one half of a model T Ford. This machine, by virtue of its old engineering, is unique in every way relative to any other machine in my collection. The truth of the matter is that despite any deficits in overall performance, this machine constantly reminds us of the time in the past when it was the peak of performance. All the machines that followed had to come through it first!