Indian Scout

[BigOgre]

A couple of years ago I bought a 650 'Strom 'just because' and have come to really appreciate using it around town. Good size for running local errands and for short rides around here in suburbia. I can see using the Scout in the same way, just in a different style.

 

[creg-ny-baa]

Small, yes. LIght? Not so much, not at 558 pounds. But the package is so low and compact that unless she goes full horizontal, it should be easily managed. Demand is ginormous. Probably every one they build this year will go for (at least) full boat retail, at least until late in the season for the odd leftover. Some of the early discussion in the magazines referred to the idea that there's a lot of development headroom in the engine (read: more HP to be had). What I'd like to see 'em do is build a performance version of the engine and put it in a sporting chassis, something like the Buell XB. Polaris is smart, though, and as small as that (Buell-esque) market is, they'll never do it. But, something like BkerChuck suggests, with closer to standard ergos...

 

[Big Sky]

I rode the Indian Chieftain and H-D Street Glide almost back-to-back. For a first iteration, that Chieftain was impressive and surpassed the H-D in all respects, IMHO. First year problems? None that I can find - no recalls. The LCD info screen is only readable about 50 percent of the time, though. Anyway I was so impressed with the Indian I bought a few shares of Polaris, which is up about 20 percent over the last year. This is a great company, really on the move. Just started construction of a new 600,000 sq. ft. plant for 1,600 workers in Alabama. The Scout is an astonishing achievement for Indian, a second clean-sheet platform in the first year. A compact cruiser is not for me but...put the powertrain in a chassis like the FZ 09 or FJ 09, shed 100 pounds, tune the engine for a little more output, keep the price point competitive...that would be tempting. An ADV version would be interesting, too.

 

[creg-ny-baa]

^^^^^

This.

What I wondered was whether the engine itself is too heavy to adapt to other platforms. HD had/has that problem with the V-Rod engine.

 

[Big Sky]

^^^^^ This. What I wondered was whether the engine itself is too heavy to adapt to other platforms. HD had/has that problem with the V-Rod engine.

Good question on the Scout engine/transmission weight. Harley has never given a thought to weight, it seems, which is strange since I don't think it can be argued that when it comes to motorcycles, lighter is better than heavier. Has Harley tried to put the V-Rod motor in a lighter bike? Was that engine designed with (lighter) weight in mind? Maybe they should have fitted the XR with the "Revolution" engine. I often wondered what Eric Buell would have done if he'd been given the green light to use the "R" engine in one of his chassis. More power, less bulk and size, more nimble, more practical/versatile, less expensive? These, I think, are the opportunities that Indian has with the Scout powertrain. A stripped down street fighter? A scrambler? Is it possible...a "sport" bike? As fast as Indian has proven it can move, I'm betting some of these are well past drawing-table stage.

 

[zenwhipper]

This thread needs some pic support!

 

[Abercrombie FJR]

This thread needs some pic support!

Dang! That is a sharp looking little bike. I would love to trade off the wife's 1200 sportster custom for one of those, but what would I do with a couple thousand dollars worth of Harley apparel?

 

[creg-ny-baa]

Thread resurrection!

Well, absent the throes of cabin fever, I went and test rode a Scout today. Since this thread petered out, the demand for the Scout has cooled somewhat, but it's still a big seller. Indian has also introduced the Scout Sixty, with a 100cc smaller engine (how you lose 20+ HP by dropping only 100cc, I dunno...), less chrome, and a lower price tag. But I digress...

It didn't suck.

The Gastonia NC dealer is situated where you can hit semi-rural roads and get a feel for the bike without a buttload of traffic. I wouldn't call 'em twisties, and I could probably have taken any of the curves at nearly 2x speed on the FJR or any non-cruiser, but that may be a function of not having the skillset or familiarity with cruiser behavior. The engine is a gem, pulling with authority from right off the bottom, but tractable enough to basically idle through a U-turn. The dealer had put a "stage 1" exhaust on it, whatever that means. It had some bark, but not enough to alienate the neigbors. I have no idea what it sounds like stock. I think they may have screwed up the mapping, as there was pretty noticeable lean surge at steady throttle in the 3200-3800 RPM range. The transmission must be good, because I didn't give it any more thought than I would on the FJR. Because of the torque, 5th and 6th gears are formalities. I suspect that you'd spend 90+% of the time in fourth or below. I guess the brakes are okay. I grabbed a handful a couple of times to test, and the second time I managed to howl the front tire, but I don't know that it slows with any bite. Add that in to my inclination to not charge any of the curves. Like I said somewhere back, I did have trouble getting my feet to go where they were told.

It is small. The reach to the pegs was fine for me (if we've met, you know that's not much of a reach...), and the bars were in a perfectly comfortable position. The bucket saddle does lock you into place. I pushed myself onto the back bolster once to get less pressure on my tailbone. I can't see the bike fitting anyone much north of 5'10", or inseam longer than maybe 34'.

It was a gas. Better than the BMW cruiser I rode years ago, and a lifetime better than the one HD I rode even longer ago. Do I want one? Probably not, not unless I lived in the land of the infinite garage (and accompanying finances). I was perfectly happy to get back on the FJR and enjoy the goodness of massive thrust, great brakes, good suspension, and rational ergos. So, I rode on home for lunch!

 

[Bounce]

Dang! That is a sharp looking little bike. I would love to trade off the wife's 1200 sportster custom for one of those, but what would I do with a couple thousand dollars worth of Harley apparel?

Stand on the corner and pretend to own a bike like half the people at Sturgis.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Good review.

When I did a Demo Ride on the bigger Indian Chieftain there was a young couple test riding a pair of Scouts. I was astonished at how small those bikes are. They were tiny. A very low seat and decent (if you like cruisers) ergos, and useful, useable power in a tidy and compact package does have its appeal.

I spoke with them afterward (mostly because she was cute) and asked about the bikes. I had seen them ride up, he on a Sportster 1200 "48", she on a small Ducati Monster. My impression was that he was more impressed than her, mostly because the Scout is MUCH faster than his Sportster. She liked her Ducati but she just did not fit in with his riding buddies... And they were both interested in taking longer trips together. At least he was honest with me and admitted that her Ducati was much faster than the HD even though it had less than 700cc of displacement. He wanted something faster, she wanted more LD comfort.

At any rate these little bikes are cute as can be. And that is not the description any self respecting cruiser rider wants applied to his "baddass bike".

 

[creg-ny-baa]

"Badass" isn't a variable I give a rip about. At least not appearance. At 5'7", ain't much chance o'that, no matter what I ride. But I do want the bike to deliver on the kind of riding I'm after. Try as I might since the test ride, but I can't come up with a single ride I've taken in recent memory where I'd have been any happier to have been on the Scout.