TWO CENTS
INDIAN’S THE WRENCH: SCOUT BOBBER BUILD-OFF I HAVE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX WHEN IT COMES TO PLANNING THE CONTENT HERE AT HOT BIKE. NOT JUST ANYTHING MAKES THE CUT. THERE ARE PLENTY OF COOL THINGS HAPPENING IN V-TWIN LAND, AND FILTERING ONLY THE BEST BIKES, PRODUCTS, TECH, AND SO ON CAN BE TRICKY—THERE’S ONLY SO MUCH REAL ESTATE, TIME, AND BUDGET TO WORK WITH, YOU KNOW?
When I was asked to participate as a judge for Indian Motorcycle’s The Wrench: Scout Bobber Build-Off competition, I immediately agreed since it falls into that out-of-the-box category we like around here. The Wrench: Scout Bobber Build-Off is a custom-motorcycle competition that was developed to spotlight amateurs who build bikes purely for the love of turning a wrench and shaping sheet metal into handcrafted works of moto art. The goal is to find talented craftsmen whose 9-to-5 isn’t in a motorcycle shop, whose bikes are strictly a creative outlet and who are not looking for anything in return. Men or women who simply love rolling up the garage door, sliding out the tool-chest drawers, and spinning wrenches. But these bikes needed to be functional riders that are just as much go as they are show. A judging panel of professional builders and experts, including Roland Sands, Satya Kraus, Jason Paul Michaels, and me, along with an online fan vote on Indian’s website, selected
JORDAN MASTAGNI
three finalists to take part in the official build-off. From March 15-30, hopefuls from across the nation entered for the chance to win a new 2018 stock Indian Scout Bobber and receive a custom-build budget of $10,000 to design and radically customize the stock bike. From more than 100 submissions, 12 top designers were showcased as semifinalists. Online voting took place until April 19, and three men were selected. Christian Newman, from Buffalo, New York; PJ Grakauskas, from Avon, Ohio; and Alfredo Juarez, from Las Cruces, New Mexico, made the final cut, and each received a brand-new Scout Bobber. However, only one will take the grand prize of $10,000 and receive a feature spread in Hot Bike magazine. Indian’s Scout Bobber is an already cool motorcycle with an aggressive, bold stance that is just as much fun to ride as it is to look at. I’ve had the pleasure of ripping the Scout Bobber several times, and it’s one of my favorites in the Hot Bike test fleet. It’s such a great canvas for customizing too. I’m excited to see the efforts of each of these three talented gents when their customized Scout Bobbers are unveiled in Sturgis at the Legendary Buffalo Chip in August. For now, you can check the progress of what they’ve been up to at hotbike.com, or for more information on The Wrench: Scout Bobber Build-Off, you can visit indianmotorcycle.com. HB
@HOTBIKEJORDAN
