2017 Indian Scout Review
Bike Tested: 2017 Indian Scout; Road Test No. 791; Test Location: Mumbai – Chennai
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 18.87 lakhs
The Indian Scout is an icon from the USA manufacturer with a history like no other
Indian Motorcycles, known as USA’s first motorcycle company which was founded in 1901, manufactured its best motorcycle in 1928, named the Indian Scout 101. Further modifications to this model were made by making the frames of the Scout a bit lighter and then downsizing the displacement as well. These Scouts replaced the 101 Scout and military models of these Scouts were used by the US and other allied forces in World War II. Fast forward to 2011, Polaris Industries bought the Indian Motorcycle company and for the 2015 model year, Polaris introduced a new Scout model. The all new Indian Scout keeps the heritage from its ancestors and is still technologically advanced enough to appeal to the 21st century generation.
Motor Quest: The Indian Scout has a record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah for being the fastest motorcycle. The same has been featured in the 2005 movie, The Fastest Indian, where the 1920 model of the Indian Scout makes a record of being the fastest motorcycle on earth.
The Indian Scout is a completely vivid motorcycle with styling from the past
Styling – All manufacturers should take coaching on how to persuade its customers in buying a motorcycle. The Indian Scout, a cruiser/speedster is an end of quest to the one who is looking for a cruiser. With its appealing matte finish on some parts of the bike, the rich red burnish from its head to toe with a pinch of chrome and the forward stance fuel tank, gives the Indian Scout 10/10 when it comes to looks. Although its core setup is far more than what’s seen from the outside, its compact chassis, beautifully crafted engine and not to forget, the part of the engine is a part of the chassis, it’s not just propelling the bike but is also helping the chassis to stiffen up.
The front is dominated with the beefy tyre and the tiny headlamp
The retro design with modern elements give the Scout massive street cred
The headlight is being borrowed from the ones used in pre-war models. The black multi-spoke alloy wheels, split dual exhaust with crossover and leather seats, completes the looks of the Indian scout. Whenever you stop, wherever you stop, this bike gets attention. There will be a flock of people gathering around you, taking selfies, photos and asking various questions, most common being the price and the all favourite “kitna deti hai?” and you can’t get enough of the treatment you get when you are with this bike.
Small and clean cluster provides information yet misses out on a few
Instrument Cluster and Switchgear – The instrument cluster on the Indian Scout has an analogue speedometer with a digital tachometer. Adding to it, the digital display also provides other information such as odometer, trip meter, engine temperature and low oil indicator. Also back-light LED indicators such as ABS, neutral, fuel reserve, engine malfunction are present. What’s missing though is a fuel gauge. Yes! It doesn’t have a fuel gauge, just a low fuel indicator stating it is on reserve fuel. Along with that, a distance to empty and current time indicator would have been handy. There is no specific side stand indicator as such, but if the stand is down, the bike doesn’t crank up unless it’s in neutral and kills the engine if the side stand is pulled down while in gear which kind of fulfils the purpose.
The tank is pretty small for a bike with decent dimensions
There is a kill switch and a starter switch on the right hand side switchgear. The Indian Scout features a one touch starting system, the starter button is a soft switch which sends a signal to the ECU to crank the bike, this prevents over or under-cranking. The left side switchgear consists of low and high beam switch, turn indicators and horn button. It has an additional switch in the place of the pass light, which is easily mistaken as a pass light switch but in-turn is the switch to change the display information on the instrument cluster. Apart from this, you will find it a bit difficult to access the turn indicators as you will have to make your thumb workout for the same.
One of the lowest seat height on a motorcycle at 643 mm
Ergonomics – First impression of the Indian Scout at a glance is ‘LOW’, so does it feel when you rest on this beauty. Seat height is at a low 643 mm and with a wheelbase of 1562 mm, it doesn’t feel like a heavy 250 kg bike. The leather seat provides all the comfort you need for a long touring experience. The handlebars are placed at a perfect distance and doesn’t give any unwanted cramps while riding. The footpegs are inclined forward as every cruiser but provides an easy access to the gear and brake lever. The stock Scout doesn’t have a provision of a pillion seat but there’s a list of accessories which can be added later on. The pillion seat is quite comfortable and the pillion would just be happy to climb onto it.
The engine looks very attractive with chrome edges and the aesthetic V-twin
Performance – It’s been a long journey to come to this part of the review. The Indian Scout being a cruiser has an engine which exceeds expectations. The heart of the Scout is power packed with 69 cu in or 1130cc displacement, 100 BHP and a massive 97.7 Nm of torque kicking in at a low 2400 RPM and going steady till 6000 RPM. This 60-degree V-twin engine that has DOHC and 4-valves per cylinder uses chain-drive as its final transmission and is fed by a single 60 mm throttle body, it is provided with liquid-cooling. The redline sits at 9000 RPM and the 10.7:1 compression makes it thirsty for thrill. The Scout goes from 0-100 km/hr in just 3.7 seconds while second gear tops out at 120 km/hr.
The Indian Scout gains good pace effortlessly
The NVH levels are so low, you won’t even realise when you whizz past 90 km/hr
Some vibrations start coming in at around 100-110 km/hr, and increase substantially once you cross 150 km/hr on the speedometer. It has a 6-speed gearbox and the gear ratios are decently engineered so that you have no issues riding in the city or on the highway. For a soothing experience, it is recommended to ride between 80-110 km/hr, as the engine is around a low 3500 RPM and in top gear with another 100 km/hr to max out and 6500 RPM to redline. And to add to it, the gearbox is so smooth that you will need the clutch just to change the gear from neutral to first; later you won’t find any difficulty changing gears without disengaging the clutch, basically quick shifting.
The American cruiser gets tall gearing and a top speed of 210 km/hr
The clutch is a bit on the hard side, if you are not used to such a stiff clutch, your hand might start to swell, but with time you get used to it. Be it riding in the city or cruising on the highway, just pop up the gas and it will hardly take any seconds to overtake anyone you want, that’s how quick the power delivery is. The exhaust on this machine is loud enough to make heads turn towards you around 100 meters radius. But while riding in the city, be sure you carry an ice bag with you; engine tends to heat up and it becomes quite uncomfortable if you are stalling at a signal or stuck in a traffic jam, it can become so severe that you might get burn marks under your thigh despite of the liquid cooling.
Straight line performance is all it craves for
On a personal note “do not ride this machine in the city”, just take it out of the city, on highways where you will halt just to fuel up the tank. The Indian Scout tops out at 210 km/hr which is more than enough for a cruiser, and to be frank, India doesn’t have roads to carry such speeds for long, optimum range would be 150 km/hr (breaking the average speed limit of Indian roads). Though the engine is optimised at 100 BHP, it has the potential to go up to 140 BHP so we can expect a lot more in the future from the Indian Scout. Even though being such a power driven bike, it gives an astonishing mileage of 22 km/l. With full tank, that is about 12.5-liters of petrol, you can cover up around 240 kms with ease.
The Indian Scout remains extremely stable at high speeds
Riding Dynamics – This American motorcycle is a beauty on the straights and despite being a cruiser, she handles great even in the corners. The 135 mm of ground clearance allows the bike to lean without any of the body parts scraping the ground. The steep rake angle of 29 degrees (generally 31-32 degress in such segments), compensates for the fat rear tyre which in other cases gives a sluggish feeling, it provides an accurate feedback of what the front is doing in the corners. Manoeuvrability in the city is an easy task due to its low height even though it has a long wheelbase.
The ride quality is good but you really need good roads to ride the Scout
The amount of grunt this bike produces, it is a whole lot of fun to ride solo
The front telescopic suspension claims to travel for 4.7-inches but the stiffness doesn’t provide adequate resistance. It tends to top out early. The unsatisfactoriness of the springs and the fork fluid often bums you out of the luxurious ride you generally are having. Coming back to the rear, it’s quite the opposite. The rear dual shock suspension has a total travel of 3-inches but is quite firm for an average sized and average weighted rider. Heavy potholes or uneven surface for a prolonged period of time can cause back pain. Coming to the brakes, the front is geared up with a 298 mm single disc with a dual-piston calliper unit while the rear has the same disc but with a single-piston calliper, which at first seemed to be way under the requirement of the machine.
Once standstill, the Scout gets all the attention
But as we tested the brakes, they passed with distinction. They tend to generate enough braking power to stop the vehicle in time without skidding as it is equipped with ABS which performs very efficiently. The front and rear tyre has identical dimensions but different sizes. The front is 130/90/16 with a load rating of 72H and the rear is a big 150/80/16 with a load rating of 71H. The rubber sticks to the ground and gives enough confidence to the rider to push the bike into the corners but then under perform in wet condition and the bike fishtails under such conditions.
Low on muscle, much lean, the Scout doesn’t look big anywhere
Verdict – The Indian Scout, being a cruiser by DNA has some qualities of a speedster in it. With the eye catching looks and an impressive engine, the Indian Scout does justice to its name which is provided by the historic Scout. Impressive handling, quick throttle response, immense braking power and the speed that gives the adrenaline rush, that’s the Indian Scout for you. Though it has some minor issues but these are overshadowed by the overall experience you have while riding this motorcycle. And it is quite cheap keeping in mind the other Indian motorcycles like the Chieftain, Chief Vintage and the big daddy, the Roadmaster. As for the Indian market, the price tag of approximately Rs. 18 lakhs is quite a deal. But at the end, this motorcycle stands apart and is made for special people who don’t care about the destination, they just want to ride!
The twin pipes from the engine do look good with the bike’s design
What’s Cool
* Powerful engine with an amazing torque low down and good power in the top end
* The low seat height and perfect cruiser dynamics make the Scout feel lighter than the actual weight
* Perfect braking performance with rigid dynamics and comfortable seating all sum up really well
What’s Not So Cool
* Fuel efficiency is just adequate, but the fuel tank capacity is very low
* Suspension setup is suitable only for highways, riding on bad roads gets to the nerves
* The engine throws a lot of heat towards the rider in heavy traffic
The windshield and the pillion seat add a cruiser feel to the Scout
Indian Scout Specifications
* Engine: 1130.71cc, 4-valves per cylinder, 60-degree V-twin, liquid-cooled, DOHC
* Power: 100 BHP
* Torque: 97.7 Nm @ 5900 RPM
* Transmission: 6-speed wet plate with wet clutch
* Fuel Consumption: 20-24 km/l
* Fuel Type: Petrol
* Frame: Rolling Aluminium Alloy
* Suspension: Telescopic Forks – 4.7-inch travel (Front), Dual shocks – 3-inch travel (Rear)
* Tyres: 130/90/16 (Front), 150/80/16 (Rear)
* Brakes: Single 298 mm disc with 2-piston callipers (Front), Single 298 mm disc with single-piston calliper (Rear), ABS
Indian Scout Dimensions
* Length x Width x Height: 2311 mm x 880 mm x 1207 mm
* Wheelbase: 1562 mm
* Ground Clearance: 135 mm
* Seat Height: 643 mm
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 12.5-litres
* Kerb weight: 244 kgs (dry)
Dream to cover distances, the Indian Scout will help with some pace
Testers’ Note: