Many Indian 741 Scouts ended up serving in the Commonwealth countries of Australia, Canada and New Zealand during World War Two. Here in Australia, because we drive on the left rather than the right side of the road, the hand shift on the 741 was relocated to the left side of the machine. As in the United Sates, a lot of ex war service bikes were sold cheap to the public at the end of hostilities and had their military gear removed. I bought my bobbed example a couple of years ago in a sorry state and have just recently got it running really well. At some time in the past the original front end was removed, and the front end from a early 1950's Ariel was fitted. Some time after that it got a twin leading shoe front brake of unknown origin. So now it still looks a little rough, but boy does it attract a lot of attention! It is also glorious fun to ride, and with its twin leading shoe front brake it actually stops when you need it to!. The pictures of it were taken near Lake Illawarra in New South Wales. Hope you guys like it. Steve
Hi Steve, welcome aboard!,......That is one smart looking Scout Buddy,....Congratulations on owning it and getting it running,......The different front end gives the bike an entirely individual look,....totally different,.... Alpal
Yes the bike has two connected tanks. The oil compartment on the right hand side takes up about half the volume on the right side. The oil is pumped up into the right tank from the engine, it then falls back into the engine by gravity. These 741 Indians are very reliable for vintage bikes. Mine wasn't charging when I first got it and had a lot of other issues, but these were mostly due to neglect and being unused for many years, rather than the bikes design and original construction. Now that it is up and running properly it is enormous fun to ride.
Looks like you're giving that 741 a new lease on life Steve, hope you enjoy many miles on it. Well done mate. (I like it a lot)
I envy you @steve skinner ,.....How I would love to own a bike like that,.......I knew of Indian Motorcycles for many years but never owned one until after I CRASHED MY ROAD KING AND NEEDED A LIGHTER BIKE,....(Damned Caps Lock!!!!) Enter the Scout while on the Internet one day,..... Having finally got a Scout a whole new world opened up before me,.....so many people with Indians, old and new or just people who loved Indians and wanted to share stories etc,........ (It was nothing like the Harley world I had been in for eight years,...) And in the process of meeting all these Indian bike lovers and owners I stumbled across a guy who has a passion for Indian Power Plus's, bikes now 100 years old,.......and he has an incredible number of them,.....all in boxes and various stages of renovation,......I have cultivated that friendship because (and he knows it! ) I would love one of those bikes,......What a way to live the rest of my life in retirement!,.......Helping Dave assemble a PowerPlus for himself and one for me two!!,..... Alpal
Jealous is not the word, You do know I love the old and when they are running down a road well envy might be a better word. It does not have to be mine to make me think "you rock, rock on !" Also I know that those old bikes take a little more specialized skill then what a modern motorcycle takes. (believe me I still ride the 47 ugly)