Indian 'what's in the box' reveal - it's a NEW Scout
Discussion
Not surprisingly the Indian ‘What’s in the box’ teaser slipped under the PH radar. But the reveal was last night at Sturgis and all the Indian web sites have now been updated to co-ordinate – so it’s a new Indian Scout 
Details here : http://www.indianmotorcycle.co.uk/indian-scout
In fairness that’s what was expected (or hoped) – the classic line-up had a big v-twin (Chief), lightweight v-twin (Scout) and a longitudinal inline 4…and not too many folks thought a 4 was coming.
I have to say Polaris have done an absolutely outstanding job since they acquired the brand. The Chief (and Chieftain…and now joined by the Road Master) was a brand-new ground-up design with a new engine and transmission just for that bike, new chassis…in fact everything is new specifically for the bike even down to the switchgear and mirrors. The attention to detail and quality is exemplary. I gather from design brief to launch was 27 months. From the forums I’m thinking about 10,000 were sold, and unlike HD there have been no recalls, no significant issues and no TADTS.
And looking at the information available on the Scout it’s another brand new engine, new chassis (looks like exposed aluminium sections), new wheels etc. They’re saying 100hp, which is fine for the style of bike and I note a lot in the marketing pushing it to new riders and women riders – there’s a reduced-reach setup available. But at almost half the price of a Chief, I guess something has had to give quality or equipment-wise.
Looks a nice bit of kit and I’m sure folks looking at sportsters AND V-Rods will both give this think a look. Obviously not to everyone’s tastes and certainly not an out-and-out sports bike.
I probably sound like an advert for Indian but I’ve always had a soft spot for the brand and it’s good to see a corporation take on a famous name and do right by it – keep the heritage, but bring it up-to-date and do it PROPERLY irrespective of the costs involved. TVR anyone? I’d certainly rather have Polaris shares then HD shares right now. And more pressure on HD with the new Road Master (also slipped in under the PH radar).
…and a very cool video – stick with it until the end. As well as knowing how to build a bike, the guys at Polaris certainly know how to trade on heritage and have their marketing spot-on…IMHO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zny8Wdpk9Gk&fe...
I’ll keep the Chief though. My days for a sporty ride are long gone!
So PH Mods and Admins…this is an Indian – that’s I – N – D – I – A - N. I’ve been requesting you add INDIAN to the list of marques in the ‘your garage' list since December. You’ve even got Silk, Triton and TriBSA in there. With a heritage back to 1901 and now a 5-model line-up how about it?
Details here : http://www.indianmotorcycle.co.uk/indian-scout
In fairness that’s what was expected (or hoped) – the classic line-up had a big v-twin (Chief), lightweight v-twin (Scout) and a longitudinal inline 4…and not too many folks thought a 4 was coming.
I have to say Polaris have done an absolutely outstanding job since they acquired the brand. The Chief (and Chieftain…and now joined by the Road Master) was a brand-new ground-up design with a new engine and transmission just for that bike, new chassis…in fact everything is new specifically for the bike even down to the switchgear and mirrors. The attention to detail and quality is exemplary. I gather from design brief to launch was 27 months. From the forums I’m thinking about 10,000 were sold, and unlike HD there have been no recalls, no significant issues and no TADTS.
And looking at the information available on the Scout it’s another brand new engine, new chassis (looks like exposed aluminium sections), new wheels etc. They’re saying 100hp, which is fine for the style of bike and I note a lot in the marketing pushing it to new riders and women riders – there’s a reduced-reach setup available. But at almost half the price of a Chief, I guess something has had to give quality or equipment-wise.
Looks a nice bit of kit and I’m sure folks looking at sportsters AND V-Rods will both give this think a look. Obviously not to everyone’s tastes and certainly not an out-and-out sports bike.
I probably sound like an advert for Indian but I’ve always had a soft spot for the brand and it’s good to see a corporation take on a famous name and do right by it – keep the heritage, but bring it up-to-date and do it PROPERLY irrespective of the costs involved. TVR anyone? I’d certainly rather have Polaris shares then HD shares right now. And more pressure on HD with the new Road Master (also slipped in under the PH radar).
…and a very cool video – stick with it until the end. As well as knowing how to build a bike, the guys at Polaris certainly know how to trade on heritage and have their marketing spot-on…IMHO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zny8Wdpk9Gk&fe...
I’ll keep the Chief though. My days for a sporty ride are long gone!
So PH Mods and Admins…this is an Indian – that’s I – N – D – I – A - N. I’ve been requesting you add INDIAN to the list of marques in the ‘your garage' list since December. You’ve even got Silk, Triton and TriBSA in there. With a heritage back to 1901 and now a 5-model line-up how about it?
there is some love for Indians here! 
Meh.
It just looks like everything else in this genre out there. Budget components assembled into something that all other manufacturers produce too. Take the sticker off the tank and no one would know who had made it. And even fewer would care.
Sorry, I don't share your enthusiasm one bit!
Oh and the one at the end is a hard tail.
It just looks like everything else in this genre out there. Budget components assembled into something that all other manufacturers produce too. Take the sticker off the tank and no one would know who had made it. And even fewer would care.
Sorry, I don't share your enthusiasm one bit!
Oh and the one at the end is a hard tail.
s3fella said:
Meh.
It just looks like everything else in this genre out there. Budget components assembled into something that all other manufacturers produce too. Take the sticker off the tank and no one would know who had made it. And even fewer would care.
Sorry, I don't share your enthusiasm one bit!
Oh and the one at the end is a hard tail.
Jeez, you're one miserable person! The same could be said of any bike now you can't identify them by looking at the engine, surely?It just looks like everything else in this genre out there. Budget components assembled into something that all other manufacturers produce too. Take the sticker off the tank and no one would know who had made it. And even fewer would care.
Sorry, I don't share your enthusiasm one bit!
Oh and the one at the end is a hard tail.
I really like the new Indian, whilst I love the huge fenders on the Chief Indian only adopted that on some models and later. I'd love to see them do an along the frame four next
I must admit that if it were me I'd pay a bit extra and get a Chief from the 50's. I tried a 50's Harley a while ago after trying a few new Harleys much preferred the old one despite the foot clutch being an art I could imagine would take a while to master. It turned out the bike I tried was an ex-military bike that had been 'civilianised' annoying as I lost my deposit.
I'm not that nostalgic but honestly think from a punters point of view the old ones are a better proposition provided you don't mind getting involved in the whole looking after set up.
I'm not that nostalgic but honestly think from a punters point of view the old ones are a better proposition provided you don't mind getting involved in the whole looking after set up.
srob said:
Old v new is a gulf though, in terms of performance, reliability, aftercare, spares etc. same as buying a Triumph like you've just bought versus buying a new Thunderbird, whole different ownership and user proposition!
Couldn't agree more, each to his own as I'm sure the majority of people just want to press a button and be off and have no potential frig factor in ownership which I know does come with the old ones. As much as I try to like new bikes when you know/try the originals I just can't bring myself around to buy one, having said that the only modern bike I really liked was the Honda Rune and landed up owning one. It probably boils down to not wanting to loose money with depreciation.Yeah I agree, I'd only ever buy an old one but I can see why people wouldn't want all the grief that goes with old bikes.
Actually it's probably not the best time to ask me as we've had one kickstart spring snap and render the Velocette Venom bumpstart only, a head snap off an exhaust valve on the Enfield v-twin and the forks (pretty much) snapping off a girder forked Velo. All within 7 days!
At any time of that week I reckon they'd have been swapped for a new Honda 50 if asked
Actually it's probably not the best time to ask me as we've had one kickstart spring snap and render the Velocette Venom bumpstart only, a head snap off an exhaust valve on the Enfield v-twin and the forks (pretty much) snapping off a girder forked Velo. All within 7 days!
At any time of that week I reckon they'd have been swapped for a new Honda 50 if asked
TLandCruiser said:
How do you think this will be compare to a Harley Davidson sportser? I think the scout looks beautiful but think the harley will make a nicer sound
In your position I think I'd book up an extended test ride on both one day after the other if possible should be fun.s3fella said:
Meh.
It just looks like everything else in this genre out there. Budget components assembled into something that all other manufacturers produce too. Take the sticker off the tank and no one would know who had made it. And even fewer would care.
Sorry, I don't share your enthusiasm one bit!
Oh and the one at the end is a hard tail.
No its not because apart from anything unlike those sports bikes that all look the same this doesn't have a sticker on the side.It just looks like everything else in this genre out there. Budget components assembled into something that all other manufacturers produce too. Take the sticker off the tank and no one would know who had made it. And even fewer would care.
Sorry, I don't share your enthusiasm one bit!
Oh and the one at the end is a hard tail.
TLandCruiser said:
How do you think this will be compare to a Harley Davidson sportser? I think the scout looks beautiful but think the harley will make a nicer sound
If I was Harley, I would be VERY worried. Except for the cheaper cost of the Sportster (a-misnomer if ever there was one, they aren't sporty any more), from that the Scout beats it hands down. It also beats most of the cheaper H-D big twins.Polaris aren't messing about, and if the build quality on my Vegas is similar to the current crop, they are built far better than Harleys too. And there's none of the "Harley Tax" to make the bike into what it should have been when it left the factory. In fact, if you take a current 1200 Sportster, by the time you've fixed everything, you've spent more than one of the Scouts costs anyway.
Can't wait to see one in the flesh.
TLandCruiser said:
How do you think this will be compare to a Harley Davidson sportser? I think the scout looks beautiful but think the harley will make a nicer sound
Not surprisingly I haven't heard a Scout since I've never seen one in the flesh...but I'd be surprised if the Scout sounded less impressive than the HD. Lets remember Polaris have HD firmly in their sights and set out to build bikes to compete head-on with every base covered. The only thing right now is there are loads of after-market pipes for the HD, and it'll take a while for the Indian stuff to come through (although I'd be surprised if there wasn't a set of Stage 1 pipes by the time the bikes hit the dealers...that was certainly the case with the Chiefs). Pretty much every comparison I've seen of Glides vs Chiefs has the Indian out front. I'd be surprised if they'd dropped the ball with the Scout vs Sportster...logic would suggest Polaris had whole shedload of Sportsters and V-Rods to test against. Let us know how it rides and sounds vs a Sportster when you get the chance. Plus, with an Indian, the T-shirts are waaay cooler, and you don't have to cut the sleeves off your jacket and sew patches on the back, nor grow a beard and a pig-tail and ride with a permanent scowl
mopman94 said:
s3fella said:
Meh.
It just looks like everything else in this genre out there. Budget components assembled into something that all other manufacturers produce too. Take the sticker off the tank and no one would know who had made it. And even fewer would care.
Sorry, I don't share your enthusiasm one bit!
Oh and the one at the end is a hard tail.
No its not because apart from anything unlike those sports bikes that all look the same this doesn't have a sticker on the side.It just looks like everything else in this genre out there. Budget components assembled into something that all other manufacturers produce too. Take the sticker off the tank and no one would know who had made it. And even fewer would care.
Sorry, I don't share your enthusiasm one bit!
Oh and the one at the end is a hard tail.
s3fella said:
It has an 'Indian Scout' sticker on the tank. Not sure what bike you're looking at.
Really?You can see the engine on that Indian? Guess it depends what you're into but now I've seen it I'll remember it. That's the only engine that looks like that, so even in a different frame it'll be recognisable as an Indian.
If a bike's covered in plastic you can only see that.
It's the age old comment "they all look the same" regarding cruisers.
mrmaggit said:
If I was Harley, I would be VERY worried. Except for the cheaper cost of the Sportster (a-misnomer if ever there was one, they aren't sporty any more), from that the Scout beats it hands down. It also beats most of the cheaper H-D big twins.
Polaris aren't messing about, and if the build quality on my Vegas is similar to the current crop, they are built far better than Harleys too. And there's none of the "Harley Tax" to make the bike into what it should have been when it left the factory. In fact, if you take a current 1200 Sportster, by the time you've fixed everything, you've spent more than one of the Scouts costs anyway.
Can't wait to see one in the flesh.
I know what you mean about the Harley tax as I have been looking into the Sportser range it seems I would need to purchase a forward control kit, as I'm quite tall. I was deciding between the 883 Iron for the matte black look or the Forty Two, but was concerned that I would ride the 883 wishing I had the 1200 but then the fuel tank on the forty two is tiny and I would want a bigger tank! so far the scout has everything I want in terms of look and performance with the added bonus of not needing to change anything except for putting a new exhaust on!Polaris aren't messing about, and if the build quality on my Vegas is similar to the current crop, they are built far better than Harleys too. And there's none of the "Harley Tax" to make the bike into what it should have been when it left the factory. In fact, if you take a current 1200 Sportster, by the time you've fixed everything, you've spent more than one of the Scouts costs anyway.
Can't wait to see one in the flesh.
tvrolet said:
Not surprisingly I haven't heard a Scout since I've never seen one in the flesh...but I'd be surprised if the Scout sounded less impressive than the HD. Lets remember Polaris have HD firmly in their sights and set out to build bikes to compete head-on with every base covered. The only thing right now is there are loads of after-market pipes for the HD, and it'll take a while for the Indian stuff to come through (although I'd be surprised if there wasn't a set of Stage 1 pipes by the time the bikes hit the dealers...that was certainly the case with the Chiefs). Pretty much every comparison I've seen of Glides vs Chiefs has the Indian out front. I'd be surprised if they'd dropped the ball with the Scout vs Sportster...logic would suggest Polaris had whole shedload of Sportsters and V-Rods to test against. Let us know how it rides and sounds vs a Sportster when you get the chance.
Plus, with an Indian, the T-shirts are waaay cooler, and you don't have to cut the sleeves off your jacket and sew patches on the back, nor grow a beard and a pig-tail and ride with a permanent scowl
Yeah I think your right that it will sound equally as impressive! so far what Polaris have done is working because I was set on buying a Harley Davidson and then the scout came along and changed all that! Plus, with an Indian, the T-shirts are waaay cooler, and you don't have to cut the sleeves off your jacket and sew patches on the back, nor grow a beard and a pig-tail and ride with a permanent scowl
the more I look into the specs and photos of the scout the more I want it...with the bonus of not having to grow a beard. When is the Scout due to arrive in the UK? I also noticed that Harley offer a 2 year warranty where as Indian offer 5 years.I was looking at photos of the riding position between the two bikes and it looks like the Scout will be more comfortable, judging where the riders knees are and the location of the controls;
I'm just in the process of moving house which should complete by either the end of this month or the middle of September and then I can go book some test rides and buy a bike.
Edited by TLandCruiser on Sunday 3rd August 20:01
Edited by TLandCruiser on Sunday 3rd August 20:08
srob said:
s3fella said:
It has an 'Indian Scout' sticker on the tank. Not sure what bike you're looking at.
Really?You can see the engine on that Indian? Guess it depends what you're into but now I've seen it I'll remember it. That's the only engine that looks like that, so even in a different frame it'll be recognisable as an Indian.
If a bike's covered in plastic you can only see that.
It's the age old comment "they all look the same" regarding cruisers.
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