When Haydn Tobias was made redundant, he bought himself a job.
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Not a paying one.
One that, instead, he paid for.
He took the opportunity to retire and move back to his hometown, Kyabram, in 2021, after 30 years in Melbourne.
Preparing to keep himself busy in other ways than work, he had purchased a 1928 model 750CC Indian 101 Scout motorcycle from Tasmania.
“It was absolutely knackered,” Haydn said.
“Everything inside the motor was worn out from the bottom up; the front guard was completely bent and twisted.
“But I always liked this model.”
The Scout was the favoured model of motorcycle to perform the famed ‘wall of death’ stunt at circuses, due to its impressive handling. It could be ridden with no hands.
Haydn’s best mate, a bike mechanic in Kyabram, who has been helping and guiding him with his ambitious project, estimated it would take about five years to restore the vintage machine.
Three-and-a-half years in, it’s well on track.
The Indian’s makeover has seen it pampered with brand-new parts.
“It costs the same to refurbish things as it does buying new parts,” Haydn said, referring to the motor that he had rebuilt in Albury.
With a bike of this age, it’s not as simple as buying a bulk lot of items from a parts dealer.
Haydn sourced bits and pieces from as near as Melbourne to as far away as Czechoslovakia.
Mechanically, the bike’s cylinders and gearbox are new, while its magneto was rebuilt.
It has new wheels.
Its handlebars, frame, tank and front guard are original, albeit the latter needing some serious panel beating to smooth it out.
The seat is the one that came with it, but not the one that was originally on the bike.
Haydn said it’s rare to find an old bike that has all its original parts, as various owners throughout the decades had modified them out of comfort, necessity and cosmetic enhancement.
He has done whatever he could do himself in the way of fitting, in his home workshop, but has farmed other work out to specialists.
He’s currently waiting on someone to look at the clutch and then he will prepare to send the old iron back to Albury to get it going.
The finishing touches will follow.
Painting it red would be true to its 1928 release colour, however, Haydn is not a fan.
He envisages a dark blue that looks black in the shade, complemented by golden pin stripes and a vintage Indian logo in gold on the tank.
He’s hopeful that by the end of summer, his two-wheeled dream will be realised.
Once it’s on the road, the motorcycle enthusiast, who has a few in his garage, will have to get used to switching between the very different operating functions of each of his steel horses.
Unlike most bikes, the Scout’s throttle is on the left, and it has hand gears like a manual car, but the seasoned rider is confident he’ll get the hang of it.
He bought his first bike at 17 (a Honda XL125), his second at 18 (a Suzuki X7250) and his first Indian in 1993.
Those bikes are long gone, but Haydn has a second Indian in his bike collection, a 1944 model with a 1935 front end.
He rode in his first Indian rally in 1995, and has joined several more Indian and Harley Davidson rallies since.
He hopes to take his Scout to some short future rallies once its four-ish-year build is complete, but has no plans to sell it.
“I wouldn’t get my money back on it, but I didn’t build it to sell it,” Haydn said.
“It’s a keeper. It’s given me something to do and I’m happy with it.”
Senior journalist