INDIAN SCOUT SIXTY (2016 - on) Review

The Indian Scout Sixty is a great-looking, well-built, quality bike that is a more affordable entry to an authentic cruiser made by one of the world’s oldest motorcycle firms. The smoothness of the engine and the lightness to the ride is very enjoyable.

• Latest news: Indian give the Scout Sixty the bobber treatment

The Sixty part of the name denotes the smaller 999cc engine with less power (and cost) than the full-size Scout. Indian also gave the Scout Bobber a Sixty version in 2019.

Additional reporting by Andy Downes

Sitting on the bike for the first time gives an immediate impression of lightness and it feels friendly and approachable. This is no scary beast for sure.

The feeling of lightness and agility is helped by the low 642mm seat height which allows most people the option of putting both feet flat on the ground for maximum control when stopped. Riding the Indian Scout Sixty proves as easy as the company hoped it would.

It’s not perfect for sure. The suspension is not going to keep press-on riders happy for long as it seems under-damped and reacts to sharp-edged mid-corner bumps which knock the bike off line.

It’s not scary; just something you have to be aware of. The standard tyres are Indian-branded but made by Kenda and while they are OK; they aren’t as good as some more mainstream manufacturer cruiser rubber.

The seat was giving me a numb backside after about 40miles of riding but this is always something that affects other people differently of course.

The bike is heavily based on the existing 1133cc Indian Scout model but has a new 999cc engine, large amounts of the chrome parts changed for black and has been aimed at a younger, more urban customer who wants something a bit less flashy and classic looking.

The new motor is smooth, free revving and feels beautifully connected to the throttle. It’s just nice to ride as it’s so simple.

The engine capacity change has come from narrowing the bore to give the 999cc overall engine size with a corresponding drop in power to 78bhp and peak torque of 65.6ft lbs. The power may be down on the larger Scout model but it remains class-leading according to Indian.

Opinions have been divided by some elements of the finish on the Scout sixty. I like the more technical appearance of some of the engine parts but others thought they looked a little cheaper than they should.

The most obvious changes to the bike over the most expensive in terms of the appearance are the blacked out engine parts, fork bottoms, a modified headlight, clock surround, crackle-finish black frame and black wheels. The overall impression works well and the quality if the paint, the fit and finish and the style all look much more expensive than the £8999 asking price might suggest.

Our Indian Scout Sixty owners' reviews don't show anything massively troubling. One owner states it has a small battery, so trickle-charging is useful, while another reports a failed thermostat - although the latter had done a lot of miles beforehand.

This is a classy bike for the money which, while not perfect, is going to be able to give a great deal of pleasure and a real feeling of quality for a very reasonable price.

As a sub-£10k cruiser when it was launched the Indian Scout Sixty’s closest rivals were the Yamaha XV950 Racer and the Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight, neither of which are still available to buy new. Fast-forward to 2022 and the price of the Indian has increased to £10,250.

The Yamaha XV950 Racer is the cheapest and arguably the boldest. It’s not a bad bike – far from it – but the motor is lazy.  The Harley Forty-Eight looks amazing, feels authentic and, despite its stretched and unnatural riding position, scores highly. I’m not sure I could live with a tiny 7.9-litre fuel tank, though.

The 2016 Indian Scout Sixty is impressive, so good it makes me wonder why would you want anything more from a middleweight cruiser. If you can live with the water-cooled motor, which lacks the character and soul of the Harley’s air-cooled V-twin, you’re not going to be disappointed. Just change the tyres if you’re ever going to ride in the wet.

These days,it would be worth considering the excellent but inauthentic Honda Rebel 1100, which puts the parallel twin engine from the Japanese firm’s Africa Twin into a cruiser chassis.

There are people out there that aren’t going to enjoy the small tank range available from the fairly miserly 12.5litre tank. It’s going to result in stopping far more than some people find acceptable on longer runs. This is clearly not a bike designed for long touring runs; the lack of wind protection is another factor against that; but 12.5litres (albeit normal for the class) does seem a bit mean.

In fact the wind protection isn’t too bad at all. Anything over 80mph is a bit blustery but normal motorway, fast A-road speeds are all fine. During the test in Nevada I covered several hundred miles on the bike and never found the windblast to be of note.

There’s nothing to learn about in terms of rider modes, digital this or that or anything complex. It’s a motorcycle that has an engine, a steel fuel tank, a simple dash layout and the minimum of controls. There is a digital LCD display at the bottom of the analogue dial and with the switch on the left handlebar you can scroll through other information including revs, engine temperature, mileage and the trip mileage too.