Indian Black Hills Beast Photos
Dough Siddens and Nick Jaquez of the Sturgis-based IndianMotorcycles.net has done the unthinkable – they turned a 2015 Indian Scout into a hill climb motorcycle.
The creation, named the Indian Black Hills Beast, was customized by the two to “emulate the purpose built nature of historic hill climb motorcycles.” The bike was on display during the 75th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
The Indian Black Hills Beast features a mix of custom Indian Motorcycle parts, such as the 1920 Solo Saddle Seat and Laced Wheels, along with truly custom details, such as stretched custom swingarm, custom handlebar, custom radiator shroud and front number plate with an LED headlight.
“Building a hill climber seemed easy enough, but it posed some unique challenges,” Siddens says. “Enthusiasts know what a hill climber looks like – so some of the mods were logical – but scaling them to fit the new Scout was the key and took a lot of work and planning. We are very proud of the result and the reception that the bike got at such an important Sturgis milestone, the 75th anniversary.”
“We put the bike into our custom photo booth for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally,” says Indian Motorcycle Marketing Director Scott Meek. “Loads of attendees climbed up and took photos on the bike. It was cool to see such a positive reaction and enable so many riders to experience a key piece of Indian Motorcycle’s performance heritage.”
“We settled in on a design quickly,” says Jaquez. “But none of it would have worked without the assistance of our suppliers and partners in this build. We cranked on it for a month and tossed out a few bits along the way – I do feel like we delivered one hell of a machine – and it was a blast getting it dirty too!”
Additional support for the Indian Scout Black Hills Beast came from Aeromach (Floorboards and heel shifter), Dobeck Performance (Engine tuning), Fox Shocks (Suspension), RPW USA (Exhaust), Starr Studios (Paint), Ricochet Customs (Powder coating), BTR Moto (Swingarm and tire chain), Zippers performance (Chain Drive Conversion) and Traxxion Dynamics (Front Suspension), Indian Motorcycle says.
Indian Motorcycle will continue to play with this gritty work of art through upcoming celebrations of custom Scout motorcycles, including the International Motorcycle Shows tour as part of the Scout Custom Series launched last year with the Wall of Death Scout, and now including the USO Scout and the Black Bullet Scout inspired by land speed racing.
For more on the build of the Indian Black Hills Beast, visit IndianMotorcycle.net.
Indian Black Hills Beast Custom Motorcycle Photo Gallery
