These numbers don’t tell the story as well as riding the Scout, however, which quickly reveals its split personality. Despite its large bore and short stroke, this versatile engine churns out one of the flattest torque curves we’ve ever seen, with more than 58 lb-ft of torque on tap at the rear wheel from 2,500 to 7,600 rpm, yet it still makes 85.2 peak horsepower at 7,800 rpm, just shy of its 8,200 rpm redline. These styling licks separate the middleweight Scout from the cruiser herd quite well, but its most unique feature is the 1,133cc (69ci) 60-degree V-twin, which has DOHC heads and four valves per cylinder. The smallish teardrop headlight and solo seat complete the look, yet offer contemporary brightness and comfort. Dual lay-down rear shocks offer 3 inches of suspension travel while completing the “rigid triangle” chassis appearance of its forebears, and the lines of the shapely fuel tank and kicked-up front fender are similar to those of the early Scouts. Squint a little and you can see vestiges of the early Scouts in the new one’s V-twin engine, which has machined edges, polished valve covers and cylinder stud casings that vaguely resemble pushrods-all of which reminds us of the early 37 and 45ci V-twins. That said, it is remarkable how many visual cues to the bike’s heritage Indian was able to incorporate in the modern Scout, with its liquid-cooled and fuel-injected engine, stout aluminum frame, good front and rear suspension and light cast wheels. Generous cornering clearance, a neutral seating position that isn’t too stretched out and a wide handlebar help give the Scout very nice handling. Such a bike might be fun to collect, ogle and take for the occasional putt, but Indian is here to build and sell motorcycles we want to ride, not merely admire. It was pretty surprising, in fact, how many pundits were expecting more of a 1930s Scout replica when Indian introduced the new one. Indian ever made-actually riding one today with its foot clutch, tank shifter, hardtail rigid frame and whopping 18 horsepower would snap you out of your reverie pretty quickly. Reminisce all you want about the greatness of the early Scouts-how they mastered the Wall of Death, took the “Wrecking Crew” to victory or how the 101 Scout of 1928-31 was the best motorcycle Technically speaking, the latest Indian Scout motorcycle and the famous originals from the 1920s to 1940s have little in common…and that’s a good thing. Now we’re glad we waited for one, because the 2016 Scouts have a couple nice new features, and our test bike is a new version with ABS. First there was a production delay, then we got into our busy test season, and before we knew it the 2016s were just around the corner. Our first review of Indian’s bold new Scout cruiser was way back in the November 2014 issue, and it was based on the 2015 model’s introduction at the Sturgis Rally in South Dakota, so this full test of a production Scout here at home is overdue. Indian’s pretty Scout is lighter, slimmer, lower and easier to ride than its bigger Chief models, but still offers plenty of comfort and power.
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