Indian Scout Flat Track Racing Motorcycle
Indian Scout Flat Track Racing Motorcycle
• Restored example of Indian's successful AMA Class C racer
• Ridden very little since restoration by HP Indian
While full-fendered Fours and Chiefs were the company's flagships, it was stripped-down 750cc Sport Scouts that gave Indian most of its racetrack glory throughout the 1930s right up until the attack on Pearl Harbor put most racing on hold. Performance was stressed from the model's first advertisement in 1934: "Acceleration, speed, agility, the Sport Scout 45, streamlined from the ground up," promised the copy. That boast was more than fulfilled in 1937 when Ed "Iron Man" Kretz took a Sport Scout to victory in the inaugural AMA 200-miler on the sands of Daytona Beach. A reputation for outright top speed was taken care of later that year when former racer and Pasadena Police motor officer Fred Ludlow rode a tuned example to 128.57mph on California's Muroc Dry Lake.
No new Sport Scout street bikes were produced after WWII but the factory did conjure up a special batch of so-called "Big Base" engines so Indian could continue doing battle with their great rival, Harley-Davidson. The hot-rodded Sport Scouts gave a good account of themselves, starting with another Daytona 200 win in 1947 with smooth-riding Johnny Spiegelhoff at the controls. Next year it was Indian rider Floyd Emde's turn to take the Daytona 200 headlines.
More victories were notched by the famous "Indian Wrecking Crew" consisting of Bobby Hill, Bill Tuman and Ernie Beckman – like Kretz, Ludlow, Spiegelhoff and Emde, all AMA Hall of Famers. Hill rode a Sport Scout to 11 AMA national wins and was Grand National Champion in 1951 and '52. Tuman, with a total of five nationals, also had the distinction of being the last Sport Scout rider to wear the GNC crown when he took the title in 1953. Beckman won nationals three times in his career, and at the Williams Grove Half-Mile in 1953 was the last Indian rider to take the checkers at an AMA race – until last year, that is, when a reconstituted Indian Motorcycle Company began racing once again.
The Jalbert Collection's Sport Scout flat tracker was built by HP Indian, a New England specialty shop. It is equipped with an Edison-Splitdorf magneto and tuned "Bonneville" carburetor. The bike has blank engine cases and is sold on a bill of sale.
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Indian Scout Flat Track Racing Motorcycle
• Restored example of Indian's successful AMA Class C racer
• Ridden very little since restoration by HP Indian
While full-fendered Fours and Chiefs were the company's flagships, it was stripped-down 750cc Sport Scouts that gave Indian most of its racetrack glory throughout the 1930s right up until the attack on Pearl Harbor put most racing on hold. Performance was stressed from the model's first advertisement in 1934: "Acceleration, speed, agility, the Sport Scout 45, streamlined from the ground up," promised the copy. That boast was more than fulfilled in 1937 when Ed "Iron Man" Kretz took a Sport Scout to victory in the inaugural AMA 200-miler on the sands of Daytona Beach. A reputation for outright top speed was taken care of later that year when former racer and Pasadena Police motor officer Fred Ludlow rode a tuned example to 128.57mph on California's Muroc Dry Lake.
No new Sport Scout street bikes were produced after WWII but the factory did conjure up a special batch of so-called "Big Base" engines so Indian could continue doing battle with their great rival, Harley-Davidson. The hot-rodded Sport Scouts gave a good account of themselves, starting with another Daytona 200 win in 1947 with smooth-riding Johnny Spiegelhoff at the controls. Next year it was Indian rider Floyd Emde's turn to take the Daytona 200 headlines.
More victories were notched by the famous "Indian Wrecking Crew" consisting of Bobby Hill, Bill Tuman and Ernie Beckman – like Kretz, Ludlow, Spiegelhoff and Emde, all AMA Hall of Famers. Hill rode a Sport Scout to 11 AMA national wins and was Grand National Champion in 1951 and '52. Tuman, with a total of five nationals, also had the distinction of being the last Sport Scout rider to wear the GNC crown when he took the title in 1953. Beckman won nationals three times in his career, and at the Williams Grove Half-Mile in 1953 was the last Indian rider to take the checkers at an AMA race – until last year, that is, when a reconstituted Indian Motorcycle Company began racing once again.
The Jalbert Collection's Sport Scout flat tracker was built by HP Indian, a New England specialty shop. It is equipped with an Edison-Splitdorf magneto and tuned "Bonneville" carburetor. The bike has blank engine cases and is sold on a bill of sale.
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Time, Location
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