Its been a long time for Aussie’s have been able to buy a new Indian & only in recently to be able to get a new one from a local dealer, with 2 years unlimited Klm’s and roadside cover and 8,000 klm service intervals & at a competitive price.When a new model came out in the twenties as the picture above it may have come by rail then you would assemble it and a dealer was possibly several hundred mile away, makes me feel lucky these days.

Even Hitler hates Indian  (Click on link)

Recently I wrote about advertising in 1917 where climbing hills and Hammock type comfort were the important factors well a mere 36 years later it had changed claims of over 100 M.P.H, speed and stamina & surging power was the focus. A couple of things with this is the 80 cu Chief wouldn’t do 100 M.P.H from the factory, anyone who has ridden a late Chief will find as they get hotter they go slower so false advertising would these days cause the advert to be withdrawn, surging power is debatable when a 650 cc Triumph T110 would leave it for dead with real surging power and at a real 105+ M.P.H. Indian in the final year of production of the big 1340 cc Chief were making machines to order and only small handfuls to say the least American’s abandoned these in favour of lightweight easy to ride British twins so I suppose this advert did very little for sales whatever Indian said.

Another Indian that supposed to never existed and from Springfield  sold by Indian Sales and yes it is partially Royal Enfield except for wheel rims, seat, tailight, front fender light, tank badges, speedo, instrument cowl, and it had a special frame that wasnt the same as the UK Enfield. We have a couple of these in our Association and yes there as much an Indian as any other except they stop and go reasonably well to boot I quite like the war bonnet on the front guard and I would not mind one in the garage.

Yesterday at the Show And Shine at Indian -Victory Elizabeth St showroom  it was confirmed all  Aussie Scouts delivered will have ABS braking and the standard 2 year roadside assist that comes with all new Indian models. The first delivery is expected early December, with 24 sold in Victoria in the first week alone, one of head honchos at Indian Australia Peter Harvey  at the Show & Shine said this bike is “A bargain,and originally he expected a much dearer price for this model” I agree Pete that it’s even better value for money now $18,000 ride away for a base model it blows the price of H-D 1200 Sportster to the weeds and has 30 BHP more to boot at the same weight. Peter was not forth coming on much else except the possibilities of this platform to build variants in the future were endless, I had a friendly wager on the future of the Indian 4  but zero was said by him (to be expected) on this happening so we live in hope. The Indian chaps are all coming to our next meeting to answer all your questions on the Scout and the 2015 models as they did last year on the return of Indian in Australia so it will be well worth attending on a winters night. John Munro (Burt”s lad) looks happy on the Scout doesn’t he?

John Munro happy on a Scout