The saga continues
We wrote about Danny Schneider’s first build for Indian Motorcycle back in July 2021.
The then new partnership between the man behind Hardnine Choppers and Indian Motorcycle was launched with a custom built 1931 Scout.
Last week he was back on the scene when Indian Motorcycle revealed his latest custom build during EICMA in Milan. the bike was presented alongside the new 2023 models from Indian Motorcycle on their freshly designed booth.
Bagger inspiration
With its distinctive paint scheme inspired by the factory’s King of the Baggers racers, stripped back front end and performance parts, Danny’s Scout Rogue was an eye-catching addition to the Indian Scout lineup on the booth, inviting visitors to take photos and discover the finer details of this intriguing build.
From action hero to creative icon
As a former FMX star and award-winning vintage custom builder, Danny Schneider has honed a reputation for exciting, performance orientated custom bikes and is no stranger to working with Indian Motorcycle. In fact, the build he credits as his best ever was the aforementioned 1931 Indian Scout, the bike that started his love of (and partnership with) Indian Motorcycle.
“Ever since they launched the FTR, I’ve been hooked,” says Danny.
Roughing up the Rogue
“My idea when I first saw the Scout Rogue, I actually liked it a lot, was performance racing – this is where I’m coming from – I really wanted to craft it to suit my hard riding style and we’ve done everything we can to enhance the machine with performance parts. We started out with the Öhlins front forks and Öhlins rear shock, suspension is the most important thing for me coming from a motocross background.”
Modifying the triple trees to accept the Öhlins front forks, the handlebar has been replaced with a 22mm higher ProTaper unit fitted with ProTaper soft grips and the Scout Rogue’s mini-fairing adapted to work with the new bar placement. The stripped back, racing feel is also enhanced by miniature turn signals and the removal of the front fender.
Racing look
The racing look and spec continues with performance tracker wheels from Roland Sands Design allowing the use of twin OEM discs grabbed by dual Beringer calipers operated by a Beringer master cylinder/lever with Danny creating bespoke adapters and mounts for the wheels and the braking system. For performance gains during starts and gear changes, the clutch lever is also by Beringer with a Dynojet quickshifter ensuring the slickest of shifts and a one-off 2-into-1 exhaust by Jekill and Hyde ramping up the soundtrack.
“I’ve added some custom touches, by cutting down the primary cover to the minimum that’s still safe but making it lighter and giving it a more performance look and I’ve also added wider footpegs to suit my riding style. But, look closer and you’ll see the gold leaf applied to the iconic insignias on the engine and the gas cap, the gold stitching in the seat which all complement the awesome paint by Vince Customs.”
More to come
“I’ve been building bikes for about 10 or 12 years now. But I stopped for a while as I’d lost a bit of the passion. When it came to the Rogue, it just came back, the light just fired up again. Indian Motorcycle engineering is amazing, they think further than other brands. If you need to do something, it’s done super quick. This is what I love.”
“Now it’s just a case of setting up the bike, dialling in the suspension and going for a ride. Riding to me is everything. It’s absolute freedom.”
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/avHMZdTFWGI” width=”800″ title=”Indian Motorcycle Scout Rogue by Hardnine Choppers”]
Builder details:
Builder: Hardnine Choppers
Address:
Zentweg 15
3006 Bern
Switzerland
email: danny@hardninechoppers.com
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About the Author: Ron Betist
