Indian adds Bobber to Scout range

Indian Motorcycle has announced a new variant of the Scout, which is due to hit local Indian dealerships from October. The upcoming ‘Scout Bobber’ was created with a mantra of “strip it down”. The result is a low slung, blacked out, minimalist motorcycle that Indian says proves that less is definitely more. The Bobber is a 2018 model and leads the charge of new and updated Indian motorcycles for the coming year (see breakout), most of which are due for release this October. “The Scout Bobber is our most raw and mean machine to date, and the ultimate in the celebration of what motorcycling is about – a powerful engine, two wheels, and no plans of where to go,” said Peter Harvey, Country Manager – Indian Motorcycle. “It’s an incredibly fun motorcycle that delivers a ton of attitude with a ton of power.”

Low Rider
The main areas where the Scout Bobber differs from the stock Scout is in appearance and rider ergonomics.
Indian says the splayed, tracker-style handlebars and footpegs now sit 38mm closer to the rider, while semi-knobby tyres are standard.
To achieve the low stance, rear suspension has been lowered 25mm, with suspension travel affected accordingly (Indian calls it “unfiltered feedback” from the road) and seat height listed at a low 649mm. Wet weight is listed at 254kg. Both front and rear fenders have been chopped, with other appearance features including a two-tone leather solo seat, black headlight nacelle, and blackout exhaust with vented exhaust shields. The instrument panel features a black-faced gauge, with the new, block-letter Indian tank logo offering an additional point of difference. The Scout Bobber will be offered in five different colour schemes: Thunder Black; Thunder Black Smoke; Star Silver Smoke; Bronze Smoke; and Indian Motorcycle Red. 

Stock Donk
Powertrain for the Scout Bobber is unaltered from the stock Scout, meaning an 1133cc liquid-cooled DOHC v-twin with a split-dual exhaust, matched to a six-speed transmission.  Power is unquoted, but maximum torque is listed at 97.7Nm at 5900rpm. Running gear consists of 16-inch x 3.5-inch cast wheels at both ends, with the tyre package made up of a 130/90-16 hoop on the front rim and 150/80-16 on the rear. A single 298mm brake disc sits on each wheel, while suspension consists of tele forks up front with 120mm of travel, while the slammed back end means the twin shock rear now has only 50mm of travel.

Coming Soon
When it arrives in October, the Indian Scout Bobber will be priced at $18,995 rideaway – the same price as the current, MY17 Scout.