In the latest episode of the Forged series, host Roland Sands and talented builder Brittney Olsen traveled to Nashville to introduce Olsen’s custom Indian Scout to its new owner, Nikki Lane. The bike is the second of three unique creations in the Indian Scout Forged customs series.
Since the founding of 20th Century Racing, Brittney Olsen has been a leading figure in the female motorcycling community. Upholding the legacy of American female motorcyclists of the 1940s and 1950s, Olsen was inspired by Cecilia Adams, a woman she has always admired and aspired to emulate.
A trip down memory lane: Nikki Lane’s new custom Indian Scout
“Nikki’s Scout is completely custom, from the front to the tail. There is nothing we haven’t touched, it is 100% representative of the entire movement, not only of Cecilia Adams, but of all the Scout Sport riders of the 50s.“Olsen said of her creation.
Roland Sands highlighted the special connection between Olsen and Lane, stating: “There’s something really great about this collaboration between Nikki and Brittney – they’re both huge fans of vintage, antiques, 1920s stuff… I don’t think you could have picked a better person than Nikki Lane for Brittney to build her a bike for.”
Lane, whose motorcycling history begins with his family — his father was a motocross racer and his mother supported him in the pits — shares a similar passion to Olsen. He attributes his wild side to his parents and the fact that he shares a birthday with the legendary Evel Knievel, considering motorcycles to be his form of meditation.
““I’ve realized that I’m not very good at meditating,” Lane says. “But this is the closest thing I can do. It takes me to another place mentally. It allows me to free my mind, look around in a different way, and get away from this busy life that we all know we’re living here…”
Lane expressed his admiration for Olsen’s work, saying: “Obviously, if you know vintage biker culture, you know Brittney Olsen. I had a feeling that this was going to be reminiscent of her bike. I had no idea that once those modifications were made, all of a sudden, it would look like a vintage bike. It’s hard to do this, it’s hard to do it right, and I think Brittney did a good job of putting these pieces together to build a really cohesive modern vintage-style custom.”
Indian Scout Brittney Olsen
- 18” custom spoked FTR rim with standard Scout rear hub
- 19” custom FTR spoked rim with standard Scout front hub
- Custom hand-made, powder-coated front end with factory texture to match the stock frame
- Authentic 1946-1948 Indian Chief springs, shocks and turrets built into the front end
- Modified stock Scout gas tank, using panels from the stock Springfield/Chieftain tank, to achieve the teardrop shape of the original Indian Sport Scout.
- Forced air ducts, upper and lower, from the stock Scout 2025 tank, incorporated to accommodate the Scout’s stock fuel pump, air box and GPS.
- Factory chrome cover for the GPS dash unit replacing the black frame
- Custom frame cover under the seat
- Custom seat anchors
- Vintage Bates custom seat and rear fender pad
- Extended rear sub fender
- Custom black paint
- Custom lettering, stripes, gold and silver leaf by Jeremy Pederson
- Hand made rear shock mounts
- Custom anchor for license plate
- Factory Intermediate Foot Controls
- Longer custom brake line
- Custom stainless steel exhaust
- Custom front turn signals
- Custom stainless steel fender
- Custom relocation of the instrument panel/console
- Custom hand-made rear sub-fender panels
- Polished exhaust, instrument mounting and handlebars
Hosted by Roland Sands, the six-part Forged series highlights how Indian Motorcycle’s design and engineering teams have always considered tuners when developing the new Indian Scout, making it a perfect canvas for self-expression. Each Forged built is based on a figure, machine or historic era from the Scout’s 100-plus year history.
The final episode of the Forged video series will reveal Ronna Norén’s finished work, promising a new journey into the heart of motorcycling creativity.
