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00:00Howdy! This is Lemmy with RevZilla TV. As you can see I'm on top of a 2015 Indian Scout.
00:15I've been dying to get on one of these since I first heard about them. 100 horsepower jammed
00:19into a small chassis sounds like more fun than a sack full of kittens. The question
00:23becomes though, can the Indian Scout live up to the formidable reputation of its predecessor?
00:27To find out, we're throwing this baby through a full RevZilla shakedown. We're going to
00:31show you what's awesome about the Scout, but also what needs to be improved. And because
00:34this is a RevZilla style review, we're also going to show you what modifications you're
00:38going to need to make if you're thinking about putting a Scout into your garage. Come on,
00:42let's go!
00:57The 2015 Indian Scout is a new entrant to the mid to heavyweight level cruiser market.
01:21It differentiates itself from some existing competitors in two major ways. First, and
01:25most notably, it's the other American cruiser. The second way the Scout stands out, it's
01:29got a big bike motor tucked into a very compact chassis. It's going to be perfect for riders
01:33who do short haul work and they want something that's nimble and agile, an athletic bike
01:37that's light on its feet. Now, couple that information up with the fact that the Indian
01:41Scout is easily the most affordable item in Indian's lineup and it's not too hard to see
01:45what customer they're gunning for. They're looking for younger riders, returning riders,
01:49but riders who have enough experience to understand that there's some cachet in owning a premium
01:54brand like an Indian. Remember, Indian is America's oldest motorcycle manufacturer.
01:58Now, when it comes to competition, there's no shortage for the Scout. If you're looking
02:02at an Indian Scout, odds are that you're very familiar with the Harley-Davidson Sportster
02:0548. The two bikes are very similar. Similar displacement, almost an identical MSRP, and
02:10you can see that fat front tire up front gives it a heavy dose of that American cruiser styling.
02:14Of course, both bikes are also made in America. Now, if the made in America thing isn't necessarily
02:19a hangup for you, there are some metric cruisers out there that might also be to your liking.
02:23I'm thinking specifically of a Suzuki Boulevard, a Yamaha V-Star, or perhaps a Honda State
02:27Line. They're going to offer similar features for, again, right around that same price point.
02:32Now, when it came time to evaluate the Scout, we had to figure out who this bike was being
02:37made for. Pretty obviously, this is not for the guy who's going three states away and
02:40it's not also for the person who's going to work in the morning. The Scout is a rider's
02:44bike. This is for someone who doesn't have a destination. They want to get out there
02:48and ride just for the sake of riding. Now, having said that, I spent plenty of miles
02:52on the Indian Scout, and in my time on the Scout, I really did fall in love with a bunch
02:56of stuff about this. There are so many positive qualities that the Scout has. Let's go for
03:00a ride. I want to show you some of them in action.
03:22Now, when I got on the Indian Scout, I did the same thing I do with every bike that I
03:35don't own, treated it like it wasn't mine. I got on this thing and I started romping
03:39on it, and man, the engine is a peach. This motor has got so much power, over 4,500 RPMs.
03:44You can just get right on it, and this thing gets right up to speed. It really is a quick,
03:49quick bike. Now, the engine's also got some duality about it, too. This thing's almost
03:54sleepy and docile under 4,500 RPMs. It won't get you into trouble unless that's what you
03:58want. Keep in mind, this is a very modern engine design. This thing's actually over
04:02square. It's got more bore than stroke. Couple it up with its four-valve heads, and you know
04:06that this is a bike that's going to rev to the moon. It really does perform. It's pretty
04:10funny how fast you can get right up to speed on this puppy. It really does move. Now, this
04:17thing's not all brawn. There's some beauty with this, too. Check out some of the treatments
04:21they've given the engine. This thing looks absolutely beautiful. You can see all these
04:24casting ribs into the jugs. I also like some of the surface treatments. You're going to
04:28notice recut areas here on some of the fins, and then they also have chrome over some of
04:32the rough cast areas, as well as some polished chrome areas, too. This is a very handsome
04:36engine. It looks very stately. Now, one of the other things that's cool about the engine
04:41is it's also part of one of my other favorite parts of this bike. It's a part of the chassis.
04:45If you look underneath here, you'll notice that there's absolutely no frame rail underneath
04:49the engine. That's because the engine is a stressed member. Not only is it propelling
04:53the bike, but it's also helping to stiffen up the chassis. Now, it's pretty evident that
04:57the Indian designers, who are working on the front end, were also talking to the frame
05:00guys. Check out this wide tire on here. That's going to be part and parcel with a bike like
05:05the Indian Scout. Something that's hearkening back to that American Cruiser, it's going
05:09to give that classic look, needs a tire that's kind of wide. So, to work around the fact
05:15that a wide tire sometimes doesn't handle that well, the Indian designers did a great
05:19job. They really steepened up the rake angle relative to a regular Cruiser. This has got
05:24a 29-degree rake angle. Typically, you're going to see bikes in this market in the 30
05:28to 32 range. So, by quickening up that steering a little bit, they maintain that stable feel
05:33that a wide tire can give you without getting that slushy feel on a turn-in. I'm coming
05:38into a turn right now, and this feels absolutely fantastic. I know exactly what my front tire
05:42is doing because of the feedback I'm getting from it. Now, the last thing on the Scout
05:47that I absolutely loved were the brakes. The brakes are fantastic on this bike. When I
05:51first got this, I thought there was absolutely no way that a single disc applied to a 100-horsepower
05:56motorcycle could feel good, but that's not true at all. I can slow way down, or I can
06:00get right back up to speed very quickly. The brakes are really good. They do a great job
06:05hauling the bike down to a stop, but they also provide excellent feel, both at the lever
06:11and at the pedal. Part of the reason they feel so good are things like this stainless
06:15line. You've got one on the front and also hooked up to the rear brake. I hope Indian
06:18doesn't change a single thing with the brakes on this motorcycle. Now, I could talk all
06:22day about things that were positive about the Scout, but in living with it day-to-day,
06:26there were some flaws that started to expose themselves.
06:31Now, as you've just seen, the Scout absolutely rips. This thing has loads of power. Fortunately,
06:45thanks to the awesome brakes that the Scout engineers fitted this thing with, it stops
06:48every bit as well as it goes. Couple that up with the awesome chassis and design integration,
06:54and you've got a bike that handles well on the highway without feeling twitchy, but is
06:57also super nimble around town. Now, even though the architecture of the Scout is absolutely
07:01fantastic, as I piled miles onto this bike, some problems became immediately evident to
07:06me. Let's get back to that engine. Sure, there's lots and lots of power, but it all seems to
07:10come on after 4,500 RPMs. The Scout really makes you work to get the power that it has
07:15to offer. One of the other crucial items I feel like the Scout really failed on was the
07:18suspension, specifically the front. Oh my gosh, was it soft. Couple that up with the
07:22rear suspension that was a little bit firmer than I expected, and you have a very confusing
07:26ride. The suspension pieces don't work well with each other, nor do they work well with
07:30the Scout considering how capable the motorcycle is. There were also a handful of other problems
07:34that I noticed when I was riding the bike. Things like the low oil pressure indicator.
07:38It's neither a light nor a gauge, it was hard to figure that out. Couple that up with some
07:41other small stuff like things that were moving around the bike, the mirrors, the turn signals,
07:45items I was constantly readjusting, and you've got a couple of flaws that really do make
07:49riding the Scout a little bit more of a chore than it needs to be. Now I'm going to have
07:52an easier time showing you this stuff rather than telling you about it, so strap on that
07:56gear, and let's go for another ride.
08:05Now when I first got the Indian Scout, I had to learn how to ride this bike. It's not like
08:09your traditional cruiser. This thing doesn't have gobs and gobs of low-end torque. If you're
08:14a habitual engine lugger, the Scout leaves a lot to be desired. If you're in the wrong
08:18gear, cranking down doesn't produce any torque. You can see right now, just there, I was at
08:23full throttle because I was in the wrong gear. This thing just has no low-end. It's
08:28got lots of power, but you have to be willing to get it out of there. So if you're a serial
08:31engine lugger, the Scout might not have a drivetrain that you love. One of the other
08:35things that's a little weak on, too, is engine braking. There's not much engine braking here.
08:40It just doesn't slow down in a big hurry when you roll off the throttle. That's something
08:45to be aware of. There were many times I found myself downshifting furiously in order to
08:49get some engine braking, and too many times I was in first. I couldn't get any more engine
08:53braking out of this. So just keep in mind, this is a different style engine. This is
08:57a modern engine in this cruiser. Now, one of the other things about the engine that
09:00seems kind of minor but was also very important for me was the low oil pressure indicator.
09:06The Scout has neither a light nor a gauge. Here, let me show you at this stop sign exactly
09:10what we're looking at. If I kill this engine and cut the oil pressure like would happen
09:14in some sort of a bad scenario, all you get is this readout here on my LCD screen. That's
09:19the only indication I have that I've lost engine oil pressure. That can be problematic,
09:23especially if you're on the highway and you need to get pulled over. Time can be critical.
09:27It's a minor flaw, but it's a flaw nonetheless. Now, having said that, there were other little
09:32flaws I found with the Scout. Nothing crazy, but there were just some little things. For
09:36instance, these turn signals. Look at these. They move around like crazy. Every time I
09:41was out on the highway, I noticed myself having to readjust them because the air pressure
09:45had blown them back. I found myself a couple of times using my foot to adjust things, kind
09:49of like this, even out on the freeway. Seems kind of crazy. You shouldn't have to do that.
09:54I understand they're trying to save people, you know, who possibly are going to have a
09:57low-speed tip over or maybe a garage bump from having to buy new turn signals, but this
10:02isn't the way to do it, I don't think. Now, keeping in fashion with things that were moving
10:07around were these mirrors. Now, the mirrors are great. They're placed perfectly. I had
10:10great vision of what was going on behind me, but because they use these cheap ball and
10:14socket joints, I was constantly readjusting. Vibration at 80 miles an hour meant that anytime
10:19I needed to make a lane change, I was first readjusting my mirrors. No good. For me, though,
10:25the biggest shortcoming on the Indian Scout was the front suspension. The suspension is
10:30so soft. Now, the rear of this bike was actually kind of firm. It's good for a bigger guy like
10:34me. However, I even had some smaller folks ride the Scout for me to make sure that I
10:38wasn't incorrect when I said the front suspension was just too soft. Watch my suspension action
10:43working here as I run over just normal things you'd see on typical bad pavement. Unfortunately,
10:49this thing is working overtime. I'm hitting the top out springs on this. There's not that
10:53much travel, and the springs are so soft. Damping is bad. It's not confidence-inspiring,
10:58especially for a younger rider or somebody without boatloads of experience. They don't
11:02want to feel their front tire not giving them feedback from the road. This thing is completely
11:07undersprung. I don't really like it. This is something the Scout should have been addressed.
11:11The front suspension is flat-out unacceptable. Fortunately, all of these things are easily
11:15fixable. The Scout's a great bike, as long as we get a couple things repaired.
11:31Now, I've tried to do a good job showing you some of the areas where the Scout faltered.
11:35Some of these problems, happily, are fixable, but some of them are part and parcel with
11:38the Scout. Now, at RevZilla, we're doers, not complainers. If the Scout was to follow
11:42me home and find a place in my garage, some things would have to change. I'd start up
11:46here at the front suspension. As I mentioned, it's just too soft. Happily, Icon suspension
11:51makes some stiffer fork springs you can slide in there. Couple that up with a little bit
11:54thicker fork fluid, and you'll get a front end that's much more responsive than the numb
11:58feeling you're getting from the stock setup. Now, if I was a little bit lighter rider,
12:01I'd probably also move to the rear of the bike. Nothing to buy here, but I think you
12:05could modify the stock suspension just by adjusting out all that preload. You're going
12:09to have a fairly stiff rear end coupled with a newly stiff front end, and I think it's
12:12going to play well with the Scout's sporting nature. From there, I think I'd stay at the
12:16rear end of the bike and also slip a set of mufflers on there. We threw a set of trasks
12:19on our Scout, and it sounded absolutely nasty. Two reasons I would do this. A, I'm a sucker
12:24for loud bikes, and B, every time I was at a stoplight and a Sportster owner rolled up,
12:28I'd want him to know not to tangle with me. The Scout is a badass bike. All that guy's
12:32going to do is waste gas looking at my taillights. From there, I'd move back up to the front
12:37of the bike. Get rid of these mirrors. Look at them. They're still moving all over the
12:40place. This is a quick and easy modification. There's about a billion mirrors out there
12:44that'll look great and fit well on the Scout. One of the other things I think I'd also change
12:48are these front turn signals. Again, nothing to buy here. A little DIY modification should
12:52get you home. I think you can add either a little bit of grip tape to the fork tube or
12:56possibly shim these things out a little bit to keep them from moving around so easily
12:59when you're on the highway. Now, I had lots of other thoughts about the Scout. This bike
13:03really killed it for me, but a lot of the things I thought about it hit the cutting
13:06room floor. Shoot over to Common Trade where you can read my in-depth analysis of the Indian
13:11Scout. From there, if you like what you see, subscribe to us on YouTube. While you're doing
13:15that, I'm heading out for a couple more test miles on the Scout. As always, I'm Lemmy.
13:20I'm out of here.
13:29Thanks for watching.