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It
is a 45 year long story with enough twists and bends to make
your head spin. I refer to the saga of Indian Motorcycle
Company. Once the industry leader in motorcycles, by the
early 50's they had fallen on hard times. Low profits had
forced the company to close its doors. The years saw the
marquee fall into a trading game. The only real viable asset
left to Indian was their name and the all too famous script
logo. The rights to the name traded hands and even ended up
for a while on the Royal-Enfields produced in the country of
India.
 The
story gets a little foggy after Enfield. The name eventually
was used by several groups that tried to resurrect the
Indian brand, but all failed horribly. That is until now. In
1998, all the court battles over the name finally came to an
end. The result was a merger of several companies into the
Indian Motorcycle Company that we know today. Starting
simple, they released a limited edition Chief for 1999. The
following years have seen the release of two additional
models. First the Scout and now the Spirit.
That brings us to this month's test ride,
a 2001 Indian Scout. This second model in the Indian lineup
is patterned to reflect what the original Scout role was. It
is lighter, faster and handles better than its big brother
the Chief. But can it live up to all the expectations and
carry all the baggage that accompanies the legendary name
that resides on its tank? Read on and find out.
The time arrived for me to pick up the
Scout from it's gracious owners, Thomas Indian Motorcycles.
What a perfect day. The weather was finally in the sixties
and the sun was shining bright. I strolled up to the bright
yellow bike and took a good long look. This bike is an
attention getter. The color itself was enough to draw your
attention and the attention of everyone else in the near
vicinity. After spending a few moments to get familiar with
the bike, I hopped on and thumbed the beast to life. The
starting procedure was basically the same as any other bike.
Open the choke, hold in the clutch, crack the throttle and
hit the start button. The 88 cubic inch motor spun to life
with no hesitation. A few moments to warm up and I was on
the road.
The heart of the Scout is an 88ci (or
1442cc for you metric types) S&S v-twin. For those not
familiar with S&S, they are the one of the largest
suppliers of direct replacement parts for Harley motors.
They make everything to the point where you can assemble an
entire Harley "clone" motor out of S&S parts. And that's
exactly what Indian does. They special assemble the motors
to their specs in their Gilroy, California factory. The
motor puts out a claimed 75 horsepower and an unspecified
amount of torque (we guess around 80 foot pounds) and though
unverified, it felt accurate. Otherwise the motor is very
similar to the H-D Evo that has been a staple in the
American cruiser diet for years. Before you get too hard on
Indian's case for not having their own motor, remember that
to develop a new motor from the ground up cost a minimum of
10 million dollars. You need to sell a lot of bikes to
recoup that kind of cash and for a start up company it is
always wiser to spend your capital frugally. For the record,
Indian has stated that they are working on a motor of their
own.
The transmission is a 5-speed copy of the
H-D unit built by Rev-Tech. It works well and has a very
positive feel when shifting, but requires a fair amount of
effort. The primary drive as well as the secondary drive are
both belt driven. If you aren't familiar with belt drive, it
has its pros and cons. It is light, quiet and requires
little maintenance, but it also can fail suddenly if the
belt is torn and is impossible to repair roadside. The
clutch is a dry system that I find no fault with, though
riders used to wet clutches may need some time to adapt. It
should also be noted that the newest Indian model, the
Spirit, has a transmission and primary drive system of
Indian's own design. It should find its way to all the
models in the Indian line by next year.
 The
running gear of the Scout is quality merchandise. I was
thoroughly impressed by the fit and finish of the bike. The
choices of paint colors was very nice varying from red and
yellow to the ever present black. The Indian motif is found
throughout the bike from the arrowhead shaped cutouts in the
frame to the light-up "war bonnet" emblem on the fender. The
suspension is adequate boulevard cruising not much more. The
switch gear is also of H-D descent and is simple except for
the turn signals, which always confuse me. I understand
pushing left to turn on the left blinker but the whole push
both to turn it off continued to fluster me. I often would
hold both buttons down too long thus turning on the hazards.
On the plus side, Indian has a couple of
impressive safety features. First off, the brakes are top
notch. They were not only strong but also very linear which
equals good control. Despite having only a single disc front
and rear, the brakes on the Scout felt as good as many sport
bikes. A far cry from the tiny drums on the Indians of old.
The other neat safety feature was the fact the rear turn
signals were wired to both flash three times when you hit
the brakes. This did wonders to make the Scout highly
visible to any one who approaches from the rear. A more
poetic MMM staffer referred to it as being "visually
arresting".
Now I have never described my self as a
"righteous bro in the wind" but I immediately felt
comfortable on the Scout. As I cruised around town I
discovered just how much attention a bike like this gets.
People everywhere were giving me the high sign, running
across parking lots to talk with me about the bike. Two kids
pedaling by on bikes even ran into one another while the
bike was parked. I felt like was in a parade.
The Scout did hold a couple of surprises
for me. First, I never expected it to handle as nicely or
have even half the cornering clearance that it has. I would
not describe the handling as sporty but the Scout does let
you lean in the corners, which is more than can be said for
a lot of cruisers. The other surprise was how much vibration
can come from a solid mounted v-twin. The Scout does vibrate
enough to make you a little surly by the end of the
ride.
In all, I am glad to see Indian doing as
well as they are. The Scout is a well put together machine
built from high-end components. Those parts coupled with
relatively low production volume do mean that you pay plenty
for a Scout. The MSRP is about 19 thousand. But Indian has
had steady sales and have positioned themselves well for the
future. They are definitely not just making another H-D
clone. The Scout is a unique machine befitting its 100 years
of heritage.
by Sev Pearman
I'm cursed. Every time we get a
heavyweight cruiser to review, it snows, and our time with
the beautiful Indian Scout was no different. I'm not
reviewing another big V-twin unless it is in August.
I ride on average 10,000 miles a year,
and test ride several bikes annually. I have never noticed
more attention, gawkers and thumbs up while on a production
bike than during my time with the Indian Scout. Everywhere
I went, people would emerge from their snow caves and ask
questions. One guy passed us, stopped his truck and
actually ran over to the bike. If you want to make a
statement, get yourself an Indian Scout.
 The
resurrected Indian Motorcycle Company came out of the legal
ashes of several fly-by-night carpetbaggers as well as the
merger of "clone" builder California Motorcycle Company and
the American Indian Motorcycle Company. Confused? We are
too.
Essentially what you have is respected
big-twin builder CMC entering into a new partnership, to
build H-D Evo clones under the reborn Indian
trademark.
For those of who have been in a CZ riding
coma since '62, several companies sprang up in the 90's to
fill the big cruiser vacuum created when H-D couldn't, some
say wouldn't, meet demand.
Because of the extensive after-market, it
is possible to build a complete "Harley" out of non-H-D
parts. These "clone" companies such as Big Dog, Illusion,
California Motorcycle Company, etc. would assemble complete
bikes to the customers specifications, with a shorter wait
than for a stock Harley, at a comparable price to a mildly
customized Harley. At least that is the way it is supposed
to work.
When the Indian trademark began to emerge
from its legal coffin, CMC aligned itself with AIMC, and in
1999 began to produce the "new" Indian Chief. In 2001, the
Indian Motorcycle Company offers the Chief, the all-new
Spirit, and the Scout, tested here. Whether or not these are
Harley-Davidson clones in different clothes I'll leave to
the "Enthusiast Philosophers."
What you have is a 45-degree S&S
V-twin boasting 88 cubic inches. Like the H-D Evolution
motor it is based on, it spins one camshaft and push rods.
Carburation is by the tried-and-true (read: traditional)
S&S E-type. It flows more fuel than a Keihin, which
helps the motor make a little more horsepower.
In addition to the final drive, the
primary is also a belt. The clutch is dry. This means no oil
level to monitor or change as well as quieter operation.
Under fire, we noticed the friction zone to be relatively
narrow, but workable. I'll gladly trade the clutch's "feel"
for one-less maintenance chore.
Tranny is a Rev-Tech 5-speed, one-down,
four-up. This is a quality unit made by an established
company. Shifting, while not GSX-R precise, is very tight
for a big twin. This is made even more remarkable due to the
Scout's forward controls.
Forward controls tend to be sloppy for
two reasons. One, they add linkage between the gearshift and
transmission, which adds play; and two, you lose the power
of your thigh muscles to help change gears.
While we could find no false neutrals
between gears, I found it hard to find neutral from second,
while either rolling or stopped. I usually had to go down
into first and then ease on up from there. The gear oil was
undoubtedly thickened with temps in the low 30's, and tranny
action did get better as temperatures climbed. This is one
of those things that either go away during break-in, or the
rider simply learns to compensate.
I have less than 5,000 miles in total on
big twins, but "The Faithful" tell me the shifting technique
can be learned; that it comes with experience. It's up to
the potential owner to decide if she/he wants to surf this
particular learning curve.
The clutch is cable-activated and is
robust. It requires a hefty pull, which could become a chore
in downtown Sturgis traffic. Combine highway speeds and that
sweet belt-primary however, and it is one tidy system,
consistent and fade-free.
Both clutch and brake levers are
non-adjustable. Even with the pronounced doglegs, it is
quite the reach, even with my XXL-sized gloves. This is no
doubt one of the many areas a custom cruiser buyer will
sacrifice practicality for style. This ain't all bad. If we
ignored style completely, we'd all be riding brown '79
CX-500s with a milk crate bungeed to the back.
 The
brakes are phenomenal. Period. Both wheels spin single discs
pinched by polished 4-piston calipers carved from billet
aluminum. The lever feel was linear and progressive. Squeeze
harder, stop sooner. I was unable to lock up the rear wheel
due, again, to the non-ergonomic forward controls. While it
is safer to avoid skids in general, I'd rather a little more
control through my feet. I guess I've got just too many
miles on BMWs.
Another surprise? The ample cornering
clearance. I was unable to ground any parts at all, despite
generous cornering speeds and my 230 lbs. of shock
compression. No doubt the raised forward controls bought a
few degrees of lean, as did the tastefully tucked twin
right-side exhausts. It'd be interesting to compare the
Indian Scout to Victory's 92 SC.
The ride is the typical big cruiser. Park
your ass in the seat, put your feet forward, and try to
suppress your silly grin with the mandatory affected sneer.
Feet forward may be fine for extended freeway cruising, but
I quickly grew tired of the "Stairmaster routine" at every
stop while in town. Did I mention that I am a traditional
footpeg guy?
It's just as well, as I got butt-burn as
the tank went to reserve. With but 3.5 gallons capacity, the
potential for high-40's economy gives you, on a good day, a
range of St. Paul - Duluth. Your actual mileage may
vary.
Instrumentation is the traditional
on-the-tank placement that cruiser riders demand. Speedo,
odo and five idiot lights, that is it.The idiot lights are
an example for all of motorcycling--they can be seen at any
angle, even in direct sunlight. This is one of the many
pleasant surprises on the Scout
In an obvious attempt to distance
themselves from the clone label, the company has adorned the
bike with at least twelve logos. From the signature fender
light to the beautiful embossed script on the mufflers,
she's all Indian. Kinda like your high-school neighbor with
the green-glo hair--nice kid, but he's tryin' too hard.
This is reminiscent of Triumph's return ten years ago. Their
earliest bikes were plastered with "Made in England &
Union Jack stickers.
One item without question on the Indian
is the outstanding fit & finish. The paint, a
high-chroma yellow (Yellowstone in corporate-speak) is
lustrous and simply gorgeous. No orange peel here. The
plentiful chrome and polished aluminum bits are equally
beautiful
Any self-respecting cruiser company
stacks the deck with a ready supply of bolt-on goodies.
Indian has their own line of windshields, saddlebags and the
like, as well as a huge variety of chrome gee-gaws. Plus,
being a clone and since the Indian "shares some
characteristics with other large displacement domestic
twins", there is a vast sea of aftermarket parts at the
ready. Whatever you wish to do, whatever the look, the
market is ready for your Visa.
Grumbles? Well, the horn is laughable,
even by motorcycle standards. Whether or not this is a
supplier quality problem or merely a crusty ground wire on
this particular machine we don't know.
You are spending almost 20-huge for this
machine. Is it worth it? That depends on how much you like
talking to strangers and the patience of your riding
partner. 'Cuz you will be talking to folks at every stop,
and it'd be pretty hard to ride this alone.
I can think of a lot of things I'd do
with that kind of cake, but it sure would be fun to grab a
set of bags and plan a trip. That and I'd see about a set
of snow tires...
M.M.M.
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