The good news from Polaris-Indian is that a very small handful of Scout’s will be delivered next Friday so I know at least 3 of the 12 ordered for Iron Indian Riders will be happy. I believe some people are waiting for the new version to be available after the launch presumably at Sturgis in August so theoretically they will here for summer, apparently there are 200 of the contemporary 2015 model sold here already!
Today I had a phone call from Adrian Givoy public relations manager of Indian Australia to give me some good news, a black Scout was available for me to pick-up next week (I had originally ordered Red) I declined, so in theory a red one should be available in May with the next shipment, I declined so somebody will get a surprise. This time I was impressed that Indian have offered the option to early ordered buyers, seems they are learning and I thanked Adrian for that, the good news is Sandy Barthelmie will get her Scout very soon and as the longest waiting on the order list I’m happy for her, she’s pictured above on Dave Wallace’s bike recently at the Sitting Bull Rally. So at the moment I’m tempted to wait for the 2016 model that will probably launch at Sturgis in August which means these versions will arrive late Spring or early Summer, I have that decision to make in May in the middle of winter
Hi all just a quick rundown on my first 1000kms on the Scout after about six weeks first service @800kms $306.00 later there are a few minor problems with it the front is very soft and the rear is as well, rear brake lever could be a little longer don’t get enough feel while wearing boots, red light in speedo at night hard to read plenty of power at any time it is not a city bike as every time you stop at lights the fan comes on to cool down motor don’t like stop start riding but loves touring open roads problem with damaged tank will be replaced at later date all (no parts are here yet rear seat rear pegs) brakes are ok in dry not ridden in wet yet, in all on all very pleased with it. Dave Wallace
I always find posters from different era’s wonderful to view in the 21st Century, some make you cringe and can be completely innocent others are just plain weird the WD-40 advert proves this point perfectly, others like the Chesterfield could not be printed today imagine Indian today starting an advert for a Scout saying “They deliver more Pleasure” hmm and the dental association I bet they regret that Viceroy poster. The Equine lobby would be up in arms about the dead horse, not to mention Native Americans complaining about the stereo-type image & Indian advertising 53 firsts in 61 races would all have to be listed individually this combined with the feminists thinking sit-down ironing is something to look forward to at Christmas would cause riots, as I said I love these old adverts
Working on motorcycles daily I see lots of wear on machines some on engines & wheels but lots on forks which are rarely maintained, sometimes seized or leaking and also bent. Obviously this is not unique to this era as the photos above prove, the results to both riders are lethal with lots of pain and no gain I would suggest you have a quick look over your forks before your next ride on some Indians a grease gun will be all you need, telefork models need an oil change once a year a small bit of maintenance can save a dangerous situation
Click on cover above
Lots have been said at recent rallies about the old and the new Indians and how forward thinking the founder members of the IIRA were in taking the step to split from the IMCA to give us the vibrant Association that we have today. Many of todays members don’t realize that some of us thought that this was the way forward to such a progressive situation you take for granted, things such as regular club rides, changes of major committee members every couple of years, and encouraging Associate members, and a website that has 650,000 hits in 4 years and a healthy Facebook Page have given us today what is taken for granted. I notice this is happening with our friends in W.Aust as well and can only help a vibrant membership, we all honour our Springfield roots and admire the product that Polaris today is making to such a good standard its inevitable that these owners mix and ride together, our last weekend at the Sitting Bull Rally had both Gilroy & Polaris owners riding handshift versions with some thinking about purchasing a Springfield version, whats more we all enjoyed each others company and 18 Indians in all made a good weekend
Motorcycle mechanics seem to be either extremely good or very very bad the problem is people who are hobbyists that fix their own bike then go into the trade there are plenty of these about, then there are the trained motorcycle mechanics that are not enthusiasts and hate bikes or havent even got a motorcycle licence, I know a number of these! Then there are the ones in dealerships that have a plethora of new models every year that can’t keep up with one brand more or less 30 new models, lastly there are trained mechanics that read parts books at lunch time have 10 bikes in their own garage are members of local motorcycle clubs and ride on the week-end usually fixing all there mates bikes on the way if they breakdown F.O.C, they give out their personal phone number to customers a generally specialize in one brand of certain era”s and hone there diagnostics to perfection enabling them to fix a bike cheaply for their customers. These mechanics are the “Salt of the Earth” if you know such a mechanic look after him & show your appreciation occasionally, there are to many “Chimps & Chumps” in the buisness, if you want to see what kind of a mechanic you have ask him what “Yaw” is if he doesnt know find someone else, a hint for you its in the steering as explained below
A yaw rotation is a movement around the yaw axis of a rigid body that changes the direction it is pointing, to the left or right of its direction of motion. The yaw rate or yaw velocity of a car, motorcycle,aircraft, projectile or other rigid body is theangular velocity of this rotation, or rate of change of the heading angle when the aircraft is horizontal. It is commonly measured in degrees per second or radians per second.
Another important concept is the yaw moment, or yawing moment, which is the component of a torque about the yaw axis.
Thank you for placing an order for a 2015 Indian® Scout™ and much more importantly, for your interest and investment in Indian Motorcycle®.
The Scout introduction has been one of our most exciting and ambitious product launches ever. We appreciate your patience as we ramp up production and apologize that our delivery timing has not met your expectations. We have encountered production issues that do not meet our rigorous quality standards, along with industrial action at US ports and extra local fumigation requirements. These issues have limited both our ability to produce bikes, and regrettably, our ability to assign production and delivery dates for consumers who placed deposits.
Our team is dedicated to ensuring that every Scout that comes off the assembly line delivers the quality and performance we are proud of, and that you will be proud of too.
To thank you for your ongoing patience, Indian Motorcycle is giving you a $200 online store credit to be used on Indian Motorcycle Apparel and Accessories.
Again we apologise for the delays, and we are getting more clarity on the deliveries and as soon as more information is available we will provide updates to your Dealer and you directly.
Sincerely,
Peter Harvey
Country Manager, Indian Motorcycles
What a success the weather was hot,damn hot, the company was great and in all 18 Indians representing Springfield, Gilroy & Polaris era & even a new Scout! The roads were rough the Motel was fine and Noels BBQ salivating on the Friday evening this combined with a 280 klm ride and no breakdowns meant fun & undoubtably this will all be written up in your next Smoke Signals magazine soon, I cant wait till next year when it will be on again.
