Source: Motorcycle Cruiser –
Roland Sands’ latest build is the RSD Indian Scout, based on the new 2025 Sport Scout, and featured in Indian’s <i>Forged</i> video series. (Indian Motorcycle/)When Indian announced the all-new Scout platform a couple of months back, you knew there was already some serious customizing going on in the background. The brand has a serious penchant for bike build-off contests, which we saw most recently with the Chief Custom program in 2022. The latest competition, called the Forged custom video series, features three renowned builders, all striving to create unique builds based around the 2025 Indian Scout. To make things even more interesting, the builds would take inspiration from historical figures or machines in the Scout’s 100-plus-year run. The first build to be revealed is the RSD Indian Scout, a slick, brooding custom based on the 2025 Sport Scout.The new RSD Indian Scout in its natural environment outside the RSD shop, next to what appears to be a stock bike (with Sands, you never know). (Indian Motorcycle/)Speaking of penchants, we all know Roland Sands Design’s stock in trade is taking cruisers and turning them into high-performance bikes, and it sure looks that’s what happened here. Sands makes no bones about it, either, saying, “We’ve always taken cruisers and made them into sportbikes. This bike has that RSD silhouette, but the cool thing was how easy it was to make the new Scout fit the RSD mold.”That’s a quality Indian was keen to emphasize in the series as well, given the new Scout’s design, which allows for relatively simple removal of the tank, fenders, and subframe.Related: Indian Motorcycle Launches Chief Custom ProgramThe stock struts and fender were removed to make room for a custom-modified Saddlemen tailsection; an FTR swingarm was also swapped in and paired with piggyback shocks. (Indian Motorcycle/)And so Sands went to town, quickly picking out Ed “Iron Man” Kretz as the inspiration for the build. With his “never give up,” attitude and builder of countless high-performance Indian racebikes, the RSD team felt a natural affinity with Kretz. “It was like, well, OK, what would Ed build today? A rowdy racebike,” Sands commented.Adding to the high-performance vibes are Brembo brakes front and rear, acting on new 17-inch wheels and sticky Dunlop Sportmax tires. (Indian Motorcycle/)The rowdiness was dialed in partly by adapting the Sport Scout’s front end to a set of FTR front fork and triple clamps, and boosting braking performance via a switch to dual discs and radial-mount Brembo brake calipers. The rear end was also modded to accept an FTR swingarm mated to Indian piggyback shocks and a Brembo rear caliper. You’ve got to fully connect that upgraded suspension and braking to the street, so the RSD Scout now runs on RSD Dymag 17-inch wheels shod with stickier Dunlop Sportmax Q5S rubber.Related: Indian’s New FTR x RSD Super Hooligan Is Ready To Light It UpAlthough RSD left the 1,250cc V-twin engine pretty much stock, a new titanium exhaust with SC-Project’s muffler entered the conversation. Scout Bobber foot controls were also swapped in and moved to mids via RSD traction pegs. (Indian Motorcycle/)RSD fabricator Aaron Boss had plenty of say in the silhouette as well, modifying the front fairing to hook onto the new fork and switching up the stock foot controls for a better street riding position. He adds, “With the engine dialed in from the factory already, I fabricated a full custom titanium exhaust and the basis of the tail was the original design of RSD’s flat-track tail for previous-generation Scouts. But we’ve amped it up with new sides and an undertail tire hugger.”Twenty One Pilots’ Joshua Dun checks out the modded Scout Bobber fairing on his brand-new RSD Indian Scout. (Indian Motorcycle/)From there, the RSD crew finished up with a custom seat from Saddlemen and gave the bike a bold black and yellow color scheme, but there was one last crucial touch added as a nod to Ed Kretz: the image of Sylvester the Cat staring out from under the tail. Apparently the RSD team found it in the archives on Kretz’s business card and thought it would be the perfect exclamation point.The lucky motorcyclist who gets to ride this beauty? In the latest episode of the Forged series, Boss and Sands presented the black beauty to Twenty One Pilots drummer Josh Dun, who had this to say: “Wow. This thing’s perfect.”Aaron Boss and Roland Sands yukking it up with Dun. (Indian Motorcycle/)Hosted by Roland Sands, the six-part Forged series highlights the design and development process behind Indian’s all-new Indian Scout. The final two episodes of the Forged video series will reveal the finished builds from Brittney Olsen and Ronna Norén.Ed Kretz, via Sylvester the Cat, gets the last word. (Indian Motorcycle/)
