2025 INDIAN SCOUT LAUNCH REVIEW – “THAT ONE I WANT TO SET FIRE TO…BUT THAT ONE…THAT ONE IS SIMPLY MARVELOUS.”

Indian’s hugely popular Scout has been re-birthed, and there are now four variations on the theme – and one very special chunk of bad-arsery, to make a total of five all-new Scouts.

There have been more than 100,000 Scouts sold since Indian first resurrected its legendary icon in 2015. Hell, the damn thing’s a movie star, thanks to Anthony Hopkins’s superb portrayal of Burt Munro in The World’s Fastest Indian.

I get why Indian sold so many. It’s low to the ground, easy to ride, doesn’t make unreasonable demands upon the rider, has some solid heritage behind it, and gets along relatively sharpish if you apply yourself. It was also unburdened by the cosplay baggage that came with its US competition – and it was, quite frankly, a better ride than the Sportster it was up against.

But it wasn’t for me. I was just too big for it. It felt small under me and I felt awkward riding it. I kinda liked its styling, but I felt the whole package was somewhat underdone, like it had been rushed out by Indian. That said, I was obviously not the target market.

But I am now. And that’s no small achievement. The flagship of the new Scout range, the Scout 101 (named after the model Indian built from 1928 to 1931 and regarded then as the best Indian ever made), is a bit of a jaw-dropper. And I am not ashamed to say I spent an inordinate amount of time rubbing my man-parts on it at the press launch. The next day, when it came time to ride all five of them, my helmet was on the seat of a 101 first thing in the morning.

Cam Donald came walking past looking for his first bike of the day, and because Cam is a god and rides faster than any mortal man ever could, he too was attracted to the 101.

“Good of you to warm that one up for me, mate,” he grinned.

“Keep right on walking, bright eyes,” I said. “This one’s mine.”

Of course, I sampled the other four Scouts as well. It would have been churlish and unprofessional not to. But I spent most of my day on the 101, because while the others are all new, all somewhat different, and so much better than their predecessors in almost every way, the 101 is seriously special.

It just needs its grotesque stove-pipe of an exhaust heaved into the sea, and replaced with something wicked and antisocial. But I doubt any 101 will leave the showroom with its stock exhaust. That would be one of those crimes against humanity everyone gets upset about.

So let us begin with what all the new Scouts have in common.

Firstly, there’s the brand-spankers engine which has been increased in capacity from 1133cc to 1250cc. The new donk produces 17 per cent more power (now 79 kW at 7250rpm) and 12 per cent more torque (now 108 Nm at 6300rpm) on a flatter curve. It’s also a much better-looking unit as a result of some clever re-designing of the heads. Let’s face it, a V-twin has to look the business, and now it does.

The old aluminium frame has also been chucked. It now boasts an all-new steel harness, which cleverly recreates the unique S-line curve that every Scout’s profile has always had. Look closely and you’ll see that’s the shape the frame down-tube makes from the steering head down the front of the bike and under the engine.

Indian went for the new steel frame because Scouts are, research has shown, the most modified of all the Indians. The Japanese are the most dedicated in this regard. They’re hacking away at 70 per cent of the Scouts they buy. And good on them. They build some wondrous bikes.

My formative motorcycle years were angle-grinders, welders, swearing, beer, and complaining neighbours. Sometimes, the police would come and you had to explain that making choppers was not a quiet business, and the whinging neighbours were all drug-fiends and slave traders and society would be better served if they went and policed them, rather than harassing a bunch of drunks standing on a pile of used grinding discs.

Those days are gone in Australia. But Indian did not just build the new, and hugely customisable Scout for our market, did it? Personally, I think this is an important plus, because who knows what customising anti-government evil still lurks in the hearts of good Aussie men?

So what else is new? Pretty much everything, actually. The electronics are all very 2025, ride modes, traction stuff, and a cool new navigation system, which is not the povo-pack turn-by-turn stuff offered elsewhere.

The Scout’s big-arse round four-inch dial gives you proper maps, just like you get from Google. It’s inbuilt into the system, so there’s no need to pair your Smartphone to the bike. You don’t get this as standard on the base models (Bobber, Classic, Sport), but you do on the Super Scout and 101.

But you can have it fitted to any model Scout you buy. In fact, this is one of the big deals with the new Scouts. You can fit any bit off one of them, to any other of them. It’s all interchangeable. Wheels, seats, forks, shocks, the lot. If you want the Classic’s spoked wheels on your Bobber, no problem. If you want the cool, fully adjustable front-end off the 101 (complete with Brembos), on your Super Scout, easy. Though why you would do that and not just buy the 101 is a matter for you.

I will admit I spent some time in slack-jawed confusion at the range. Like, the 101 aside, which stands out like a wolf in a herd of coyotes, the other four variants baffled me. I got a handle on them eventually, but I’m a simple man and easily baffled by too many similar-looking choices.

So, permit me to address them individually…

The Scout Bobber is the one with bobbed guards, 16-inch alloy wheels, slammed suspension, bar-ends, a headlight nacelle, and a solo seat. It has been entirely dipped in a vat of black paint. This is the one I wanted to set alight. The one I tried to ride had mid-mounted controls and drag ’bars, and it made me feel like my knees were up near my elbows.

Certainly, a less bear-proportioned rider, who was less committed to keeping Cam Donald in sight, would have been fine, but that rider was not me. The Bobber also steered like you’d expect a fat-tyred, 16-inch wheeled jigger with short suspension-travel to steer (ie. a good deal of terror on my part and sparks on its part). But that too was my fault, and maybe Cam Donald’s. It comes in four colours, three of which are variations of black, and one is a nice, muted red with everything else black.

The Scout Classic has spoked wheels, big flowing guards, two-tone paint, buckets of chrome, normal mirrors, feet-forward ergos, suspension with three-inches of travel for a less demanding ride, and a far more comfy seat than the Bobber. There are three paint finishes on offer, two two-tone ones (white with black inserts and red with black inserts), and a full black metallic.

I liked the Sport Scout very much, and that was all down to its ergonomics. You sit in it, rather than on it, like you do on the Bobber and the Classic. That’s what six-inch risers do, pitching your arms straight out in front, rather than down. You also get a 19-inch wheel, so it steers quicker, lots of black for extra menace, a small, trick-looking fairing, and a “sport” seat, which means less padding and your pillion stays at home. It’s not at all uncomfortable because my arse is not made of bone and misery and I don’t like pillions, but if yours is and you do, just get a fluffier seat put on. It comes in black, light black and a deep blue.

You can consider the Super Scout as a compliment the bigger Super Chief. So, this is the Scout touring iteration, and Indian’s had a decent crack at this. Sure, this might not be what you see in your head when you think continent-crossing, but not everyone wants or needs one of those galaxy-class tourers. The Super Scout comes with the longer-travel suspension, very well-made leather saddlebags, a windscreen, and spoked wheels. You can choose from black or red.

And finally…drum roll… there’s the Scout101. The one that charmed me like a hot, tattooed chick in a scandalous miniskirt waving a bottle of tequila at me.

The motor has been en-beefed to 111 horses (but only one extra Nm of torque), and the bike sports dual Brembos up front, and piggy-back reservoir shocks on the rear. The front-forks are 120 mm upside-down units and both front and rear suspenders are fully adjustable. It was also “sit in” bike, and it felt utterly righteous. My inner and outer bad-arse was handsomely addressed. And of course, the difference in oomph, suspension, and braking-power was immediately obvious. A man could get a wiggle on here, if he had a mind.

I found the paint quite stunning.  And there are two options – a mainly red one and a mainly white one, both come with black accents and unique graphics. The Scout 101 is really quite a bit special. It rides better, it holds lines better, it brakes better – it’s just better, as befits its flagship status.

See also

Motoring

0

SATISFACTION BEGINS – AN INTERVIEW WITH SERGIO CANOVAS GARRIGA

2 April 20201

They all ride a bit differently, but they all, apart from the 101, share the same engine, and power outputs are the same. It’s always been an eager and willing donk, and it’s still certainly that but a bit more so. I felt it was geared a little high. And sixth like a real overdrive. I was changing down to fourth when idling along at 80 km/h.

There’s also some variance in weight. The lightest is the Bobber at 246 kg, then it goes Sport (248 kg), 101 (249 kg), Classic (252 kg), and Super (268 kg). The Scout 101 wins there again.

There’s heaps of stuff happening on the big, round dash. Tradition demands a round dash, but in 2025, lots of info has to be crammed into that shape. You can configure it two ways, and it’s bright and easy on the eyes. It’s just a bit busy.

The petrol tank is half-a-litre bigger than previously, so may yet get that magic 200-km range. Just don’t be a swine with the throttle.

My frowny face made an appearance when I was confronted by the underslung, bar-end mirrors. The right one offered me nothing but a view of my sleeve unless I raised up my elbow or took my hand off the throttle – and I’m not good with that because Cam Donald is in front of me. The left mirror provided a half-look of what may be behind me and also worked better if I raised my elbow. But since both mirrors can be flipped from their underslung position to sit up, it’s no biggie.

I also felt the side-stands to be mounted a little too far back, and thus they failed to fall easily to foot. That was in the morning. I was fine and fully reprogrammed after lunch.

Indian has ensured there’s a sizeable range of aftermarket goodies you can acquire. Never mind that you can configure your Scout the way you want with bits you like off other Scouts. You can also change the handlebars, put risers on them, and enjoy a good range of semi-hard luggage, including tank bags.

All up, Indian has seriously up-graded, up-speced, and in the case of the 101, up-sexed its Scout. Five variants, all with interchangeable bits, and a noticeable improvement in performance and appearance, is no small commitment to the model. I feel a round of applause is in order.

HOW MUCH?

Scout Bobber base model – $22,995 ride-away

Scout Classic base model – $23,495 ride-away

Sport Scout base model – $23,995 ride-away

Note – if you want these models with the extra tech features that come standard on the Super Scout and 101, add an extra $2,000.

Super Scout – $26,995 ride-away

Scout 101 – $27,995 ride-away