1938 Indian Scout Junior
A couple of decades ago a good friend of mine bought a 1937 Indian Chief, ten milk crates of parts and a frame. Ten years later he rode that ‘basket case’ Indian up to the front door of my surf shop with the biggest shit eating grin I think I have ever seen on anybody’s face ever. Roger had taken the time to bring the bike back to life without doing a museum level restoration. It was beautiful. Next thing I knew I was riding that Chief along the coast and the last thing I wanted to do was give it back to my friend. Alas, I handed back to my friend, but riding that bike sparked a love for Indian motorcycles.
Roger too came under the spell of Indian. One by one he collected old Indians…I believe he pretty much spent his 401K on his Indian collection. Other than his first ‘Chief’ his favorite was the ‘Scout Junior’ he found in a barn in Montana. It needed a lot, I mean ‘a lot’ of love. It wasn’t in milk crates but it could have been. Roger did get it running without restoring it and last I knew he was still riding it…faded paint, rusty bolts and a seat that is held together with shoe laces.
Here is what Indian said about the Scout Junior, “You can’t wear out an Indian Scout, It will wear you out first”. The Scout was Indians life blood through out the 1920’s and 30’s. It was popular with everyone from racers to women. Yes, in that time period a good number of women did ride motorbikes. The Scout Junior weighed just 350 pounds and was very easy to handle.
The Scout Junior’s main competition in the marketplace was the Harley 45 incher but even with a size disadvantage the Indian outperformed the Harley. Remember, this is a motorbike that in stock form at that time only produced 5hp!? The Scout provided Indian with the basis for 1000cc Chief. Sadly, the Scout was discontinued in 1942.
I found a really nice Scout Junior on ebay this morning. It appears to be an older restoration but still really nice, I love the Firestone tires on the bike. The seller says it is a runner but needs a new battery, no big deal. This truly is one of the best Indian motorcycles ever built, light weight, reliable (for the time), and fun to ride. Owning an old Indian is not cheap nor easy but is certainly well worth it, just ask my friend Roger,
For more info and pictures of this nice Scout Junior, click on the pics below. There are a lot more pictures that reallt show how nice this bike really is.
