Congratulations to Gregor H, who was the first to identify that this was the tail of a 1968 Indian Super Scout!
Ever heard of the phrases, “You can’t wear out an Indian Scout” or “You can’t beat an Indian Chief”? Those were the brainchild of Sammy Pierce, an ex-Indian racer and then dealer out of California. After Indian fell apart, he tried to bring them back. Using NOS parts, he assembled approximately 50 motorcycles, each of which was different. Depending on who you ask, the bikes were either marketed as “Super Scouts” or “American Indians”.
They typically used the frames from the vertical twins of the Scout/Warrior with Scout motors. Head on over to this forum post on Classic American Iron for some more information and photos – if you look closely at the top right corner of the first image you’ll see what looks to be a period photo of this bike.
I saw this at the debut of the new Harley vs. Indian exhibit at the Petersen Museum, and figured it would present a good challenge! Here’s some more pictures for those of you that are curious:
