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Stare at the latest Indian Scout and you might notice its reshaped fuel tank. You might come to appreciate its new engine cases or its louvered exhaust heat shields. What’s easy to overlook is the model’s new steel tube frame.
Compared to the outgoing cast aluminum frame, the steel unit caters to traditional cruiser tastes and benefits custom builders. Indian was eager to prove as much when it launched the "Forged: Indian Scout" video series, which spotlights the Scout's versatility at the hands of master builders Roland Sands, Brittney Olsen, and Ronna Noren. Let's see what they chose to do with the new Scout.
Roland Sands
To say that Roland Sands is familiar with the Scout platform would be an understatement. In 2017, the California-based builder/designer converted five Scout Sixtys into flat-trackers for his RSD Super Hooligan Tour. Sands later offered an aftermarket Scout tracker kit based on the project. Nowadays, the Super Hooligans National Championship is a road-racing series and the Indian FTR is the weapon of choice. So much so that Indian released an FTR X RSD Super Hooligan edition in 2024 to celebrate the model’s SHNC success.
Sands’ experience with both models heavily informed his Forged build. Whether it be the FTR fork at the tip or the FTR swingarm at the tail, the naked bike’s influence is undeniable. Add on a tracker-style seat and a tall handlebar and you have what RSD fabricator Aaron Ross characterizes as a “Dyna killer.”
Brittney Olsen
As a vintage racer and restorer, Brittney Olsen isn’t accustomed to late-model Scouts. You’d never know that by looking at her Forged build. The new Scout may be chock full of technology and modern engineering, but Olsen drew inspiration from a bike ridden by Cecelia Adams, a prominent racer in the 1940s and 1950s. That’s evident in the details, both big and small.
Whether it be the custom girder front end or the classic teardrop gas tank, the high pipes or the retro paint job, Olsen transports the liquid-cooled Scout back to a simpler time. She even swaps the rear shocks for steel struts and adds a sprung seat. Proper old-school stuff. Admittedly my favorite build among the bunch, the era-honoring bobber puts the Scout’s custom potential on full display.
Ronna Noren
If you’ve ever gazed upon the original BMW R 18 prototype, BMW’s recent R 20 concept, or the club-style-inspired R 18/2, then you’re already familiar with Ronna Noren’s work. The Swedish builder has a knack for classic silhouettes, clean lines, and pleasing proportions. Toss in a pop of color and you have Noren’s “Nordic Style.” The Scout he built for the Forged series is yet another example of that signature aesthetic.
Noren is well revered for his long and lean custom choppers, a treatment rarely applied to the modern-day Scout. Indian opted for a new frame to court customizers but Noren is the only Forged builder to take full advantage of the steel tube structure. To achieve the custom chopper stance, he stretched the neck of the frame and paired it with +8-inch fork tubes. Twin pipes and tire-hugging fenders only add to the build’s sleek silhouette. No wonder fellow Swede and Scorpions drummer Mikkey Dee is so proud to take the custom Scout home.
Yes, the Indian Scout may now come in five flavors, but owners can take the bike in any direction they choose. Three vastly different Forged Scout builds are proof of that.
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