Meet Indian Motorcycle’s The Wrench Build-Off Semi-Finalists

A compilation of Indian Motorcycle’s The Wrench Scout Bobber build-off semi-finalists.
Indian Motorcycle
Indian Motorcycle’s The Wrench Scout Bobber build-off competition is in full swing. Indian tapped non-professional bike builders (those who don’t earn a living customizing bikes) to take part in submitting renderings of how they would go about customizing an Indian Scout Bobber. Submissions were collected from some quality two-wheel hobbyists who build for the passion, not the paycheck. Now it is time to vote for the top three builders to create a one-of-a-kind Scout Bobber. Winners will be selected using a combination of fan votes and a panel of judges, which is made up of Hot Bike’s Editor-In-Chief Jordan Mastagni, Roland Sands from Roland Sands Design, Jason Paul Michaels from Standard Motorcycle Co., and Satya Kraus from Kraus Motor Co.
Indian Motorcycle will equip the selected top three builders with a new 2018 stock Indian Scout Bobber and provide a build budget of $10,000. The three custom Scout Bobbers will be unveiled in July, followed by a fan vote. The winner will be announced at the Legendary Buffalo Chip during the 2018 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Voting closes April 19, and the top three finalists will be announced on April 24. To choose your favorite builder, simply visit indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/the-wrench/, and cast your vote today.

Alfredo Juarez
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
El Paso, TX
Alfredo has had a passion for motorcycles and their inner workings his entire life. Always tinkering and welding, he bought a MIG welder in college and started building his own tools and experimenting with metal fabrication. Now as a Mechanical Engineer for NASA, he continues to build custom motorcycles and tinker on his projects as a pastime and form of expression. Alfredo’s expertise is used on some of the most advanced projects in the world, and he wants to try his hand at a Scout Bobber.

Christian Newman
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
Lakeview, NY
The devil is often in the details when you look at a bike Christian has built, and it’s all details. Spending his days engineering mining equipment, he has access to a huge variety of tools and the expertise to use them. While a couple of the bikes he’s built in the past have seen some media attention, he fits the spirit of this competition to the T. He wants to utilize the Scout Bobber’s dynamic chassis with some old-school custom components and raw metal fabrication.

Matt Landman
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
New York City, NY
Matt Landman is an executive with one of the nation’s most notable jewelry companies by day, and a builder of old-school rigid choppers by night. Matt wants to build a vintage-style tank-shift Scout utilizing original Indian components that have been modified and restored to fit his design. We’ll see if Matt’s experience in high-end accessories and detail pays off when it comes to motorcycle building.

Ben Davis
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
Millsboro, DE
Indian Motorcycle’s history has inspired a lot of customs, and for good reason. When Ben looks at the Scout Bobber, his inspiration comes from vintage boardtrackers Indian Racing used to dominate the circuit many years ago. Ben wants to build a ridged frame from scratch and fabricate a Druid-style girder front end for a truly one-of-a-kind build.

Ross Latimer
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
Warrenton, VA
Ross Latimer is a union pipe fitter and welder out in Warrenton, Virginia. Spending his days welding massive pipelines, Ross spends his off-time working with much smaller and more precise pieces of metal. He wants to build a full drag-style bike in the spirit of pro-stock drag racers with an extended swingarm and chassis, as well as a long wheelie bar to help maximize the power to the ground.

PJ Grakauskas
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
Avon, OH
As a family man from Ohio, PJ splits his time between work, his kids, and his 10 x 12 shed in the backyard. While all of his neighbors know he’s the guy to go to with your internal combustion problems, he’s been dreaming of the opportunity for a personal project like this for ages. For his build, PJ wants to build a race-inspired full-fairing Scout Bobber—making almost every component by hand, in-house.

Kyle Kaifesh
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
Reno, NV
Growing up in a precision machine shop, Kyle was born for this level of work. When he was 14, his father started a custom bike build and Kyle was instantly enamored with the process—he knew he would have to build his own bike someday. Now with more than 15 years of experience and a degree in mechanical engineering, Kyle has the skills and knowledge it takes to make it happen. For The Wrench, he wants to build an aggressive, short-fendered salt-flats-inspired Scout Bobber.
Ashlee Wegner
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
Hendersonville, TN
As a 16-year veteran of the Marine Corps, Ashlee is pulling from his military experience with a fighter-jet-inspired Scout Bobber build. He is proposing a military flat green, stripped-down custom with Flying Tiger-inspired graphics. A one-piece seat and rear fender combination with a mini sissy bar, and riveted details to help complete the aeronautic look.
Brian Ragle
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
Ocala, FL
Nobody has ever accused Brian of slacking off. As a father of three and owner of a financial firm, he started a small co-op garage for himself and a few of his buddies. As if all of that wasn’t enough, Brian wants to build a full custom-framed Scout Bobber for The Wrench. Judging by his design and current workload—he doesn’t plan on sleeping much.
Jon Lefevers
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
Jonesborough, TN
Jon Lefevers is a full-time painter from Jonesborough, Tennessee, who is ready to get deeper into a new build for The Wrench. For this project, he wants to follow the American tradition of V-twin choppers with a heavily modified rigid-framed Scout. With a heavy workload of cars and bikes, Jon is going to have to work some late nights to pull of the most engaged build he’s ever attempted.
Kyle Kompas
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
Milwaukee, WI
When it comes to fixing things and wrenching, Kyle isn’t about to pay someone else to do his dirty work. When he is done with work at the Royal Enfield dealership, he heads back to work on his passion projects: building motorcycles and restoring a mini-mansion built in 1892. For The Wrench Build-Off, he wants to transform the Scout Bobber into a full adventure bike, capable of going long distances off road and overcoming any obstacle.
Cody Brouwers
Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle
Reno, NV
With a handful of clean and often-ridden choppers under his belt, Cody Brouwers is heading into The Wrench with a different type of design—an aluminum-faired café racer. As a sign maker in Reno, Nevada, Cody has plenty of experience shaping metal, though never on anything quite like this. He aims to blend the classic styling of ’70s TT racers with the Scout Bobber’s modern performance for the ultimate custom café racer.