Indian’s 101 Scout was our favorite version of the new Scout when we first tested the all-new 2025 platform, but a few months down the road and we’re finally getting to see what the bike is like to live with in the real world. Is Indian’s latest middleweight cruiser one of the best iterations of a modern performance cruiser? Come with us as we go for a ride around Southern California to find out.
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Check out the story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/indian-101-scout-review/
Looking to buy? Get prequalified
https://octane.co/vehicle-selection/?partner=GY4VAJr&a=301&flow=long-prequal&appTheme=3a49337c5724d18079602a4ca5a91626
Subscribe to Cycle World Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/c/cycleworld?sub_confirmation=1
Read more from Cycle World: https://www.cycleworld.com/
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SportsTranscript
00:00You might not know a lot about motorcycles, you might not know the difference between
00:07inline fours and parallel twins, dual sport bikes and adventure bikes, but you can probably
00:13see the irony in the words performance cruiser.
00:16I mean think about it, performance means things like sharp handling, truckloads of power,
00:21and big ol' brakes.
00:22And cruisers are all about laid back, casual riding.
00:26It's kind of like wanting to have your cake and eat it too, which doesn't always work
00:31out.
00:32Luckily, in this case, it does.
00:35This is the 2025 Indian 101 Scout.
00:39It's one of our favorite motorcycles right now, and today we're going to tell you why.
00:52There are two ways to look at this 101.
00:55The first is as an homage to the original 101 Scout, which was produced between 1928
01:01and 1931, and was at one time referred to as the best motorcycle ever.
01:08The second is as a response to the continued rise in popularity of performance cruisers,
01:13and more specifically, tall west coast club style motorcycles.
01:18Now there's no specific formula for these builds, but in general what you're going to
01:22get is taller, upgraded suspension, better brakes, bikini fairing, a tall, moto-style
01:28handlebar, and a bunch of little styling updates throughout.
01:32Indian technically has two performance cruisers right now.
01:35There's the larger, more raw, air-cooled Sport Chief, and then there's this, which is based
01:41on the mid-size, liquid-cooled Scout platform.
01:44Importantly, that Scout platform was all new this year.
01:48It comes with a bigger, more powerful engine, with a bunch of upgraded internals, as well
01:53as an all-new steel tube front frame.
01:57That's important because it's going to give this bike a visually lighter and more modern
02:01look.
02:02Plus, Indian says that it was designed to help with overall handling, and will make
02:06it easier for customizers to custom build Scouts.
02:10Another cool thing is that they've updated the tank styling and shape on this bike, which
02:15is going to give it a much more modern and beefy look compared to previous generation
02:19models.
02:20Technically, there are four other Scouts, and they all come with a different combination
02:24of wheels, tires, and styling treatments to hit different subcategories.
02:29But when we rode all of those bikes together, this was very clearly the best bike of the
02:35group.
02:36Now that we've had the chance to ride the bike for a few more weeks, we have an even
02:40better idea of what it's like to live with this machine.
02:47Little bit of a sidebar, you'll notice the Dynojet Dyno there in the other room.
02:51We run all of our test bikes on that Dyno, including this 101 Scout, which made 100 horsepower
02:57and 75 pound-feet of torque.
03:00Now, it's a little bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison because the 101 has a dedicated
03:05ECU tune and technically makes more power than the other 2025 Scouts.
03:11However, for comparison's sake, the last Scout we had on the Dyno made 84 horsepower and
03:1764 pound-feet of torque.
03:19So you've got 16 more horsepower and 11 more pound-feet of torque on this bike compared
03:25to previous generation Scouts.
03:28You might also be wondering about Harley-Davidson's Sportster S, since that's one of these Scouts'
03:33main rivals.
03:34Well, the last Sportster S we had on the Dyno made 110 horsepower and 85 pound-feet of torque.
03:41So yes, more power all around, but that doesn't tell the whole story.
03:45Because while Harley-Davidson has tried to make the Sportster S a more modern and polished
03:50bike, Indian wants the Scout to have that classic American V-twin cruiser feel, just
03:56with a little bit more performance on top.
03:59They're really different motorcycles.
04:03Before the ride kicks off, we do want to say that we took the 101 Scout to Cycleworld's
04:08Proving Grounds, where we test for quarter-mile times, acceleration performance, and braking
04:12performance.
04:13We'll drop the numbers on the screen so you can see exactly how the 101 performs.
04:33Now, what I think is so beautiful about this bike is it gives you exactly what it promises.
04:42You have a little bit of that laid-back cruiser feel.
04:45I mean, this V-twin engine is lopey.
04:47It makes just the right amount of sounds.
04:50And then at the same time, you have that added aggression from the suspension and the brakes
04:55that just kind of ups the cool factor of the bike and gives you a little bit of that sporty
05:00edge that you really want from a bike like this.
05:03Speaking of suspension, the big news here is that you have the fully adjustable inverted
05:09front fork with 5.9 inches of travel, so that's about 1.2 inches more travel than the suspension
05:16on the base model Scouts.
05:18Now, I know this is not a review of those Scouts, but it's worth mentioning that we've
05:24ridden those bikes, and man, the fork on those bikes is, for lack of a better term, abysmal.
05:30And there's just no bump absorption, no compliance, whereas with this fork, you have so much better
05:36bump absorption.
05:37And it's funny because you think, okay, that's going to add so much more to this bike up
05:41in the canyons and in that fast-paced riding, but the reality is that it also makes a difference
05:46just riding around town.
05:48I mean, the overall comfort that you have in that bump compliance is really great on
05:53this.
05:54Not to mention, you've got the fully adjustable piggyback shocks, which are really cool because,
05:58again, you have the adjustment, you can tune them for your weight, for your riding style,
06:02all of that, but then at the same time, it's got just a little bit better look to it, right?
06:07There's a little bit of a styling element to them that give this bike the one-on-one,
06:11that premium look and feel.
06:13Overall, I think it's a nice upgrade for this bike.
06:17Are they the absolute best suspension components ever?
06:20No, probably not, but for what you're going to do on this bike, man, the added performance
06:25that you get from this inverted fork and those shocks is such a nice upgrade.
06:30The one thing I will say is that those shocks, they still only have three inches of travel,
06:34so they're not any taller than what you're going to find on the other bikes, and that
06:38basically means that you're not going to have any more cornering clearance on this one-on-one
06:43versus the other Scout models, so yes, you are still going to drag foot pegs every now
06:48and again when you're up in the canyons riding a little bit faster.
06:52It's a performance cruiser, but it's still got cruiser in the name, and you are going
06:57to be touching them foot pegs down every once in a while.
07:01Now, as for the brakes, you've got an upgraded front braking package that consists of dual
07:06320-millimeter discs, so dual discs versus single discs on the other Scouts.
07:11That's going to give you a lot more braking performance, but on top of that, you've got
07:15Brembo four-piston calipers, and the big thing here is, again, yes, this is going to give
07:20you more power and more feel when you're riding at a decent clip up in the canyons,
07:25but one of the things we noticed is it even helps just riding around town, like what we're
07:29doing here.
07:30If you get stuck in traffic, something happens, and you've got to get to the brake lever really
07:34quick, there's a lot more immediate performance, and I don't think anyone's ever going to complain
07:39about that, right?
07:41It's an upgrade that you're absolutely going to want, and on a bike like this, it really
07:45complements the whole overall feel.
07:49Again, just a really nice braking package with good performance, you've got good power
07:54through the pull, it's got one of those big cruiser-type brake levers on it, so not the
07:59best feel at your finger, but when you get into the lever pull, really good power and
08:04good feedback, which is really important, and again, it's just something that I think
08:08you're going to like on a performance cruiser.
08:11As a whole, I think this bike is just such a good example of how much fun you can have
08:15on a cruiser when you blend those worlds, right?
08:18You bring parts of the sport world and parts of the cruiser world, and I think the beauty
08:22is that Indian has really done a good job of finding that balance and not going too
08:26heavy one side or the other.
08:32Okay, so let's take a look at the electronics package on the 101.
08:35Now, this bike only comes with what Indian refers to as the Limited Plus Tech Package.
08:41That's going to get you things like cruise control, switchable traction control, a USB
08:45charging port, and keyless push-button ignition.
08:48Now, on top of that, you get three riding modes.
08:51You get sport, standard, and tour.
08:53Okay, we really like having those options, but in all honesty, we pretty much always
08:58ride this bike in sport.
09:00The fueling through the mid-range is really good.
09:02It's just a little bit choppy off the bottom, but overall, sport really gives you that power
09:07delivery that you want.
09:09You go down into standard, and it just feels a little too soft for city street riding or
09:13anything like that.
09:14It loses kind of the aggressiveness, which is why you want a bike like this, let's be
09:18honest.
09:19Now, one of the cool things about getting the Limited Plus Tech Package on this bike
09:23is that you're getting Indian's four-inch touchscreen display powered by Ride Command.
09:27Now, I've used this display on a couple of other Indian motorcycles, and I think it's
09:31an absolutely brilliant solution.
09:34How much information Indian is able to relay to you in such a small and clean display,
09:39I think it's just really good.
09:41It's a great piece of hardware.
09:43Now, on this bike, what I really like is that if you're really not into digital displays,
09:48I mean, in its base display format, it's just a really traditional looking tack and speedometer.
09:54Now, you can click here on the touchscreen, and you get even more information.
09:57Now, what we can also do here is switch over to this screen, and you can see how easy it
10:02is to adjust the electronic settings on this bike through the display.
10:06For instance, there, we're going to turn trash control off.
10:09What we're going to do here is switch over from sport to standard mode.
10:12Boom, it's that simple.
10:13Now, what we can also do here is go through our navigation.
10:17This thing has got really good navigation tools to it.
10:20All you do, plug in the address that you want, and it's got turn-by-turn option there for
10:25you.
10:26If you get out of the map, it'll show you the arrows, where you're supposed to turn,
10:29when you're supposed to turn.
10:30Overall, just a really nice system.
10:32Again, how well Indian is able to get that information relayed to you in such a small
10:38and clean display is just a nice touch.
10:41A couple other things, looking at the controls, it's a really nice, modern control pod.
10:46The only thing we do wish, I think it should come on every bike, is backlit buttons.
10:50Come on.
10:51Little things like that would be nice.
10:52But overall, it's a really nice look, nice fit and finish to this.
10:55Really quality pieces.
10:56I guess the one other thing I should say is Indian has struggled for a long time with
11:01the operating speeds of this system.
11:03It takes a little bit of time to get the thing fired up.
11:07By the time you have the bike warmed up and getting ready to ride, it's usually ready
11:10to go.
11:11Other than that, a really nice system.
11:37Okay, so we talk a lot about the performance on a bike like this, but let's be honest,
11:50so much about one of these machines is what does it make you feel like?
11:54How does it fit?
11:55Are the lines right?
11:56Does it have enough vibrations?
11:57Too many vibrations?
11:59Well, the answer on this bike is really, basically, great, yes, yes, and okay, maybe there's a
12:05little bit of room for improvement because the exhaust note isn't quite what you would
12:09want it to be on a performance cruiser necessarily.
12:13Now, as I mentioned, I'm 6'3".
12:16This bike is considered a midsize cruiser, so it's a little bit smaller dimensionally
12:20than the Sport Chief and the Lowrider S that we tested recently, but honestly, I'm actually
12:26pretty comfortable.
12:27I've done a couple of five-hour rides on this bike and I get back at the end of that ride
12:31and I'm not, I don't feel like I've been folded up on the machine.
12:35You've got forward controls on this bike, which I mean, okay, on a performance cruiser,
12:40maybe you'd expect them to be mid controls, but it opens up the rider triangle a bit and
12:44it's a really comfortable bike to spend an extended period of time on.
12:48Also got to give credit to those six-inch bar risers, get you up a little bit and keep
12:53you in that upright riding position.
12:54Overall, I think it's a really comfortable motorcycle.
12:58Maybe the one exception I will say is the seat.
13:01Yes, that nice stitch seat, it's a cool look, but it's not quite as supportive as I would
13:07want.
13:08Again, I'm maybe a little bit bigger than the average rider, so maybe not as big of
13:13an issue for the normal-sized human beings, let's say, but otherwise, you know, that's
13:20really the only thing that I've found from an ergonomic standpoint that I would adjust
13:24on this bike.
13:25Otherwise, a really comfortable bike for just open road cruising.
13:30As for the new Speed Plus 1250 engine, I think the biggest takeaway for me is how much sportier
13:37this engine feels.
13:38I think I mentioned it earlier, but on the 101 Scout, you do have dedicated ECU tuning,
13:44which is about five or six horsepower more than what you're going to get on the standard
13:48Scouts and man, it really does make a difference.
13:52Again, one of the very interesting things about this engine is the tuning of it.
13:56It's a lot more mid-range and top-end focused.
13:59You don't have as much bottom-end grunt as you might expect from a big V-twin.
14:03Now, that is cool for what you're getting, right?
14:07I mean, this is a bike that wants to be revved out, it's a bike that wants to carry speed,
14:11and I think that in the right environment, you can really enjoy it.
14:15It's just a fun package overall.
14:18One thing I will say is that this bike has a lighter crankshaft than before.
14:23Now, that's interesting because what that's done is it's kind of almost affected the bike
14:27negatively in the really slow speed riding, especially like if you're doing stoplight
14:32to stoplight type stuff in the city.
14:34It just doesn't have that quick pickup off of the bottom, so when you're leaving a stoplight,
14:40you got to slip the clutch just a little bit more and give it a little bit more gas than
14:44you would expect because, again, it just doesn't have that real grunty V-twin-like feel off
14:50the bottom, at the very bottom.
14:52Again, once you get into that mid-range and top-end, it's a really happy free-revving
14:57engine.
14:58It's just really interesting that the direction that Indian has gone with this platform.
15:02I think for the most part, that mid-range is what you're going to be after, though,
15:06and I think so this engine does deliver there.
15:09I will also say that this bike does have a slip-assist clutch for the first time this
15:14year.
15:15I don't necessarily love the feel from it, again, especially when you combine it with
15:20that lighter crankshaft and that kind of work you're having to do off of a stoplight, but
15:24it is a little bit lighter pull, which is nice, again, for a bunch of commuting-type
15:29riding.
15:31Going back to the exhaust note, I will say it's a little bit more Taylor Swift than Rob
15:35Zombie, which is to say, not all that intimidating.
15:40One cool thing about this new exhaust design is that it does help Indian to fit the saddlebags
15:47on the Scout.
15:48Now, the 101 doesn't come standard with saddlebags, but it's the same muffler across the lineup,
15:54and basically not having the two mufflers gives Indian a little bit more room for the
15:58saddlebags to hang down, so if you did want to mount bags to this bike, theoretically,
16:04you've got a little bit more room there.
16:06Now, the muffler itself ain't exactly easy on the eyes, either.
16:11It probably is the one thing I would want to swap out, again, just to get a little bit
16:15of better sound and looks from it.
16:18Another drawback to this engine is that the transmission just feels a little bit clunky
16:22and sloppy.
16:23You just don't have the really smooth, refined shift to it, and I guess the big thing there
16:29is that the rest of the engine feels so modern and refined, and you just don't fully get
16:34that from this transmission.
16:41In many ways, that inner weaving of raw and refined are what the 101 Scout is all about.
16:46Remember that thing Indian said about wanting to build a classic American V-twin cruiser
16:51with just a little bit of performance on top?
16:54Well, that is exactly what you get with this bike.
16:57Okay, performance is a little bit of a relative term, but with the upgraded suspension and
17:02brakes on this bike, you can have a lot of fun.
17:06And then at the same time, it's still a really comfortable, enjoyable, relaxed motorcycle
17:11for just cruising up the coast or down open back roads.
17:14I also love how the electronics are there, but don't try to be a star of the show.
17:19And then there's all of the little details throughout the bike, which are just that cherry
17:23on top.
17:24This is an absolutely gorgeous machine.
17:27I guess ironically, one of our issues with the bike is that it only comes in red or white
17:32with this special Indian graphic.
17:34I think there are a lot of people who are going to want the performance of the 101,
17:39but not that flashy up spec paint that you could only get on this bike.
17:44Some single paint color options would be really nice.
17:47Our test bike was a little bit cold blooded, but ran fine once it was up to temp.
17:52And then there's things like these cheap foot pegs, which just don't match the overall fit
17:56and finish of the bike.
17:57If this were our bike, we'd probably swap out the seat, the exhaust and the foot pegs.
18:02But otherwise, this thing checks off all of the right boxes that we'd wanted to.
18:06And in a lot of ways, it feels like the best executed performance cruiser out right now,
18:13which is important because Indian is doing this in a space that is really important for
18:18future growth.
18:20And let's be honest, in a space that the Harley-Davidson Sportster S has kind of left a void in.
18:25If you are shopping in that space or interested in performance cruisers, you should definitely
18:30give the 101 Scout a look.
18:32It is an incredibly entertaining motorcycle that does an excellent job blending performance
18:38and cruiser worlds.