Welcome to my latest adventure! This adventure was all about the restoration process of a vintage Indian Scout motorcycle! But now it’s done so I updated this page and will update further in the future.
It will still include all the useful links below to the different articles but I wanted to clean things a bit and I know I will do so further.
Without further ado, this is what my Indian looked liked and how it is now!
Why is this here?
Now, I know that talking about this renovation project has been a different type of content for RTatW. It certainly has been a different type of adventure for me.
But from the start, I had hoped that this renovation would lead to new types of road trips for me. So I figured that, if others talked about their vans, I could certainly talk about my bike!
And although the renovation project was not solely about the bike, I thought some of you might be interested to follow me on this special journey.
My Indian is a family heirloom
The story of my Indian starts with my dad but will continue after me…
My dad bought his Indian motorcycle when he was 19
It was his second bike as he had a Peugeot motorcycle before it and when the engine died, he chose to buy a new bike, an Indian Scout! His uncle had a Chief (a bigger Indian model) and he liked it.
He went on many trips with this bike and did some pretty silly stuff. He doesn’t know I know, but one of his friend told me they were sometimes 5 of them on it! Although he would never tell me, it seems my dad was kind of the ‘king of gang’ with his motorcycle!
Then he met my mom. I can only imagine how cool he must have looked! A bit of a James Dean rebel, arriving on his bike. How could she not be swooned! They got married and when they decided to build a house, the fate of the bike was sealed.
He dismantled it and put it into boxes. He sworn to never ride it again and I’m guessing my mom had something to do with this. However he did promise to himself, to rebuilt it at retirement.
Retirement came a few years back and he kept his promise. The task wasn’t easy to say the least, but he did manage. After years in boxes, his bike came back to life.
Then what?
Well… then nothing much happened. The bike would come out of the garage every-now and then. When people came to visit my parents and wanted to see it. On few occasions, it started and even went on little rides. Nothing spectacular.
The Indian mostly spent years being forgotten, sleeping, hidden from the world.
Some believed it didn’t even exist, that it was just a tale of the past. Most times, even I forgot it was there.
But now the Indian is being reborn
Beware… the reasons of this renovation project are… peculiar.
It all started when my mom passed away. This was obviously hard for my dad and after her passing, his health declined quickly, and so did his willingness to go on. Every time I would go see him, I could see how worst he was getting.
I couldn’t bear it. I was not ready, I’m still not ready, and will probably never be ready to be an adult orphan. So I started taking an interest in his bike, his most priced possession, and my cheerfulness seemed to be contagious!
This gave me the idea to completely renovate his bike and learn everything there is to know along the way. The truth was that I thought that if he had this renovation project going on, he would have to stick around. I know… silly… but it worked for a while. He really was better when we were working on his bike. He really was motivated. I thought I would drag this on, as long as needed.
But at last, happiness was not enough to keep him alive.
A year after my mom passed, he was at his worst and we found out that he needed urgent heart surgery. The world stopped spinning. I was in hell… But don’t worry, it all went amazingly well! The surgery was a total success and he is like 10 years younger now!
Yet, the initial goals of the project remains the same after such harrowing times.
The renovation project was never just about the bike
As you probably come to understand, when I started this project, it was not just about renovating the bike, it was also about keeping my dad active. It was about showing him how much I need him. I need him for more than this, obviously. But this was a very tangible way to show him.
So I kept telling him how much he needed to teach me. That I wouldn’t be able to deal with the bike, if he didn’t show me how to. Considering how old the Indian is, it’s not far fetch! I do really need to be able to repair it myself, or at least know when something is wrong and what it might be.
Taking the Indian back in time, in a similar conditions to when my dad bought it, when they were both young looking and fit, was the goal. I had the silly hope that a youth cure on the Indian would sprinkle a little on my dad. I know it’s silly, but one can dream.
The restoration goals
My dad’s bike is an Indian Scout 741. Originally the bike was a military bike and was built in 1941 or 1942, so it’s almost 80 years old. It was ‘demilitarized’ or ‘civilianized’ before my dad bought it. So our goal was to renovate it to what it was like when he bought it, not to go back to the military version.
The process & goals were therefore simple:
- First, we took it all apart
- The engine was redone to ensure it works like a charm
- The bike was painted and restored as much as possible
- Then it was put back together
- All of this while keeping as many of the original parts as possible
- Easy! 😉
A very special note on the paint…
What used to be painted green was painted green. Motor mounts were painted black. What was chromed was re-chromed (apart from bits I forgot so far!)
Most importantly, what I wanted to say here is that a bunch of guys have told me that we shouldn’t repaint it and instead have insisted that we should keep its original patina.
It wasn’t the plan considering we wanted to take it back to its original state. In any case, I don’t really understand the arguments for the patina thing. The potential increased value means nothing to me since I’m not allowed to sell it, ever!
Another special note on the saddle bags & seat
I’m not a huge fan of the saddle bags to say the least, but they are what they are and my dad likes them as he had them specially made when he was young. So they will get back on the bike!
The seat isn’t original either. But it was like this when my dad bought the bike so it stays! It’s surprisingly comfortable anyway.
Just a few words about me…
When starting this project, on a scale of 0 to 20, my mechanical skills were equal to -10. After a few work sessions, I was happy to give myself a 1, just because I could name most of the different parts of the engine! 😉 As time passes, I’ve learned bits by bits. But just like with anything else, the more you learn, the more you realize how much more there is you don’t know!
So you get the point, basically I started this project with no mechanical knowledge at all, just a lot of willingness to learn!
My dad can repair anything. He is quite incredible. Messy but incredible!
But I did have things going on for myself. I’m quite creative and have done a lot of various DIY projects. I’m precise and meticulous. My little hands can go where his big hands can’t! And most importantly I was very determined to succeed with this project! Motivation was key! And patience.. 😉
I needed to mention this because in the series of articles you will find below, I might say some very stupid stuff. I’ve tried my best not to. But do keep in mind I am not a professional.
I should also mention that the below articles aren’t meant to be a mechanical guide, obviously I wouldn’t dare. These are more about the process.
The articles about the renovation process
Again I should point that these are not super technical, it’s more about the process. I do try to include useful links and stuff…
- Finding a batterie! Yep that was an adventure on its own! And perseverance was key
- Finding the operation & maintenance manual! I feel better already
- Unstuck the clutch – I can do this!!
- Clutch compression tool I’m so happy to have one
- The carburetor part 1 – that was a total fail!!
- Carburetor part 2 – progress was made!
- Carburetor part 3 – Me happy!! but there is going to be a part 4!
- First test drive!!! OMG! … Oops, I lost the video…
- A few repairs on the kick starter – that was easy!
- Cleaning and polishing engine parts – Let’s make it shine!
- Saddle and saddle bags TLC in progress
- A new battery case. I know it wasn’t a priority but it’s done
- Annoying exhaust pipe…
- Finding tires… actually that was easy! (https://www.vintagetyres.com if you are in Europe!)
- Lights! Well that’s going to be a challenge actually…
- Transmission part 1 – Thanks to my brother
- My Indian is in 1000 pieces! 😲
- Oh god! We’re changing the head gaskets… Oh wait actually we are redoing the whole engine! See below…
- A summer report to recap a few things!
- Temporary feeling (hopefully!): I’m freaking out!
- Transmission part 2: gearbox is fully redone!
- Engine overhaul – part 1: taking apart the engine – It’s starting to get really serious!
- Engine complete overhaul: Whoa!!!
- Unexpected setback: the front fork is bent 🙁
- Various renovation progress: carburetor, fork, generator…
- Painting in progress: my perfectly imperfect paint job!!
- Chromes are done but darn I missed a few bits
- The new exhaust – fitting, fiddling, scratching…
- Electricity in progress. Sorry there is going to be a second part. Electricity is far more important than I had imagined!
- A quick one on the repairs of the dimmer switch. It wasn’t that hard!
- The manifold conundrum! It should be first on your list of things to check!
- When your paint creates generator issues!
2 days – 2.5 miles driven: my first real test drive!! It’s hilarious if you ask me!
Behind the railway tracks – Overcoming fears while driving a vintage motorcycle.
The flat lay I created which I call the Anatomy of an Indian Scout! 99% of the parts are shown on it. Check it out.
This list is regularly updated although I do have a lot to catch up. Especially since Minty is now whole again!!
You can still help me with this project! Here are, below, 10 ways you can do so. Most are free and will take just a few seconds! You want to see me going on a road trip with this bike, don’t you?! Go ahead then, every penny will help!
Oh! One last thing: Should I find a little cute name for the bike? I’m pondering!! Maybe I did find one! Let me know…
