| June 12, 2024
The Indian Scout name has been around for over 100 years but was introduced in its modern form in 2014. At the time of its reintroduction and for the 10 years since, Scout models have represented a new type of mid-sized cruiser, presenting a balance of technology and tradition not found elsewhere in this category. This balance has clearly struck a chord with riders as the Scout has been IMC’s best-selling motorcycle every year it’s been on the market. The stance and visual line of the bike was traditional cruiser, and the engine, while high-revving and high-output for the class, still had some feel and soul to it. Now this 2025 redesign seeks, as Indian’s Director of Design Ola Stenegard puts it, Evolution not Revolution—not to redesign this model, but to evolve the Scout into its next phase.
The full 2025 Indian Motorcycle Scout lineup, starting at $12,999.
By Morgan Gales | Photography by Garth Milan and Tim Sutton
Five models comprise the 2025 Indian Scout lineup, starting with the stripped-down and slammed Scout Bobber at $12,999. The chromed-out Scout Classic starts at $13,999, and the Sport Scout, similar to what was once called the Scout Rogue, starts at $13,499. The light-touring Super Scout is $16,499, and the highest-performing Scout of all time—the 101 Scout—hits the market at $16,999. There is a price gap easily explained by tech packages, but in short, 101 and Super models only come with all the tech, while options and trim varieties are offered on other models.
The 2025 Indian Scout is built around an all-new 1250cc SpeedPlus engine, which gets its name from the Challenger’s PowerPlus engine and what’s shared between the two units. The new engine produces a claimed 105 horsepower and 82 lb-ft of torque, except on 101 models, where an extra six horsepower is available by way of different tuning. The torque curve is long and flat, starting around 3000 rpm and continuing past peak horsepower at 7250, tapering off as it reaches the rev-limiter at 8500 rpm. Over previous models, average fuel mileage is improved for an additional claimed 20 miles per tank, largely thanks to a one-tooth larger drive sprocket.
The Scout’s new engine moves from 1133cc to 1250cc and increases horsepower to a standard of 105 while maintaining similar feel and character to prior Scout models.
This is the first time that modern Indian Motorcycle has released a second-generation bike, which means that it’s the first time the company can implement customer feedback. One major goal for the new chassis was to not only increase rigidity and handling performance but aesthetics and ease of customization as well. So, the new chassis is made of tubular steel with a design that is no longer reliant on the stock radiator in front and connected to a cast central piece that now looks much more traditional, almost like side covers, under the seat. This switch to tubular steel will allow for easier cutting and welding when it comes to serious customization, and the new more universal radiator housing is much more adaptable in any custom scenario, but for the average customer, it’s just a nicer and more traditional-looking frame, with the bonus of weighing 10 pounds less, model over model.
Our test of these new machines started in San Francisco, a dense harbor city, seven miles by seven miles, full of steep hills and roads that accommodate that landscape. For day one, we were testing Bobber, Classic, and Super Scout models—the three offerings with 16-inch front wheels and tires. I started on the Bobber, which has been the best-selling model since its introduction, and it hasn’t always been the most affordable model like it is here.
Clay-molding techniques helped produce a new gas tank shape with more dimension, while still carrying Scout DNA.
We started up the bikes and quickly shuffled out of the hotel parking lot. The engine felt familiar, like a Scout, which was a welcome surprise. Maneuvering through the city was nice and easy with the Scout’s low center of gravity and low seat height—lowest in class, they were sure to mention. With a red light at the top of a very steep hill, I noticed the lack of clutch feel from the new hydraulic slipper clutch before I noticed any benefits of a light draw. I would prefer a heavier draw with some feel, especially on this steep incline, but that theme would persist throughout our test. It’s a cruiser, and ease of use is always nice, but that balance of feel and soul is so very delicate.
The Bobber is the only model with shorter rear shocks, providing only two inches of travel to every other model’s three inches, but also defined by its short rear fender, which is now shared through Sport Scout and 101 Scout models. With short travel, it makes sense that the rear shock felt a bit stiff and relayed a little too much road feel through the city, but in contrast, it also highlighted how the Scout’s seat has radically improved. In previous models, the seat’s contour was a little tight and didn’t fit all riders well. Foam padding was a little stiff, and it left something to be desired in terms of plushness. New seats across all models are a radical improvement with higher-quality padding and a much-improved contour shape.
The tight, hilly streets of San Francisco were an excellent proving ground for the new Scout’s low-speed handling capabilities.
We made our way to the bayside of the city and climbed Lombard Street, which was a unique experience as San Francisco’s steepest street is one-way only, and typically, that means downhill. This fun photo op also really showed the Scout’s low-speed handling capabilities as the bike was easily maneuvered through very tight turns at an extreme road angle. We did a few passes for photos and video before moving on to Fort Point, a small area at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge that provides arguably the best view of the monument. With the light reflecting off the Bay, the new contours and shapes of the Scout, especially on the matte-painted Bobber, were able to shine.
Having lived in San Francisco, cruising up Lombard Street backwards was a unique experience.
Design for this family was approached with a different technique than the previous Scouts, leaning more on clay and physical modeling to get all the forms just right before final production. The gas tank has a bit more dimension to it now, with added contour lines along the top, and the rear fender continues those lines through the bike. It feels cohesive, and it looks complete. Cables are neatly tucked, and coolant hoses demand little attention. It’s easy to focus on the frame and engine. Visible ties between the new Scout and Chief models are obvious but the Scout’s design is also tied back into previous Scouts. It’s a proper evolution of the platform that now works better within the Indian Motorcycle family of bikes, and as one could imagine, those to come.
While lean angle remains relatively unchanged from previous models, the 101’s up spec’d components let the rider get more out of a Scout than ever before.
After our break under the bridge, I swapped over to the Super Scout, which would prove to be the sleeper build of the bunch. The Super Scout is essentially a Scout Bobber with unique flaked and scalloped paint, a round headlight with no cowl, a quick-removable windshield, and Indian’s new, bigger saddlebags, which seemed to be Indian’s Product Director Ben Lindeman’s favorite thing. “You can fit the old bags in the new bags!” he’d say. He wasn’t wrong. They’re very nice, though not locking or quick-release.
The Super’s windshield is short, and I’m tall, so buffeting started right under my nose, which seemed to make my helmet a bit louder. Luckily, if I’d prefer to run without the windshield, the cast mounting components can be undone in seconds. This model is also only offered with the full Limited-Tech package, which helps explain why it’s only $500 off the 101 model.
While the 101 Scout is up spec’d and ready for harder rides, it’s still the same easily enjoyed cruiser at heart.
Indian approached tech a little differently with the new Scout family, offering Standard Trim with a keyed ignition, analog gauge featuring a new and highly requested fuel gauge, LED lighting, and standard ABS. The next level is Limited, which adds cruise control, traction control, ride modes, and a USB charger. Finally, Limited+Tech Trim, which comes standard on 101 and Super Scout models, offers the same four-inch Ride Command we saw on Chief models, which is incredibly functional with little visual weight, as well as a keyless ignition.
The Ride Command system on the Scout adds a lot to the riding experience if that’s something you use and care about. It’s easy to control Bluetooth music in your helmet through the handlebar controls or navigate back to your saved “Home” address. It’s easier to switch between ride modes or turn Traction Control on and off. And when the bike is off, it just looks like a normal round gauge, not some big screen.
We made our way through Half Moon Bay and along Pacific Coast Highway. PCH just rides the coastline, so it’s naturally changing elevation and carving along the cliffside, making it an incredible road to ride a motorcycle on. Huge concrete military batteries line the cliffs as we made our way south, signs of past wars now covered in graffiti and easy to explore. Here, it’s surprisingly easy to forget the bike I’m riding and enjoy the scenery, which I feel is one of the major goals of a cruiser. Yes, nearly every aspect of performance has been improved over past models, but when you’re cruising down a beautiful road with something to see, it’s still easy to look up and enjoy the sights while feeling your bike beneath you and knowing what it’s doing, not having to think about it so much that your mind comes away from the beautiful scenery and pure enjoyment of space and setting.
The Ride Command system offered on new Scouts adds convenience and ease of use in a package that all but disappears when turned off.
At our final stop I got onto the Scout Classic, which was the only bike that shared any piece with the previous Scout line: the classic rear fender. I didn’t consider this much until riding behind the Scout Classic, and while every other model had bright LED turn signals that doubled as brake lights, the Classic’s traditional taillight was much nicer to look at. With pull-back bars and forward foot controls, ergonomics were about the same as the Super Scout, so the ride of the Classic was no different.
There was a quick split where riders were offered the option between a short 25-mile route to the hotel or 70-something miles of more entertaining roads. We like fun here. Over the next hour, we twisted and turned through what felt like three states. Weird little backwoods hippy towns and some freak-out redneck stuff you’d never expect to see in the Bay Area. It was great fun. We pulled out of the forest and back onto PCH in what seemed like a time warp and were straight into Santa Cruz and at our hotel on the water.
I checked into my room that overlooked the boardwalk and slept with the balcony door open, listening to the waves all night and wondering why they still used a USB-C for a 2025 model. And why all the handlebars mount to 1-inch risers but have 7/8-inch controls. I guess I’m glad to have such small points to focus on with an otherwise very well done bike.
We woke up to a breakfast buffet over the water and a man drawing the Indian Motorcycle headdress logo in the sand in our view, though in the two-hours we were there, he never drew the face of the chief. We received the presentation and route for the day, which would bring us back into San Francisco through a series of tighter roads along canyons and creeks between Santa Cruz and SF.
Stock brakes are a little sensitive and quick to bite, and soft front suspension does that action no favors.
I started our second day on the Sport Chief with blacked-out fenders and quarter-fairing, a blue-painted gas tank, a 19-inch front wheel, and 5.5-inch risers with tracker-style bars. This felt like a missed opportunity to release one model with mids, as mid-controls are offered as an accessory and require no modification to mount. I am 6-foot-4, so the forward controls still provide something close to a 90-degree angle for my knees, and I was comfortable throughout our test, but mid-controls are a theme throughout sport-oriented cruiser models, so making this a fifth model with forwards just seems like a miss. That said, the 19-inch wheel was more stable and consistent through the turns, without the sensitive “twitchy” inputs that come with a chunky front tire on a 16-inch wheel.
We carried a good pace through some of the same territory we covered the day before, but everyone was on Sports or 101s, so they had a little more giddy-up. Risers and straighter handlebars on the Sport provided more direct handling and fit me a little better, which was nice, but I knew I was next up on the 101, so I tried to focus on the stock braking and suspension components before experiencing the up spec’d model.
The new chassis design leads to a 10-pounds-lighter Scout compared to the previous model.
We stopped for lunch at Alice’s Restaurant, San Francisco’s premier petrol-head destination for the last 70 years, also known as the “Four Corners,” as it’s at the end of four beautiful roads. Supermoto riders with scraped-up knee pucks sat next to families cruising the road in their Suburbans, and we, all filling the back patio, moto journalists from around the U.S., shedding all the latest helmets and jackets over the furniture as we begged for our Arnold Palmers. Typically, we hear some common complaints—ergos or throttle mapping or something, but here, everyone just sat and enjoyed their meal. There were grumbles of clutch feel.
We walked out into the parking lot, and it was finally time to test the new 101 Scout. Inverted forks from ZF suspension and higher-performing piggyback shocks, paired with Brembro calipers on larger front rotors—this model was set apart from the others. A special tune gives you an added six horsepower, which was noticeable as you reached the peak rev range, but the biggest difference in rideability was the ability to load up the brakes and ride out the suspension. Front brake input on other models could be a bit abrupt, easy to upset the chassis with an aggressive input, as the brakes were quick to bite. With the Brembos, brake input is much more consistent, and the higher-quality suspension responds to those inputs with more composure. The contrast was stark when the bike was being ridden hard and pushed to its limits, and while I imagine only a small portion of Scout riders seek this level of performance, this model is unique in the mid-sized space.
The 101 Scout provides what may be the first-ever aspiration mid-sized cruiser. With 111 horsepower, high-quality brake and suspension components, and high-level paint and trim, this is a mid-sized cruiser that nobody needs to step up from. That’s it. You’re there. If you’re of shorter stature or just prefer a smaller alternative to the traditional American Big Twin, this bike provides all the performance and more, and the gravitas of a serious motorcycle. Let that handlebar-mustached gentleman on his built Twin Cam rev up next to you at the stop light, he would have had to do some serious work to get close to the torque curve and HP output this thing produces from stock.
The Super Scout seems to be the best of all worlds with the full tech package, storage, and a quick-release windshield.
We kept riding mountain roads and back roads, and while the 101 was the “high performance” model, it was also the model that just felt the coolest, and I felt the coolest on. It was the only model that didn’t feel like it bore the Sportster Stigma of being a stepping stone while you save up for the bike you really want. Sure, the paint and seat stitching add a bit, but any of the new Scouts could be that, too. The 101 was a glimpse of this model elevated, and once this model gets into customer’s hands, they will take that further than Indian ever could.
Pulling back into our hotel at the end of the day, we parked the bikes and all sort of silently stepped away to make our own notes. Indian has managed to improve performance while maintaining character, price, and style in a way that Scout lovers are sure to accept. It’s a better bike in nearly every way while still showing clear Scout DNA and offering the customer more tech and options. The new Scout is still a cruiser in every sense of the word but pushes the boundaries of what a mid-size cruiser can be and elevates the class as a whole.CN
VIDEO | 2024 Indian Scout First Ride
2025 Indian Scout Classic Specifications
| MSRP |
$13,999–$16,699 |
| Engine |
60-degree V-twin |
| Displacement |
1250cc |
| Bore x Stroke |
104.0 x 73.6mm |
| Compression Ratio |
12.5:1 |
| Cooling System |
Liquid |
| Transmission/Final Drive |
6-speed/belt |
| Claimed Horsepower |
105 hp at 7250 rpm |
| Claimed Torque |
82.0 lb-ft at 6300 rpm |
| Fuel System |
Closed-loop fuel injection w/ 60mm throttle bodies |
| Clutch |
Wet, multiplate |
| Engine Management/Ignition |
Electronic |
| Frame |
Steel tube w/ cast aluminum sections |
| Front Suspension |
41mm telescopic fork |
| Rear Suspension |
Dual outboard shocks |
| Front-Wheel Travel |
4.7 in. |
| Rear-Wheel Travel |
3.0 in. |
| Front Brake |
2-piston caliper, 298mm disc |
| Rear Brake |
1-piston caliper, 298mm disc |
| Front Wheel |
Wire 40-Spoke / 16 x 3.5 in. |
| Rear Wheel |
Wire 40-Spoke / 16 x 3.5 in. |
| Front Tire |
Pirelli Night Dragon; 130/90B-16 in. |
| Rear Tire |
Pirelli Night Dragon 150/80B-16 in. |
| Rake/Trail |
29.0°/4.8 in. |
| Wheelbase |
61.5 in. |
| Ground Clearance: |
4.4 in. |
| Seat Height |
25.7 in. |
| Fuel Capacity |
3.4 gal. |
| Weight (wet, claimed) |
555 lbs. |
