New Indian

Scout Bobber revealed

When it comes to discreet blacked-out bikes, Indian aren’t the first firm that spring to mind- they’re much more famous for chroming everything, and adding leather tassels wherever possible, so customers have been taking matters into their own hands. But Indian have listened to customer feedback, and their heightened focus on non-American markets has led them to take the Scout concept, and make it more aggressive.

Respect your elders

Bobbers emerged out of post-war America as a way of modernising the bikes – many of which were ex-military – of the era, and this is the aesthetic Indian have gone for. The most startling change is the colour, or lack of, in that almost everything is blacked out – including the wheels, the exhaust, the headlight shroud, the speedo, the mudguards... the list goes on. The suspension has been altered, too. The rear has been lowered by a whole inch, while the fork has new cartridges to suit, both of which should give the ride a totally different feel to the standard Scout on which it’s based. There have also been changes in the riding position: the footpegs have been moved forward 1.5in and there are new, wider handlebars, which Indian say give it a more engaging riding position. To complete the full bobber package, the mudguards have been shortened, there’s a new two-tone seat and a new tank badge more in-keeping with the bike’s stripped-back style. The Scout Bobber shares the same 1133cc water-cooled engine as the standard Scout, so it’s got 94bhp and 71.5ftlb of torque, which is very healthy for a bike in this class. The Scout’s main competition is the Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight, which has an air-cooled 1200cc engine that puts out 68ftlb, but only around 60bhp.

Power to the people

Arguably what’s most interesting about this new bike is how Indian have listened to their customers, specifically those in Europe. “We have introduced the Scout Bobber to bring some edge to Indian,” says Ben Lindaman, International Product Manager at Indian. “Many Scout riders have already been bobbing their bikes to give them an aggressive and raw look. Scout Bobber is inspired by those owners and will offer a great platform for even more personalisation.” Indian have announced the price at £11,299, with bikes expected to arrive before the end of the year.