Indian Scout – by Gareth Davidson
Indian Motorcycles is one of the oldest names in existence and pretty much everyone will know or have heard of it before. A quick and interesting fact is that in 1911 the Indian factory took the first three places at the Isle of Man TT races. The brand Indian Motorcycles was originally produced from 1901 to 1953 in Springfield, Massachusetts, US. During the 1910s, Indian became the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world. One of Indian’s most popular models was the Scout which was produced from 1920 to 1946 but unfortunately, not quite ten years later, Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company went bankrupt in 1953.
For half of its existence, the Indian name has been beaten and dragged through the mud but, Polaris Industries, Indian’s newest owner, has done a superb job of cleaning up the brand and giving it a well deserved, completely fresh start.
The new Indian Scout which I have here desires to reignite the flame of a very popular motorcycle from a bygone era, and narrow the gap from the bike’s far-off beginnings to today’s offerings. Polaris’ plan with the Scout was to bring through the heritage, making it appear as if the bike had been organically evolved since 1920 without interruption. So, bearing that in mind, does this mean that the Scout has leaped forward in the technology race and is now a motorcycle that you’d want to ride? Take it from someone who usually steers clear from the cruiser type of bike (me), the Scout is a must have, so let’s see why.
This bike is really very good to ride and this is due to the 1,133cc, liquid-cooled, 60 degree, V-twin engine, which uses a chain driven DOHC and has four valves per cylinder, fed by a single 60mm throttle body. The bike has quite a high compression ratio at 10.7:1 which, in turn, makes the bike hungry for a real performance test. At our resident Dyno machine at Bikeworx in Randburg, the Scout produced 86hp at 7,730rpm and 84Nm at 2,400rpm (power is limited at an impressive 9,000rpm!). The Scout has a six-speed transmission and a left-sided final belt drive which makes it exciting to twist the throttle for a little bit longer than you normally should be allowed to on public roads, but hey, this is South Africa.
The suspension is pretty conventional at both ends; 41mm forks up front and dual, preload adjustable shocks at the rear. Take a closer look at the angle of the rear shocks which was done to replicate the hardtail lines of the original 1920s Scout. The brakes are very interesting on this bike because at each end a single 298mm disc is bolted on. Normally your front disc is larger than the rear but not on the Scout. The saddle height sits at a very low 685mm, so any vertically challenged rider is able to take easily to the Scout.
Cast your eyes at the front section of the bike and look at the radiator shrouds which are actually part of the multi-cast aluminium puzzle that forms the chassis. At the rear of the bike is a one-piece casting that includes the swingarm plates and tail section. These front and rear castings bolt to the bottom of the front and rear of the engine which then becomes the stress member without frame bits beneath it. Furthermore, two side-by-side castings from the steering head to the rear casting form the backbones to tie the structure together and this was all done to save weight.
Don’t ever make the mistake I did and call a “cruiser” a “cruiser” because the Indian Scout is nothing like a conventional cruiser. Aimed at the more sporty cruiser-type of rider, the Scout is one of the best balanced bikes you’ll ever ride and, in my opinion, Indian have successfully carried through the lines and proportions of the original 1928 Scout. My height marks the door frame at a whopping 5-foot-4 and even with my vertical challenged size, the seating and bar-reach is surprisingly comfortable and Indian do offer fitment options for riders of all adult sizes, so no worries there.
The power is delivered extremely smoothly and fuelling is spot on; no burps or farts from this motor at all. During town riding the engine vibration is almost non-existent but, at anything above 5,000rpm, the engine produces an entertaining buzz which in turn creates an addiction between your right wrist and the throttle. The handling of the bike is awesome and there is no better way to say it because the bike behaves itself at both ends through the bends and you’ll easily find yourself planting your foot-pegs on the deck quite often. But just as it can easily be thrashed, it also can be a tame comfortable ride, which makes it one of the better cruisers for beginners.
If anything I’ve said has got your mouth watering, make sure you book yourself a test ride at your nearest Indian Motorcycle dealership. The only problem that you face is that at a starting price of R159,900 you’ll find it hard not to own a motorcycle that offers so much.
