I was just looking at the new Indian Scout due for take off in 2015..

Sadly I have to say that when you compare the power unit styling to that of the larger Chief I have to conclude they are already drifting from the idea of Indian being the 'retro' 'heritage' etc. flagship marque...

A not from anywhere in particular styled wide angle, water cooled DOHC twin doesn't really cut it in the 'heritage stakes' in my opinion...(nice radiator bro')

Add in cast wheels, a cast aluminium frame two pannier bags worth of electrical gadgetry and styling reminiscent of a V Rod without the steroids and it begins to look all wrong to my eyes...

Check it out as ever on Dannys excellent 'SUMP' magazine wbsite.....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Well I suppose if you were thinking of owning a brand new modern motorcycle that isn't a Harley.....Why not? Ron

http://gas2.org/2014/08/10/2015-indian-scout-super-gallery-68-photos/

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

The only thing wrong with it is that it looks like a restyled Harley V-rod !

email (option): davmax@ntlworld.com

Last week my mate and me went touring the outer Hebrides Islands on our Norton rigid singles. There were hoards of BMW and Triumph 'adventure' bikes with all the gear from the catalogues- aluminium panniers, sat navs and all the rest of the 'must haves'.
Not only did our Nortons with their throw over bags get us everywhere we wanted to go in all sorts of weather, people were always offering us hospitality based on just the fact we were riding old Nortons and they wanted to talk to us.
There are somethings modern bikes carnt do, nor money buy.

If I had to choose and it was a decision based on looks I'd take the HD 48 every time...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Glad to actually hear that there were hoards of Triumphs there. It is not so here in the USA. I think it's ugly but it'll sell for the obvious reasons as Harleys do of being a V twin American made and legendary name. I have a 1700 Thunderbird and just sold my 03 Speedmaster and was barely accepted had it not been for the old school bikers that cut their teeth on Triumphs in the 70s.

email (option): jangofla@gmail.com

Hello All:
Just returned from a bike rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. Got to see the Indian Scout up close. Not for me! I agree that it is ugly and does not stick with the Indian tradition and legacy. Maybe it is a V-rod clone of sorts. The V-rod is not for me either, but there was quite the buzz around the Scout. Maybe it will do OK in the marketplace. Time will tell.

I rode the new Indian Chief and was impressed with the power and handling. Still I would rather have my 47 Chief and my 43 741 anyday. There is always a buzz around with people when I take them out for Sunday ride and stop somewhere for a break or petrol.

I got to test the new electric Harley Livewire on a stationary dyno. Interesting! There is probably a niche for it as well.

I partied with 4 chaps from the UK at the campground who were touring the US from East coast to West coast after shipping their bikes over (3 Harleys and 1 Triumph). They were having a ball and getting quite pissed. Great bunch of guys.
Doc

email (option): h2odoc@nmt.edu

This Indian belongs to my mate.............

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email (option): jmmycmullen@aol.com

Mine and my friend Tony's! Taken a few weeks ago at 'Coy Pond', on our way out for a run in the New Forest. Ron
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email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Put a picture of that lovely Civvy Indian next to the new model and run through that thing about retro again would you?... ....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

"Established 1901." The american marketing juggernaut at its finest.

Jeff

email (option): jjbandoo@aol.com

For everybody who more likes a real scout, here's a nice one for sale!

www.classic-motorcycles.nl

email (option): info@classic-motorcycles.nl

I rode to the Popham Megameet with my mate Tony and others today. Tony tells me that he went to school with a bloke who now has a company here in Poole selling new Indian's. He says they're selling like hot cakes. He sold five Chief's last week.
Anyway he's got two of the new Scouts coming in a couple of weeks and is having an open day. He wants us to bring our old proper Indian's for display. Free coffee and buns and test rides. Could be a fun day. Ron....with no intention to buy one!

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

I see the attraction for the Chief if your into modern 'retro'...They made a great job of the styling on the engine to pick up on the appearance of the older engines...and the bike looks the part as well...

I really reckon they've missed the styling cues with the Scout though. Whether that will make any difference to todays buyers remains to be seen...

Harley completely got it wrong with the so called 'modern XR750' which was Sportster based like the original but had clunky overweight styling and missed the essential 'stripped back' attraction of the originals...I think that one was withdrawn from production this year...

If Indian are positioning themselves to take Harleys market share as everyone seems to think they are they should remember that Harleys success...and their fan base... is built around the concept that though things may change they pretty much look the same....

I think Harley have taken a big risk bringing the new 'built in India' 500 to the western market....Not only will it compete to an extent with the ultra successful Sportster (Harleys top selling model) but they are going to have a pretty hard sell on their hands with a bike that, frankly, looks Japanese and can lay no claim at all to the 'heritage' card....

Does the Scout really score any more points?..Or is just another overweight bike with a very tenuous link to it supposed 'Heritage'....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

My guess is they are aiming at the V-Rod type market with the new bike, so moving on from the retro look for this model at least.
The cruisers have max torque at around 3000 rpm, the new one is up in the 5000 rpm region, hardly sport bike revs but quite a differnet bike.
For what it is i think they have made a nice job, but its not for me.
I haven't yet seen a radiator on this type bike which looks ok, they are plain ugly on the big Triumphs as well.

IMO prize for the neatest radiator goes to Suzuki...They fitted a tapered radiator between the tubes of their twin downtube frame and it was pretty unobtrusive...They also didn't use a (gross) plastic injection moulded radiator guard.....

Combined with finned outer faces on the cylinder blocks I thought it was about as good as it gets for a water cooled lump visually...

With no fins, the multiple strengthening webs typical of die cast crankcases, exposed coolant pipes, unattractive, utilitarian shaped heads and no nicely designed covers or other features the Indian motor displays its Polaris snowmobile heritage more than that of the Indian...

Why is it that many designers/manufacturers have lost the ability, or the will, to produce engines that are beautiful to look at?...

This seems to be an absolute requirement to me if you want a motorcycle to be enjoyed just for its appearance and is a feature of most 'iconic' designs of the past....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

I agree it's not nice, but it's horses for courses isn't it? You won't find one of these in my garage, but I'll bet they sell plenty of them to less discerning chaps than us. It's not enough to simply just put the badge on the tank and call it an Indian, but there will be many who think otherwise. I know several people who think I'm quite mad to ride a 70 year old ex-army motorcycle and can't see why I don't buy a new Suzuki, or an Indian for that matter!

I agree Bill...The buyers for this aren't like me and have a different set of values..

However, I still wonder why the Polaris designers haven't stuck to their own design parameters for the Indian with only the second model 'out of the box'...

Take another look at the Chief engine....It looks like it's from a different manufacturer...

Further, if Polaris wanted to build a competitor for the V Rod...arguably the 'modern' Harley, haven't they got Victory for exactly that purpose?...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com