1941 indian jr scout 541B..Any Good??

[bgreene30]

Hello everyone. Can anyone tell me if a 1941 indian jr scout 541B is a good collectible bike? Were there any major problems with them? I vaguely remember hearing something of the sort. My friends father left him one and trying to help him sort it out. The bike is in Wisconsin.

Thanks in advance.
Bob

[george_the_second]

Hello Bob are you sure about 541b is it not 741b?
If it is a 741(I had one ) they are common bikes from militairy origin and underpowered because its a 500,sometimes drilled up to 600 but the speed is not very good.The harley 45 won the contest during the war over the indian because of reliabilety and maintenance.
To work on the engine in case of overhauling is a disaster because this engine hangs in mountingplates and you cannot remove the heads nor engine without taking it out all the way which is a lot of work.
Apart from that the bike is shortbased and I found riding on it not a pleasure that is why I sold it
spares it not a probleme, there are several stores that sell aftermarket stuff
good luck with it george the second

[bgreene30]

Geroge,

Thanks for the information. I'm not sure if it's a 541 or 741 but either way I may pass on it. I am just finishing restoring a 63 BSA B40 and was looking for an american bike....something I can get a bloody bolt for at the hardware store!

What Harley would you reccomend from the 30's to 40's for a good restoration project?

Thanks,

Yankee Bob

[george_the_second]

Hello Bob It depends a bit of your financial situation.
If you are still interested in an indian there are other models from 20/30 with another easier engine mount which are rliable and easier to work on, however the price goes up as well, f.i. the 101 scout is a lovely bike with a 750 engine and good performance.
In harley world it is the same ,the bigger bikes 1200/1340 are good but pricy.
I myself have a 1942 civilian 750 sv harley already for 28 years.
The bike is easy on maintenance and riding is very comfortable.
trips of 500 to a 1000 miles are no probleme and spares are still available because they were made in big numbers during the war and fit militairy as well as civilian.
So if you are looking for an easy american restoration I should go for the 45 (750),only beware of bikes coming from poland or bikes that are fitted with made in taiwan stuff  

[bgreene30]

Thanks Much George.
Cheers.
Bobby

[Buzz Kanter]

The 741B Indian Junior Scout looked a lot better than it functioned - at least if you were in any kind of hurry to get to your destination. They were mostly sold to the Allied Forces (like Canada, England, Australia, etc).

Cool looking - sort of like a shrunken down Sport Scout. Not worth as much and less desirable but fun to build and ride.

For more info on classic Indian motorcycles check out www.caimag.com