2020 Indian Scout

There’s no question that the Indian Scout is a cruiser that takes you back with its classically styled headlight, seat, tank, wheels, and fenders giving a nod to the cruisers of yesteryear and in the 100th Anniversary edition’s case it really does—100 years back to be more specific. The 2020 Indian Scout is powered by the 1,133cc liquid-cooled V-twin and that along with its communicative chassis make it an easy-to-ride machine with easy-on-the-eyes styling. When we put the 2018’s rear wheel to the in-house dyno’s roller, we tracked 84.62 hp at 8,260 rpm and 63.85 pound-feet of torque at 3,220 rpm. Intermediate riders will be taking this machine for cruises down Main Street or to the coffee joint enjoying life’s simple pleasures.

The versatile cruiser has been compared to many, running head to head with cruisers like the Harley-Davidson Street Bob and Triumph Bonneville Bobber or carrying its own weight in a retro ride comparison between the BMW R nineT, Honda CB1100, and Moto Guzzi Griso.

Against Harley-Davidson and Triumph the Indian Scout’s “neutral steering was maybe the most natural in town. It has a lovely motor and refined power delivery, and the chassis offers nice feel. It doesn’t necessarily do much wrong, but it doesn’t make us feel as cool as either of the other two or make up for it in performance.”

When it ran with the retro rides in 2014, our test rider said that “A low center of gravity makes you want to bury the Scout into every corner you approach, but then you're reminded it's a cruiser with a nasty screech from the footpeg feelers at the apex. That said, ridden within the scope of its design intent, it's hard to think of a finer, easier-to-ride new-style cruiser on the market.”

The Scout receives braking improvements with its new floating rotors, calipers, and master cylinders. The Scout also features an updated sport seat and passenger pegs. The Indian Scout is available as a base model at $11,499 (Thunder Black only) or in a variety of colors with ABS. These include Thunder Black, White Smoke, Deepwater Metallic, Ruby Metallic/Pearl White, Metallic Jade/Thunder Black which bring the price up to $12,899 for solid color and $13,399 for two-tone.