Home-Built Briggs & Stratton Based Bobber

Bob Decker of Indiana shared these pictures of his handsome Briggs & Stratton based Bobber which he designed and built to capture the looks of the classic Indian 101 Scout.

“I built this Briggs Bobber when I was 67 yrs old in 2005 and it was my first motorcycle. I have always found the Indian motorcycles to be very interesting and especially the 101 Scout because of its reputation as the worlds best-handling motorcycle.”

“I was never going to get to ride a 101 so I decided to come as close as possible to replicate the handling and performance of the 101. The research was tough because I was not networked the people I knew that owned motorcycles were not knowledgeable about rake and trail and frame geometry and such.”

“So the project goal was to build a good handler which would run tops at 70 mph. Everything worked out very well. The bike handles extremely well and has more than adequate power for riding two lanes and secondary roads in southern Indiana. I take it annually to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina each summer and it is perfect for that trip. It draws a lot of attention and is a ton of fun to ride.”

“The comet torque converter gives me a wide range from 10 to 1 low gear to a high gear of 4 to 1, which again is about the range of the early motorcycles.”

Bob Decker’s Black Briggs Bobber Specifications