Report: P.Tharyan, Photography: Mohd Nasir
I had just about finished riding the Indian Chief Vintage and the experience was awesome. The bike was incredibly heavy but then it was thrilling too, especially when it paced on long stretches. It was a true Indian Maharaja. A couple of days later I got a call from the company telling me that the Indian Scout was ready for me. I padded up again hoping to flex my muscles to ride this one. But the moment I got on to it and started it, I realised it was as light as a butterfly. Or it felt like one. It was rightly perched with a seat height of 635mm, as compared to 660.4mm of the Vintage. This means that an Indian with an average height like mine (a couple of inches short of six feet) can easily sit on the bike and have his or her feet planted firmly on the ground. There is no better assurance for a biker than to have his feet well entrenched on the ground while in a stationery position. It puts you in a commanding seating position and gives you a sense of authority. The seats can be adjusted for both short as well as tall riders.
The bike design is simply superb, especially with the stylish fenders and the split dual chrome exhaust. The black headlights with chrome trim matches well with the other blacked-out elements. The 2015 Indian Scout also features a tank badge similar to the iconic tank badges found on Scouts since the 1920s.
The Indian Scout is a must buy for all those who are keen to step into the world of men but are unsure of entering this elite club. It looks majestic, has a superbike look, rides like one too. While it is affordable compared to the Rs 20 lakh plus bikes, it is also easy to manoeuvre. This bike weighs much less than the 364 kg Vintage at a mere 244 kg.
On the looks front it scores good number of points, especially on its right side where its chrome plated split dual exhaust with cross over looks amazingly gratifying. It perks up the bike’s image. The liquid cooled V-twin 1130cc (69CU) with a closed loop fuel injection (60mm bore) churns out 100bhp and a peak torque of 97.7Nm @ 5900rpm. Yes its liquid cooled, different from its air-cooled engine that Indian makes.
Bad roads are well taken care with the bike’s 120mm telescopic fork suspension in the front and dual shock absorbers (76mm) at the rear. While it manages to accelerate past 100km in a matter of a few seconds, the large ventilated discs bring the bike to a halt in a jiffy. Though the bike comes only with a pure leather rider seat, a pillion seat too can be attached from the accessory store. A lot of accessories like windshields, saddlebags, driver as well as pillion back rests, etc are available to build up this motorcycle. The good thing about this Indian Scout is that it is a Scout Master because it lords over long distances as well as short distances with considerable ease. Simply put, it does not tire you like some of the very heavy cruisers. And because of its low centre of gravity, one can execute some high speed cornering on this bike, provided you are sure of the terrain.
Engine
Transmission
Max Power
Front Suspension
Rear Suspension
Liquid cooled V-Twin 1130cc
6-speed / Gear Drive Wet Clutch
100bhp
Telescopic fork
Dual shocks
Brake: Front
Brake: Rear
Fuel Tank Capacity
Tyres: Front & Rear
Price (ex showroom Delhi)
Single/298mm rotor/2 piston caliper
Single/298mm rotor/1 piston caliper
12.5 litres
130/90-16 72H
150/80-16 71H
Rs 12,05,661 onward
One should not forget the legacy that goes with the Scout. Sometime around 1967 Burt Munro of New Zealand had set the world's land speed record on this heavily modified 1920 Indian Scout at the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats. The bike was built just for speed and had no safety equipment.
Burt’s feat, it is said, inspired the making of the film, "The World's Fastest Indian." But the Indian Scout in its modern avatar is far different from Munro’s Scout. This one’s safe, paces at reasonably good speed, has a comfortable riding position and ensures your absolute safety with its 298mm rotor brakes in front and rear. But the spirit of Munro is very much alive in this motorcycle. The Scout , to be fair, is not a racing bike, nor is it a cruiser, nor a commuter, but it has a distinct element of all these….several reasons for one to love this bike!
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