Indian 1924ca Chout racer 1206cc 2cyl sv 3411

Indian 1924ca “Chout” racer 1206 cc side valve v-twin engine # 91X586

The overwhelming enthusiasm for the Scout caused many riders, dealers and overseas agents to push the factory to design a larger, heavyweight V-twin along Scout lines with more speed and power, especially suited for sidecar work. Many factory executives supported the idea because the still popular PowerPlus began to look a bit old-fashioned. Franklin retired to the drawing board and designed a new model that would be known as the Chief. It was announced in the fall of 1921 and was essentially an enlarged Scout with many PowerPlus (or Standard as it was now called) features: engine, front forks, wheel assemblies and other parts were basically similar to the Standard, with the addition of the Scout-type frame, helical gear drive and unit construction of engine and gearbox. The 998 cc Chief was a successful model from the start and for the 1923 season a 1206 cc Big Chief model was added to the range. The Chief delivered some 25 hp, the 200 extra cc of the Big Chief made for an estimated 5 hp extra. Although Indian advertising focussed very much on the Scout, the Chief and Big Chief models sold better in the USA than the Scout. Especially police departments were keen on the power and stamina of the Big Chief and from the start of production hundreds were sold to law enforcement agencies.
Understandably the formidable Big Chief engine was an interesting power source for racing conversions. Some enthusiasts combined the BC engine with a Scout rolling chassis to create a “Chout”. The machine we offer here has her roots in the prewar Czechoslovakian racing scene, where Indians were popular mounts. The frame basically is a ca 1928 pre-101 frame, but it has been professionally strengthened by vertical struts in the rear portion. Clutch and brake are rear-mounted, front fork is 101-type with internal expanding brake, front tyre size is 3×20, rear tyre size 4×19. The sparks are generated by a Bosch FFVR magneto and a steering damper is part of the equipment. An interesting detail is the gearbox “tower”, that is not fitted with a right hand side lever as usual with Indian. Instead the tower is a left hand side construction, which appears genuine. We’ve never seen this type, can anybody shed any light here?
The fascination for racing with these vintage machines is still alive and a number of years ago a revival has set in, notably in Germany. A small group of enthusiasts started to organize races on bicycle velodromes that are still extant in places like Bielefeld, Darmstadt and Hannover. These velodromes are mostly made of concrete and much shorter than the American motordromes; the track in Bielefeld for instance is 333,33 metres long and has a maximal banking of 49 degrees. The Chout we offer has been collected in parts a number of years ago and has been rebuilt in patina-finish. The former owner has regularly taken part in races in Germany and he states:” No one has ever passed me!”