“SHARING THE FUN OF PUSHING THEMSELVES AND THEIR CREATIONS TO THE LIMIT”

streamlined bodywork and engineering tweaks to these American steeds which were eventually taken up by Indian itself. In 2019, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the launch of the Indian Scout, they teamed up with Brice Hennebert of Workhorse Speedshop to build a bike to compete in a drag race called the “Sultans of Sprint.”

Appropriately enough, the focus is on proving that bikes that start out slow can end up fast (just like Munro’s 50 mph Scout, which ultimately peaked at nearly 200 mph). Brice came up with the moniker “Appaloosa” for the build, taken from the name of a breed of very fast, wild, spirited American horse that holds the record for the fastest 4.5 furlongs (~990 yards); and he then took a modern Scout and built the bejesus out of it.

After stripping the Scout, the original fuel tank was cut and narrowed to create a cover for a new aluminum fuel cell holding just enough for sprint racing. Then a new sub-frame setup was created altering the riding position to tilt the rider forward over the front wheel and provide better support under hard acceleration. The swingarm was extended to provide better traction and mated to fully adjustable suspension from Öhlins, who also provided steering dampers and the front fork. With a combination of a bespoke Akrapovič titanium exhaust, racing ECU, Power Commander, direct intake, Nitrous Oxide Injection system and MOTOREX oil, engine power was increased to 135 hp—the maximum per competition regs—with Beringer Brakes providing the stopping power.

Randy Mamola climbed aboard as pilot and the team then started shaking out their creation, seeking to dial in the details after a 700hour build to maximize performance. Not surprisingly, Appaloosa’s first outing at the Sultans of Sprint in 2019 confirmed the need for continued development. And Brice found the perfect Mad Max opportunity in the Baikal Mile, run on the frozen surface of Lake Baikal in Siberia, the oldest and deepest lake in the world. Cue: Appaloosa 2.0, an even meaner machine, which recently made its racing debut.

“I couldn’t believe how amazing this event looked,” says Brice. “For a start, the lake is huge. Over 600 km long and 80 km wide, holding more than 20% of the world’s freshwater. It was just so different from anything I am used to, thousands of miles away and with extreme temperatures. On top of that, you have all these people building crazy machines, from mad one-wheel contraptions to luxury vehicles on tank tracks, who come together to share the fun of pushing themselves and their creations to the limit. I just had to be a part of it, and it was amazing to get the go-ahead when I put the idea to Indian Motorcycle.”

So back they went to the tuning board, this time to tweak the streamliner body, intakes and tires to cope with temperatures below -20C. Needless to say, hand-inlaid metal studs in the tires were required. By the final day of racing they were hitting around 115 mph on the ice before an electrical gremlin stifled continued acceleration and higher top speeds. Brice says, “Racing on ice is hard, and this is the most incredible thing I’ve tried to do. I’ve learnt so much and had a hell of a lot of fun doing it.” We’ve asked Indian when 3.0 is coming, because DQ and Maxim want a ride.