Ask Indian Motorcycle design director Ola Stenegärd asked which part of the new Indian Scout he was most proud of, and he would likely point to its tubular steel frame. So imagine his delight when Indian presented Ronna Norén at the Unique custom cycles a brand new Indian Scout—and the first thing he changed was the frame.
By the way, that’s not sarcasm; Ola was actually happy when Ronna brought the angle grinder. Guide. For Ola and the entire team at Indian, the potential for customization was baked into the refreshed Scout platform from day one. Yes, the Scout is a modern bike with modern touches that make it inherently bulky—but Indian wanted to make sure customizers could handle all that hassle with minimal fuss.
Ronna commented on New Indian Scouts simple yet refreshing, and says a lot about his relationship with Ola. The two have known each other for a long time and are both longtime members of the Swedish bike club, Plebs Choppers. And while Ola draws inspiration from a myriad of sources when writing new motorcycle designs, there’s a small part of him that wonders what Ronna would think (or, more accurately, what Ronna would criticize him for).
Ola hoped that the Scout’s steel fuel tank and tubular steel frame would prompt Ronna to rebuild both to his liking—and that’s exactly what happened. Within a week of receiving the Scout, Ronna had cut and rebuilt more than a third of the frame, bringing the bike’s geometry more in line with helicopter he is famous for
The new front section of the frame pushes the stem higher and further forward, pushing the forks out enough to keep the stance steady, but not so much that they look cartoonish. There are some neat bits of fabrication hidden under the tank, where Ronna ‘splits’ the frame to fit a sturdy Trask Performance air filter. With the airbox gone, he was also able to remove the ducts that normally sit in front of the tank, leaving the area around the stem looking clean.
The Scout sits on 8” Tolle Engineering forks up front, held in place by a set of custom-made swingarms. Ronna installed a pair of OEM Fox shocks at the opposite end of the bike, then modified the swingarm to move the shock mounts further back. With color-coded springs, the shocks are now perfectly aligned with the frame.
Next, Ronna swapped out the Scout’s modern alloy wheels for a pair of lace-up rims, with Cerakoted hubs and rims, and stainless steel spokes. Measuring 21” up front and 18” out back, they’re wrapped in Metzeler ME888 Marathon Ultra tires, giving this classic chopper some modern grip.
The marriage of style and performance is at the heart of Ronna’s approach. Plebs Choppers may be a chopper club, but its members are bikers first and foremost—so their bikes are built to ride, not hide.
That philosophy is reflected not only in Ronna’s choice of rubber, but also in his decision to equip the bike with high-performance brakes from ISR. Six-piston calipers grip 320mm floating discs up front, with four-piston calipers at the rear. Both are mounted using prototype billet aluminum mounts designed specifically for the Indian Scout.
Another characteristic of Ronna’s work is that he likes bikes that are clean and timeless, rather than flashy and trendy. He has also worked on a number of important OEM concept bikes. So he has an appreciation for what it takes to produce a factory bike and has a knack for giving a bike its own character while still maintaining some of its signature details.
That consideration is evident in Ronna’s clever redesign of the Scout’s fuel tank. Rather than building a new unit from scratch, Ronna split the factory unit into four sections, before trimming and welding them together. The ‘new’ tank retains the traditional Scout shape, but is much more compact.
The work also involved moving the fuel pump further forward inside the tank, to allow for ample clearance for the bike’s new air filter. A pop-up fuel cap from Tolle Engineering sits atop, while handcrafted steel fenders round out the bodywork. The seat is also a one-off, with the upholstery done by the incredibly talented Silver Machine.
Moving on to the controls, Ronna has modified the stock handlebars, incorporating risers and adding a custom housing for the OEM speedo. Finishing touches include some subtle modifications to the stock foot controls and a stainless steel exhaust system. Then there’s the attractive paint job; a vintage-inspired metal-scale design courtesy of Hakan Lindberg.
Ronna’s custom Indian Scout hits all the right notes. There are no mods vying for attention—instead, every little detail comes together to create a clean, modern chopper.
It also fit its new owner like a glove. After setting up the bike, Ronna handed it over to legendary King Diamond, Motörhead, and Scorpions drummer (and Swedish national treasure) Mikkey Dee… who was quick to joke that the bike was louder than his drums.
