The 111 Horsepower 2025 Indian Scout Is The Company’s Biggest Reveal Ever. Here’s What You Need To Know

Back in 2011, a storied name in American motorcycling was born again. Indian Motorcycle is back and better than ever. The brand built its modern reputation on excellent machinery like the historic Scout. That cruiser has been the most important vehicle for Indian Motorcycle and now, after a decade of being one of the coolest mid-size options on the market, it’s time for the Scout to evolve. Indian has announced an all-new, bombastic cruiser that’ll make you want to cruise down the open road. Let’s take a gander at this big deal.

Last year, I said that the revival of Indian Motorcycle is one of the greatest things to happen in American motorcycling and I stand by what I said. Indian is giving Harley-Davidson some fierce American competition and that’s great for motorcyclists. Whether you ride orange or don black and red, both brands are building beautiful, powerful steeds.

Now, it’s time for Indian to show off the newest iteration of its best-selling motorcycle.

Scout’s Origins

This is a story over a century in the making. While the Polaris-owned Indian Motorcycle is a more recent phenomenon, the company has been off and on trading barbs with Milwaukee’s Harley-Davidson for over 100 years. That competition continues today, with Indian Motorcycle pointing out that it was founded two years earlier than the famous Motor Company. Of course, Harley gets to say it’s been around this whole time, while Indian wasn’t as lucky.

The Scout story starts with Irish electrical engineer and racer Charles Bayly Franklin. Before he designed the Indian Scout, Franklin worked at a power station and would be known best for his racing career. Franklin entered every Isle of Man Tourist Trophy race from 1908 to 1914. With exceptions for 1910 and 1912, Franklin finished in the top 10 of every TT he entered during that time. He’s noted for switching to Indian motorcycles in 1910. Unfortunately, his Indian experienced a tire failure, which is why he could not finish the 1910 Isle of Man TT. Franklin also took an Indian to Brooklands, where he became the first man to cover 300 miles in 300 minutes. In those days, Indian motorcycles were known for their outright speed and domination in competition.

Franklin would later become an Indian dealer for a short time before heading over to America and working in Indian’s design department in Massachusetts. In 1919, Franklin would pen one of his greatest designs with the 1920 Scout, a motorcycle with a short double cradle frame and a low 370-pound weight. Saddled to the frame was Franklin’s side-valve V-twin engine and a transmission bolted to the engine. A highlight of the Scout powertrain was its geared primary drive, which gave the Scout greater reliability than other motorcycles of the time.

The Scout was an instant hit, not only bringing new riders into the fray but giving racers a reliable and fast platform. Scouts found themselves all over American roads and racetracks, plus at the hands of daredevils performing stunt shows riding the motorcycles around vertical walls.

In 1928, the Scout would get even better with the 101 Scout. Franklin made a number of small changes that added up to create a motorcycle that would become the definitive Indian motorcycle for many. The 101 Scout had a new frame featuring an increased fork rake angle, the seat got a little lower, and the wheelbase got longer. This motorcycle would remain in production until just 1931, but it became and remains one of Indian’s all-time most famous motorcycles.

The Scout itself would become one of Indian’s defining models. Racers continued taking Scouts to victory and famously, Burt Munro’s 1967 land-speed record was on a Scout.

The modern Scout was introduced in 2014 and it was a leap forward for mid-size cruisers. The new Scout rode low to the ground with a seat just a touch over 25 inches above asphalt. Its burly 69 cubic inch V-twin made 100 HP and 72 lb-ft of twist, burying Indian’s friends from Milwaukee, and like the Scouts of old, gears got power from the engine to the transmission, not a chain. Indian Motorcycle wrapped it up in a cast aluminum, stressed-member chassis, too, giving this cruiser some streetbike cred.

Indian Motorcycle says the Scout has been a sensation. Over 100,000 units have been sold over the past decade and the company says its modern era includes 200,000 customers, 300 rider chapters, and a healthy market share of the mid-size cruiser market. To elaborate on that, Indian says the Scout has a 20 percent share of the mid-size cruiser market and 93 percent of those who buy a Scout a new to Indian Motorcycle. Meanwhile, 28 percent of Scout buyers are new to motorcycling. The company says that the Scout makes up a whole 40 percent of its volume, too. So, it’s time to go even further.

Improving On An Already Great Bike

Ola Stenegard, Director of Industrial Design for Indian Motorcycle, described that making the all-new Scout started with a design with a clear link to the past, but throttled into the future. Stenegard noted that the new Scout is an evolution, not a revolution.

You’ll see a long, graceful curve that starts at the front of the new tank, follows its line to the frame, and continues through the rear shocks to the rear wheel. Other design notes include the stubby front and rear fenders, the iconic shape of the V-twin, and the motorcycle’s frame, which gently curves as it heads for the handlebars. While this motorcycle looks new, Indian was quick to point out how all of this voluptuous machine follows the lines of a century of Indian motorcycles. We’re also told that some of the inspiration behind this new design was classic American cars, too. The Scout’s designers say they kept it old-school, working with clay models to get their design just right.

Indian says all of this is new, from the tube steel frame, to the new steel mid-frame and the steel subframe on the rear. Now, hold on a minute, didn’t I say the previous Scout utilized cast aluminum for its frame? Wouldn’t steel be a step back?

Indian’s representatives say not so fast, because it found that Scout owners love modifying their motorcycles. Some of the mods would be mild, while custom motorcycle builders would go wild, chopping up the frame to make their own custom creations. Indian believes going to a steel frame will make modifications easier for everyone.

Cradled in this frame is Indian’s new 1250cc liquid-cooled SpeedPlus 1250 60-degree V-twin engine. This engine has four valves per cylinder and semi-dry-sump lubrication.

It drinks premium fuel, has a compression ratio of 12.5:1, and has a gear drive primary system. In its base form, it fires 105 HP and 82 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheel through a six-speed manual transmission and a belt final drive.

If you buy a 101 Scout, or buy a dealer-updated engine software tune to other Scout models, you can get that engine up to 111 HP and the same torque output as before. We’ll talk about the 101 Scout later.

The Lineup

The 2025 Indian Scout is being offered in five different models and three trim levels.

The lineup begins with the Scout Bobber. This motorcycle is the stripped-down version of the Scout with a design focus on highlighting the SpeedPlus engine’s power and the Scout’s imposing stance.

The Scout Bobber is blacked out with minimal bodywork. Highlights include a headlight nacelle, a slammed two-inch suspension, bar end mirrors, and a gunfighter-style solo seat. Basically, the Scout Bobber is for the rider who doesn’t want to adorn their bikes with anything other than the absolute minimum to look good.

Next is the Indian Sport Scout. This one is still murdered out like the Scout Bobber, but you’re getting some gloss black parts here rather than the matte black of the Scout Bobber.

Indian notes the addition of six-inch moto-style risers with machine highlights, machined triple clamps, and moto-style handlebars. Other changes include a sport seat with some back support for longer rides, a quarter fairing, and a 19-inch front wheel. Most Scout models have 16-inch wheels front and rear with thick rubber, but the Sport Scout and the 101 Scout get 19 inchers up front. The Sport Scout and 101 Scout also get Metzeler Cruistec tires while the other models ride on Pirellis.

For those wanting a classic riding experience, there is the Indian Scout Classic.

Blacked-out parts are swapped for chrome and the minimal fenders of the other models are replaced with long, full-size classic-style fenders. Indian also notes relaxed riding ergonomics, wire wheels with Pirelli Night Dragon tires, and bright paint. The engine is still making 105 HP here, so it’s not a ride that is as slow as it’s trying to look, but it’s a nod to the past.

Indian Motorcycle knows a lot of folks would rather tour on a mid-size cruiser than get something huge and bulky, so the Super Scout is for those people.

This one has some of the classic style of the Scout Classic, but now with better touring gear. That means a tall windshield, soft bags, wire wheels, and a passenger seat. I should note that this bike is the only Scout model that comes standard with a passenger seat. Like the Scout Classic, there’s some chrome on display here, and Indian notes that the windshield has a quick-release mechanism so you can change your bike’s look on the fly.

Finally, we arrive at the flagship 101 Scout. Designed to be a nod to the 101 of the past, this Scout variation is red, black, and mean.

As I noted before, the 101 Scout gets the engine tune standard. It also nets the aforementioned 19-inch front wheel. But it doesn’t end there, as Indian also added adjustable piggyback rear shocks, adjustable inverted front forks, and dual disk Brembo brakes. The gunfighter solo seat makes a return here, as do the six-inch moto-style risers, machined triple clamps, and moto handlebars.

The front brakes on the 101 Scout are two 320mm rotors clamped on by two four-piston Brembo calipers. A single 298mm rotor brings up the rear with its own single-piston caliper. A bunch of the changes with the 101 Scout are unavailable to other standard models.

For example, all other Scout models get the same rear brake as the 101 Scout, but a single 298mm caliper up front with two-piston calipers. The other Scouts also don’t get the adjustable inverted fork, but standard non-adjustable telescoping forks. Non 101 Scout models also get dual shocks in the rear with preload adjustment. The Super Scout, Sport Scout, and Scout Classic have 4.7 inches of suspension travel up front and 3 inches of travel in the rear. The Scout Bobber reduces its rear suspension travel to just 2 inches while the 101 Scout has 5.9-inches of travel up front and 3 in the rear.

All variations of the Scout come with a seat roughly 25 and a half inches off of the ground, a 61.5 inch wheelbase, and a rake of 29°. Trail is 4.8 inches for all models but the Scout Bobber, which has a trail of 4.9 inches.

As for trim levels, Scout Classic, Scout Bobber, and Sport Scout start on the Standard trim level, which gives you LED lighting, ABS, and an analog gauge.

Step up to Limited if you want traction control, cruise control, a USB port, and three riding modes. If you want even more, the last trim level is Limited +Tech, which adds a 4-inch round touchscreen instrument cluster and Indian Ride Command.

That system gives you GPS navigation, route planning, configurable gauges, traffic and weather alerts, bike stats, a bike locator tool, and more. This trim level also unlocks a push-button keyless ignition.

Indian notes that the 101 Scout and the Super Scout get this trim level standard, but other models can upgrade to it. Then there’s an expansive catalog of hundreds of parts from seats and seatbacks to lights, bars, windscreens, and more.

Indian’s Biggest Reveal In Its History

Indian Motorcycle says this bike is the biggest product reveal in its history, and I believe it. For many, the Scout is Indian Motorcycle and as we said before, the bike makes up nearly half of its volume. So, the modern incarnation of Indian needs the Scout to rock to be successful.

At least what we’ve seen on paper today, I think the new Scout could be a hit out of the park.

Of course, the big question is how much will all of this cost. Indian says the new motorcycle begins shipping in America in May before hitting the global stage in June. When it does, you can expect to pay $12,999 for the Scout Bobber, $13,499 for the Sport Scout, $13,999 for the Scout Classic, $16,499 for the Super Scout, and $16,999 for the flagship 101 Scout.

Upgrading your Scout Bobber, Sport Scout, and Scout Classic to Limited spec would cost you an additional $700 while Limited +Tech is an additional $1,700 from the base Standard trim level. Going up on trim levels also unlocks more colors.

We will get you a ride review as soon as we can. Until then, it seems Indian hit it out of the park again. The Scout looks stunning and I bet the power will more than back up the style. Of course, the greatest part is that American motorcycle riders will remain spoiled for choice. And it seems like a 2025 Indian Scout will be a good choice if cruisers are your jam.

(Images: Manufacturer.)