VOL. 52 ISSUE 29 JULY 21, 2015 P121
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
T
he name Indian Scout is one of
those iconic monikers of pre-
modern engineering, and carries
with it a responsibility for anyone who
dares reinvigorate it. The Indian Scout
was the American performance lin-
eage, and new Indian owners, Polaris,
know this better than anyone.
The revamped Indian marque has
been steered very cleverly by Polaris,
not infringing on its Victory team-
mate and staying relatively true to the
machines that were once a part of the
most dominant name in motorcycling.
It's a vintage marque for the new mil-
lennium, with bikes like the Chief and
Chieftain connecting the past with the
present.
The Scout takes this a step fur-
ther, representing a stripped back,
performance-based cruiser aimed
squarely at the Harley-Davidson Sport-
ster 1200. Powered by a 60 cubic
inch (1133cc), DOHC, 60° V-twin and
pumping out a claimed 100 hp and
72 lb-ft of torque, coupled with just a
claimed wet weight of 558 pounds to
pull along, the Scout's performance is
as surprising as it is spirited. The lack
of weight over a traditional 600 pound-
plus cruiser means acceleration is
vivid, pulling hard from a tick over idle
and with an ultra flat torque curve
seemingly the whole way through the
rev range. The Scout pulls hard in the
lower revs, and even though fueling is
a touch jerky on a consistent throttle
on the highway at about 65 mph, it's a
fair tradeoff for such instant torque.
