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Scout Bobber Tail Tidy Kit — Cyclops
Centre brake light, dual plate lights · Indian Scout Bobber, Bobber Twenty & Scout Rogue — 2018 to 2024
A tail tidy developed on my own Scout Bobber. It keeps the plate, lighting and reflector where they belong and gives the rear of the bike the tight, muscular stance it should have had from the factory. This is the Cyclops version: a single centre brake light and dual plate lights for maximum visibility, recommended for solo-seat bikes. First public batch of nine kits, made and assembled in Melbourne.
AUD · GST not applicable
Launch batch: nine kits in stock, pre-orders open for the next one. During the launch, every Cyclops kit comes with a pair of Style 1 front turn lights, free.
- ✓ Free Express Post over A$149 in Australia.
- ✓ Free local pickup in Melbourne. The exact location is shared once your order is confirmed.
- ✓ Dispatched within 2–4 business days of payment
- ✓ Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or bank transfer
Fitment
- ✓ Indian Scout Bobber (2018–2024)
- ✓ Indian Scout Bobber Twenty (2018–2024)
- ✓ Indian Scout Rogue (2018–2024)
- ✕ Indian Scout (standard) — different rear
- ✕ Indian Scout Sixty
- ✕ 2025+ models — a dedicated kit is planned
Designed around the standard Scout Bobber rear configuration. If your bike has aftermarket rear parts already fitted, email me a photo before ordering and I'll confirm.
Overview
The Scout Bobber looks superb from the factory — until you get to the rear. The standard plate hanger and lighting are bulky, and they break the clean, muscular proportions that make the bike what it is. I wanted to keep every piece of mandatory equipment and lose the bulk. This kit is the result.
It replaces the rear plate assembly with a compact, rigid mount that carries the number plate, plate light, reflector, brake light and rear indicators in a much tighter package. The plate sits flat and upright, the lighting is E-marked, and the whole thing is built around stiffness and retention rather than around being as small as possible.
This is the Cyclops version, the premium one. A single, centre-mounted brake light sits between the indicators, with a number-plate light on each side of the plate. It is the most visible rear end I could build, and the version I recommend for solo-seat bikes. Everything plugs into the bike's own connectors, and it is electrically compatible with the Indian system: the dash stays quiet in normal use and will only warn you if the brake light itself develops a fault.
The shape is intentionally functional. I kept the geometry that gave me the stiffness, clearances and long-term retention I wanted rather than thinning or hiding structural features simply to make the part look more delicate.
The materials are chosen for the life of the part, not for the price of the part. The frame is marine-grade aluminium, formed and specified to take vibration rather than simply to hold a shape. It is finished in a marine-grade epoxy coating at the top of its class, with a ten-year durability rating, because the rear of a bike lives in road grit, salt and weather. The plastic parts are UL94 V-0 flame-rated and UV-resistant engineering polymer — no cheap plastics anywhere near the lighting. Fasteners are A2/304 stainless with wedge-lock washers. It is designed, made and assembled in Australia, with Australian suppliers doing the metalwork and the coating.
Development
The engineering story
The first versions were 3D printed, and they taught me what not to do. Printed parts either couldn't survive the loads and vibration or ended up so dense and oversized that I couldn't guarantee how long they'd last — and they introduced a fire risk near hot, electrical parts. Marine-grade aluminium and a marine-grade epoxy coating fixed that.
The next lessons came from riding: clearance to the tyre was too tight on early frames, the plate orientation wasn't right, a curved plate was not acceptable, and some material choices didn't cope with the combination of weight and vibration. Parts loosened. Each failure drove a redesign, and around ten configurations were built and tested before I froze the one that is in the box — the overbuilt one.
The final design passed my vibration, load and stress testing — done on the road, not in a lab, mostly in poor Melbourne weather and with no gentle treatment: potholes, a heavy passenger, luggage the Bobber was never meant to carry, and deliberately lower-grade fasteners and assembly to see what a careless installation would do. Even in the event of the tyre touching the frame under full compression, the current design no longer damages anything — which is not something the early versions could say.
None of this is laboratory certification, and I won't call it that. It is engineering validation by someone who rides the same bike, and the reason the part looks the way it does.
Installation
Designed for home installation with basic hand tools. The illustrated guide in the box covers the sequence, the wiring connections, the torque values and what to check afterwards.
- Rear fasteners: torque to Indian's specification for the standard plate holder. The bike's threads are aluminium — do not exceed it. The supplied wedge-lock washers do the holding.
- Front indicators (bonus): hand-tighten the indicator to set it horizontal, then lock it with the M6 screw. If an indicator ever works loose it is retained by its wire and secured plug and cannot drop low enough to be damaged.
- Before every ride: check that the brake light, tail light, indicators and plate lights all work. The dashboard will warn you of a brake-light fault, but it is not a substitute for looking.
- After the first ride: a quick visual check before and after each of the first few rides, then a torque and looseness check every 500 km.
Care
Wash with the products you already use on the bike. Avoid isopropyl alcohol, which whitens the finish, and acetone or other aggressive solvents. Keep the plate, lights and reflector clean — the road rules ask for it anyway.
Road use & legality
This kit was designed to keep the plate, plate lighting, reflector, brake light and indicators compliant, and the lighting components carry E-marks and DOT/SAE markings. It is a small-batch part from an independent engineer: it has not been laboratory tested or ADR-certified, and requirements differ between states and territories. Fit it according to the guide, with the supplied hardware, in the standard Scout Bobber configuration, and check the rules where you ride. The kit is electrically compatible with the bike's fault detection, which will flag a brake-light fault, but that does not replace a visual check of every light before each ride. Use is at your own risk.
Questions
Will it fit my bike?
It fits the 2018–2024 Indian Scout Bobber, Scout Bobber Twenty and Scout Rogue in their standard rear configuration. It does not fit the standard Scout or the Scout Sixty, and 2025-onward models need a different kit that is planned. If you've already changed rear parts on your bike, send me a photo first.
What's in the box?
The tail tidy frame, plate mount with dual LED plate lights, the E-marked centre brake/tail light, rear reflector and rear indicators, stainless fasteners with wedge-lock washers, rear turn-light obturators to blank the original indicator holes, the plug-and-play wiring and connectors, spare small covers, and the installation guide. First-batch kits also include a pair of front indicators, free.
Why are the front indicators free on the first batch?
Because this is the first public batch and I'd like the bike to look finished front to back. They're a thank-you for early buyers — the kit price is the kit price, and the front indicators come on top of it, free. Feedback and installed photos are appreciated, but they're not a condition.
What is it made of?
The frame is marine-grade aluminium, formed and specified to resist vibration, finished in a marine-grade epoxy coating at the top of its class with a ten-year durability rating. The plastic parts are UL94 V-0 flame-rated and UV-resistant engineering polymer — no cheap plastics near the lighting. Fasteners are A2/304 stainless with wedge-lock washers. The metalwork, coating and assembly are done in Australia.
Why is it called Cyclops?
Because of the single centre brake light. It sits in the middle of the rear, between the indicators, with a number-plate light on each side of the plate. It is the most visible rear end I could build, and it's the premium version of the kit.
Solo seat or two-up?
The Cyclops is designed and recommended for solo-seat bikes. If you ride two-up or run a pillion seat, the Stealth version is in development: its rear indicators double as brake lights, with no centre brake light. Send me a message through the contact page and I'll let you know when it's ready.
Will it throw a warning on the dashboard?
No. The kit is electrically compatible with the Indian system and plugs into the bike's own connectors, so the dash stays quiet in normal use. The bike will only flag a fault if something is actually wrong with the brake light — which is exactly what you want it to do. That is not a replacement for checking your lights: take ten seconds before every ride to see that the brake light, tail light, indicators and plate lights all work. It's for your own safety.
How hard is it to install?
It's designed for home installation with basic hand tools, following the illustrated guide in the box. The wiring plugs into the bike's own connectors. Torque the rear fasteners to Indian's own specification for the plate holder (the bike's threads are aluminium — don't overdo it), and do the checks listed in the guide after the first ride.
Is it road legal?
It was designed to keep the plate, plate light, reflector, brake light and indicators compliant, and the lighting components carry E-marks and DOT/SAE markings. It has not been laboratory tested or ADR-certified, and requirements differ between states. Fit it as per the guide with the supplied hardware, and check the rules where you ride. Use is at your own risk.
Do I need to check anything after installation?
Yes: a quick visual check before and after the first few rides, then check fastener torque and looseness every 500 km or so. The wedge-lock washers are there to keep things tight under vibration, but a two-minute check is cheap insurance.
How do I clean it?
Normal motorcycle wash products are fine. Avoid isopropyl alcohol (it whitens the finish), acetone and any solvent you wouldn't use on the rest of your bike.
Shipping, pickup and dispatch?
Free Express Post within Australia on orders of A$149 or more — every kit qualifies — or free local pickup in Melbourne. Below A$149 a flat postage rate is shown in the cart. Kits are dispatched within 2–4 business days of payment. Australia only for now.
What if I damage a part during installation?
Email me. I'll post you the spare parts so you can sort it at home — replacement parts are available at low cost, and the small custom covers come with spares in the box.
What about the rigid side-bag mounting kit?
A mounting kit for the official Indian rigid PU-leather side bags is being developed. First-batch buyers will get early access at a heavily discounted price once it's ready and validated. And no — the bags are luggage, not auxiliary fuel tanks.
Can you make a different style, or a part for another bike?
Possibly. Send me a request through the contact page. I collect these to decide what gets designed next; I can't promise dates or feasibility until I've looked at it.
Returns?
If something's faulty, damaged or missing, email me a couple of photos. The quickest fix is usually that I post you the spare parts straight away, so you're not waiting for a return and a repair. If you'd rather send the kit back, that's fine too — see Shipping & Returns. Change-of-mind returns are accepted within 14 days on unused kits, with return postage at your cost and a 10% restocking fee (30% if the packaging is damaged or items are missing). No fees ever apply to a faulty part.