Previewing in Bedford Hills, New York by appointment. Please contact
[email protected] for scheduling.
Indian has emerged from its long slumber (with brief interludes) to come back with a vengeance in challenging Harley's dominance of the American cruiser market. Drawing on its vast reserves of heritage design and rose-colored nostalgia around the motorcycles that emerged from the Wigwam, the modern Indian lineup draws the best bits from the original brand—its style, innovation, and design—while advancing on its weaknesses—unreliability, occasionally questionable build quality. The 2016 Scout offered a similar value proposition to the famous motorcycles from which it derived its moniker—namely rakish good looks that were sportier than that of the Chief with a smaller engine and more affordable price point. Many consider the Scouts of the '30s and '40s to be among the most legendary machines to come from the tribe of engineers and designers at Indian, so it was with those big shoes to fill that the new bike set out. And fill them it did. Featuring a DOHC 69ci water-cooled V-twin, ABS brakes, aluminum frame, and rakish good looks that draw obvious inspiration from its still-very-attractive elder Scout siblings, the modern Scout offered up a worthy successor to past machines to carry the name.
This example, finished in Indian Motorcycle Red, is a fine example of this breed of machine. Appearing to have been sparingly ridden, it looks mighty fine with its tan leather saddle and twin exhaust and bug blocking windscreen. Delivered new to the vendor and on static display for the last few years, the keys to the bike have since been mislaid and as such the exact mileage could not be ascertained—but one could guess it is rather low by simply looking at the bike. As it has been off the road for some time, recommissioning is recommended prior to active enjoyment.