Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/867014
2018 INDIAN SCOUT BOBBER FIRST TEST P98 as Polaris bought the defunct company in 2011, and launched it in 2013), Indian has the op- portunity to bring out some really cool bikes that don't need to conform to history's idea of what an Indian Motorcycle should be. The Scout Bobber is one such bike, a machine that, like the regular Scout, I'm surprised how much I like. CN S P E C I F I C A T I O N S 2017 INDIAN SCOUT BOBBER $11,499 ($12,499 FOR ABS) ENGINE: .................. Liquid-cooled V-twin POWER: ................... 100 hp @ 8100 rpm TORQUE: ................. 72 lb-ft @ 6000 rpm DISPLACEMENT: ...............1133cc (69 c.i) COMPRESSION RATIO: .................... 10.7:1 FUEL SYSTEM: ..................................... EFI EXHAUST: .......................................... 2-2-2 TRANSMISSION: ..........................6-speed FRONT SUSPENSION: ...Telescopic Fork, 120mm travel REAR SUSPENSION: ............ Dual Shock, 50mm travel FRONT BRAKE: ...Single 2-piston caliper, 298mm disc (ABS optional) REAR BRAKE: ........ Single piston caliper, 298mm disc. (ABS optional) FRONT TIRE: ....................130/90-16 73H REAR TIRE: ........................ 150/80-16 71H RAKE: .................................................. 29° TRAIL: .............................................. 4.7 in. WHEELBASE: ................................. 61.5 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ...................................25.6. FUEL CAPACITY: ........................... 3.3 gal. WEIGHT: ............ 554 lbs. (wet, claimed) COLOR: ................... Thunder Black, Star Silver Smoke, Bronze Smoke, Indian Motorcycle Red, Thunder Black Smoke The Bobber's natural habitat is bar hopping or even mild speed twisties as the chassis is quite good fun to hustle when cranked over, but I couldn't handle any more than 40 minutes at a time in the saddle because of the slouch bend the seat puts my lower back in, and the whacks up the butt I copped from the rear suspension at speed. The overall ride comfort is not too bad, though, provided you're on relatively smooth roads. Be- ing that low to the ground neces- sitates feeling more of the road beneath you, but it's not that bad, in all fairness. The Bobber's brakes come in a single two-piston caliper up front and a single-piston caliper at the rear but braking performance is adequate, though not extraor- dinary. The front has a decent amount of power considering its size and the weight it must haul up, but it's nothing like the power you'll get on any modern Japa- nese four-cylinder sport/naked bike. Reprogram your brain to take things a bit slower, and the Bobber's brakes will be fine for the task (ABS is not standard on the Bobber, and comes with a $1000 premium on the Thunder Black Smoke color scheme). The base model Bobber comes in four colors (Thun- der Black, Star Silver Smoke, Bronze Smoke and Indian Motor- cycle Red) for $11,499, which represents rather excellent value for the money. It's certainly my favorite Indian of the present day (until they bring out a production version of the FTR750 flat track racer, pretty please, Indian!), simply because it oozes the kind of charisma I think suits Indian right now. As a young 116-year-old com- pany (it's really only six years old