

There she sits, one of 50-factory race Indian 648s built in 1948, with a chromed frame. That frame bothered me. Who would restore a factory racer and chrome the frame, reminiscent of Captain America glitz? Researching the history of this rare, race-winning flathead I asked and read about the model and its history, but kept digging about the chromed frame mystery. It didn’t jive, but I discovered that these units were not only rare but were highly successful through three racing eras: In 1940 before the war, after the war in 1948 and even up to the 1980s. I’ll fill you in.

Here are the basics, with clips from “Puffs News” an Indian newsletter from 1976 by Dick Barth. The first Big Base engines were built in 1940, prior to World War II. Only six were constructed and handed over to the top factory sponsored competition riders of that era: Stan Witinski, Lester Lillbish, Ed Kretz, Johnny Spiegelhoff, Ted Edwards and Art Hafer. All riders kicked ass on the flat tracks of the time. The war halted production on many fronts and time slipped away. Although, I discovered that Ed Kretz chromed his scout frame as early as 1940, but why?
In 1947 this Sport Scout configuration surfaced again during a meeting of the Indian General Policy Committee held on June 23. A Special Committee was formed to investigate the possibility of producing a minimum of fifty 45-cubic-inch special (competition) motorcycles. The corporate environment of the era broke the subject down into four headings:

Current Situation: The committee agreed Indian was failing to furnish satisfactory competition equipment. Current race Indians couldn’t stand up to the competition, and the results would create negative advertising, harmful to the company.
Alternatives: Indian could refrain from competing entirely and suffer from bad press. They could step up, undertake a program to produce replacement parts for the older 45s, but they weren’t confident in the existing machines. They decided that producing parts for street machines would fail on the tracks.
The last opportunity was to produce a new, limited number of competition bikes to give the company fair representation on the field. This notion received a favorable vote.

Cost of Suggested Program: History indicated that the design for these engine mods existed at the factory for years. Out of the 500 parts required, all but 10 were standard. Out of 490 part numbers, 420 were in stock. Out of the 70 not in stock, all but a measly five were already on back order. Total parts cost was estimated at $705.00. Some $304.00 constituted standard parts available or manufactured in the Indian Plant. The remaining $365.00 represented the cost of special parts contracted outside.
The committee decided on 50 units built by two men within the company, under the direction of Briggs Weaver, Director of Engineering. These two men, Jimmy Hill and Rolley Free would build two bikes a week at a labor cost of $100 per machine. Final direct cost estimate was $805.
Now get this. The bikes were scheduled to be sold for no less that $600 each. Final cost, including marketing, came to $1,000 and a program budget was initially set for $20,000.

The final topic, Recommendations: After reconsidering every aspect of the program the budget was lifted to $25,000 for building 50, special, 45-cubic-inch machines for competition use only.
An intercompany communiqué, dated July 31, 1947, and blessed by the General manager was circulated and signed by Al West. The program was a go. Fifty machines were subsequently built and titled as FDH series and numbered 101 to 150.
Competition debuted in Daytona on the old 4.1-mile beach track in the spring of 1948. The 200-mile winner was Floyd Emde, riding one of the new “648” Scouts. Floyd’s time was 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 56 seconds for a new course record at a speed of 84.01 mph. Over the next six years the Daytona 648 Indian Scouts set numerous records and made an amazing name in the annals of post war Class “C” competition, but there was no mention of chrome frames.

The key to this second lengthy tier of Indian success was the Big Base Motor. According to Barth’s “Puffs” piece internal and external modifications made this engine stronger and more reliable. They included cast steel flywheels with the same counterweight pattern used on Army shaft-driven models. The rods were polished but the same as standard 45 rods and bearings. Pinion and drive bearings were switch out for Sport Scout roller bearings and cages. The crank pins were redesigned with graduated oiling holes and had their own 648 part number. Bonneville style cams, lifters and valves were used. A special valve spring collar was manufactured. The pinion shaft was designed with a taper for the gear. A special gear was manufactured. The front camshaft was machined to drive the new aluminum oil pump. Pistons were domed even higher than Bonneville models and contained two compression rings and one oil ring.

Externally Big Base models contained a large sump cast in the rear and eliminated the sump valve at the bottom right side of the motor. They also included scrapers cast in the case bottoms and no inspection timing hole on the left case. The new oil pump was also used on the 1948 Chief except the intake and return fittings were drilled on the face to accommodate the oil tank at the rear. The breather was also installed at the top rear of the pump and required a special cam case cover. Cylinders were Bonneville models with fins radiused out to clear the vertically mounted type RM modified combustion chamber, accommodating the new style pistons.

The transmission, clutch and primary drive came directly from late model Indian Sport Scouts, and a Linkert M-642 carb was used. There you have it. Here’s a quote from a motorcycle magazine in 1952, “…Bobby Hill of Columbus, Ohio, who took no less than five Nationals this season on his Extremely Rapid Indian!” He was a member of the Indian Wrecking Crew.
That brings us to this example of the historic 648 Daytona Scout restored in the early ‘80s by Jim Sutter who grew up in the Indian business with his cousin. Jim started to accumulate parts to build two 648s in the late ‘70s.

That’s right, there’s a sister to this motorcycle. Jim built two of them. One is historically housed with a growing collection of antique racing cars and motorcycles in Joe’s Garage (Joe MacPherson, owner), Tustin California who just recently (4/07) passed away. This motorcycle is available for viewing whenever the banquet, meeting facility is open. The other was added to the ever-expanding Richard Bunch/Don Whalen vast collection of all-American motorcycles in San Jose, California. These bikes won vintage flat track and road races for years. Jim Sutter chromed both frames.
Here’s where the story takes another wild turn. Jim’s dad and first cousin worked for Ed Nichols Indian Sales and Service on the Southside of Chicago in the late ‘40s. Ed bought the guts of the Indian Factory in 1959 after Indian shut down in 1955. Ultimately Jim owned Indian Motorcycle Supply in Sugar Grove, Illinois (until 2004). After Indian’s demise, many of the diehards were disillusioned. Some of the racers went on to ride Harleys, Triumphs, BSA, and Nortons, but they missed their Indian heritage.

In the late ‘70s AHRMA (American Historic Motorcycle Racing Association) was formed and Jim saw the opportunity to once again race the 648. He called on Bobby Hill and Dick Gross, racers he watched as a kid. Bill Tuman helped him with machining and Art Hafer offered his valve and cam system. Art Barda, who set five Bonneville Records in one day, and Pat McHenry, both in their ‘60s raced Jim’s bikes.
I tried to squeeze in a question about the chrome frames when he told me why these bikes were once again winners. He dominated the AHRMA series for five years consecutively, won Daytona three times, Road America and the list goes one. “They were well constructed,” Jim said. “Dick Gross had the fastest bikes and I was working with the best racers and builders in the history of Indian.” They switched roller bearings to ball bearings, ran 4-lobe cams for more accurate valve timing. At the time guys who didn’t smoke, blew cigarette smoke through ports to check the flow. They weaned the oil out of the crankcases to reduce drag by drilling holes in the bottom end. “We didn’t start winning until the third or fourth year,” Jim said. “ The first year we split an oil bag and were sidelined.”

A spectator rolled up to Jim’s pit area, in a wheelchair, after the first race. “I didn’t think that I would ever hear the sound of an Indian Scout again,” he said.
“That made the whole effort worth while,” Jim said.
“But what about the chrome frames,” I jumped in.
“Ed Kretz chromed his frame in 1940,” Jim told me. “Gary Scott raced Harleys and Triumphs and nickel-plated their frames. So did Alex Jorgensen while racing Harleys and XRS. Chrome or nickel is a lot easier to clean and won’t chip as readily as paint on race bikes.”
There you have it, Indian racing history, one of maybe seven known examples of the Historic 648 Daytona Scout and the reason behind plated frames. What could be better.
