with help from Akrapovič, Beringer Brakes, MOTOREX, Öhlins, Vibrant Performance, and some {NOS}
by Sagar Patil, on LISTEN 04:42There is no apprehension about the fact that Indian Motorcycle doesn’t just make luxury yachts on two wheels. This American dream production house also makes racers, trackers and land-speed record breakers. Take the Spirit of Munro 50th anniversary, for example. A motorcycle that celebrated the Golden Jubilee of Burt Munro’s 1000cc class record of 183.59mph on his Indian Scout Streamliner at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
This time, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first Indian Scout model that saw showroom floors in 1920, Brice Hennebert of Workhorse Speedshop, Belgium, etched the 2019 Indian x Workhorse Appaloosa v1.0. It was commissioned by Indian to compete in the Sultan of Sprint – a sprint-style drag racing event for everything customized on two-wheels.
First off, let’s decode the name. The makers chose the name ‘Appaloosa’ over the horse breed Appaloosa known to have one of the world’s fastest horses, and the workshop having named Workhorse, this made all the more sense to use it to name the American sprint bike. It competed under race number #19 in the Sultan of Spirit to celebrate 1919, the year the original Indian Scout was first revealed.
Talking of which, it took Brice more than 700 hours to design and fabricate around the brutally beautiful factory custom bobber- the Scout Bobber. Pitching in with their technical expertise and premium components were the honchos from Akrapovič, Beringer Brakes, MOTOREX, Öhlins, and Vibrant Performance.
Stripping the Scout Bobber bare naked, Brice only retained the side profile of the stock fuel tank to cover the new 2.5-liter aluminum fuel cell. To set the rider, Grand Prix legend Randy Mamola, for a focused riding position, a new sub-frame was fabricated with lower clip-on handlebars and drag-style foot controls that kept him forward to transfer weight to the front wheel.
At the rear end, an extended aluminum swingarm was welded on to further enhance traction for the perfect start. It was then tethered with advanced, fully adjustable STX 36 piggyback rear shock absorbers from Öhlins and solid 4D braking unit by Beringer. At the front, Öhlins supplied 43mm forks and a steering damper to ensure the best possible grip and stability.
Modern through and through, engineers at the Indian factory gave their beautiful liquid-cooled, 60-degree 1133 cc V-twin an electronic closed-loop fuel-injection system and huge 60 mm throttle bodies. Without having to nudge through the internals, Workhorse bumped up the power figure from 94 hp to 130 hp, courtesy a bespoke titanium exhaust system from Akrapovič.
Also adapted were quickshifter, racing ECU tuned by EVOK3, Power Commander, direct intake, MOTOREX oil, and…wait for it… Nitrous Oxide Injection system. And with shedding almost 105 lbs off the stock Scout Bobber, this Appaloosa v1.0 is bound to show a lot of players its fine a** on the drag strip.



Another mention needs to be given to those pretty fancy 4D Aerotec braking system from Beringer Brakes. The 4D unit carries twin 230mm rotors per caliper to help stop the bonkers Appaloosa v1.0 as fast as or even faster than it can do the quarter-mile. Beringer Brakes also supplied the CNC machined handlebar controls and buttons, designed by Brice himself.
The folks from Vibrant Performance provide this maniac with the cooling system, welded dash connectors, fuel and water tank caps, and heat protection hoses taking the oomph to crazy levels. That wild-hoggish fairing has been fabricated in-house to provide a streamlined shape, and also comes with carbon-fiber side panels acting as cooling intakes as well.


For 2020, a new Appaloosa v2.0 is touted to be unleashed at the Baikal Mile Ice Speed Festival at Lake Baikal, Siberia. This time, it will be modded to run on the icy surface with tire studs, carbon-fiber nose cap, smaller cooling intakes, closed wheel bays, a new paint scheme, and an upgraded NOS system amongst a host of others.
The completed build and new look will be revealed shortly after the team arrives at Lake Baikal in late February.
