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Indian Motorcycle made motors have been popular since World War II when Indian Motorcycle was manufacturing engines for aircraft and motor for boats, air conditioners and bicycles. The most prominent was Indian Scout motorcycle which was introduced in 1920 and was in use till 1939 when it was used by everybody, from police to motorcycle racer. Out of all the Scout motorcycle the most admired one was 1928 101 Scout with low structure and better handling.

The Indian Scout was introduced in 1920. It had a 37 cubic inch (596 cc) engine that enlarged in size to 45 cubic inches (745 cc) in 1927. That increase in engine size was an answer to the trendy Excelsior Super X, which was the first American 45 cubic inch motorcycle.

When 101 Scout was introduced in 1928 the Indian Motorcycle fans felt that it was the ultimate in Indian Motorcycle technology. However Scout started using the body of another Indian’s famous model called Chief in 1931 which pleased its admirers to no end.

Possibly as a conciliatory move for its fans Scout came out with smaller models between 1932 till 1941with 30.50 cubic inch. These had engines which were smaller and were called Scout Pony, the Junior Scout, and the Thirty-Fifty.

The two big motorcycle companies Indian Motorcycle Company and Harley Davidson were trying to out do each other in America in the early years of 20th century. The rivalry was well known and was written about in a book called Harley-Davidson and Indian Wars by Allan Girdler. The run away success of Scout was strongly retaliated by Harley Davidson.

To give an example of speed Burt Munro, a New Zealander and a motorcycle racer set a record in land speed under-1000cc between 1962 and 1967 with his 47 year old 1920 modified Indian Scout motor cycle. At the time he himself was 68 years old and nobody has been able to defeat this record till today. This shows the speed and toughness of Indian Scout motor cycle. There were other achievements too and everything taken together was made into a movie in 2005 called The World’s Fastest Indian.

In 1935, controlling shares in Indian Motorcycles was sold, and production of all Indian Scout motorcycle models halted in 1946. Over the decades, the company changed hands, going bankrupt in 1977. Fights over ownership of the brand name played out in court throughout the 1980s and 90s.

IMCOA Licensing America won the clash of ownership and Federal court in Denver awarded the trademark in their support. The Indian Motorcycle Company of America was reorganized with nine companies as conglomerate. The production of Scout motor cycle began in 1999 and motorcycles of Scout model was being produced between 2001 and2003 when the company again went bankrupt.

The new Indian Motorcycle was set up in Kings Mountain, North Carolina in the year 2006. However they closed the production of Scout model and the Chief model was taken up for production.

The feeling that a true lover of the Indian scout motorcyclegets from riding is not easy to put into words. If you’re thinking about purchasing one, check out this page on Indian motorbike dealers.