2025 Indian Scout First Look

Indian Motorcycle has gone back to the drawing board and reemerged with an all-new Scout lineup for 2025. Dubbed the “Next Evolution of Indian Scout.” Referred to as the most important lineup since the brand was relaunched in 2013, the new family consists of the Scout Classic, Super Scout, Scout Bobber, Sport Scout, and 101 Scout—five uniquely styled machines that share similar bones, but a different look and feel.

The majority of 2025 Scouts will be available in three trim levels:

If you like American cruisers and you like options, you’ve come to the right place. Only there’s a lot more to the bikes than just a few category-shifting styling touches, with Indian having revamped the chassis and engine that’s shared across the entire lineup. This is where all-new really takes shape.

Saying the Scout is an important model to Indian Motorcycle would be a gross understatement. More than 100,000 models have been sold globally; Indian claims that 93 percent of Scout owners are new to Indian and 28 percent are new to motorcycling.

“This is often the first interaction with our brand,” says Ben Lindaman, product director at Indian Motorcycle. “If we get [customers] into our brand, and we give customers and riders a great experience, we know they’re going to stick with us. A lot of [our] growth is driven off the back of Scout.”

To better understand those customers and changing needs, Indian talked to owners, dealers, and customizers ahead of the Scout’s redesign. The takeaway? The new bike needed to stick to its iconic American styling while offering a balance of power and control while incorporating rider-aid technology—something that wasn’t heavily emphasized when the first-gen Scout was developed.

Importantly, all of this needed to be done while keeping the bike simple and easy to customize, with a focus on the engine and keeping the newly added electronics simple and in the background. This is an American cruiser that’s meant to be simple and straightforward, but still a step forward in terms of performance and tech.

The redesign starts at the Scout’s larger SpeedPlus 1250 engine, which produces a claimed 111 hp on the 101 Scout and 105 hp on other models, but 82 lb.-ft. of torque across all versions. That is a 5 to 11 hp bump compared to the outgoing 1,133cc engine, with each version making a claimed 10 lb.-ft. more torque.

Indian says that it’s been able to smooth the torque curve so that there are no dips. The difference between the 101 Scout and other versions is solely in ECU tuning, meaning that any of the other four Scout models can be updated at the dealer to produce the full 111 hp. No word on costs for that just yet.

There are more changes internally and externally, with the SpeedPlus 1250 engine getting a cleaner, less industrial look. A slip/assist clutch reduces clutch lever effort and sound quality is said to be improved. Importantly, Indian has been able to reduce the radiator size by as much as 20 percent, making it appear visually lighter and cleaner.

Designers were able to take even more visual weight away by moving to a steel tube front frame and redesigning the aluminum center piece, the latter tasked with hiding more technology than before but offering an overall cleaner look. Out back you’ll find a new subframe, which is common across all models, making it easier to build accessories that fit across the lineup.

That steel tube component is important to the Scout’s design not only because of the visual impact but because of how much easier it’ll make customizing the bike.

“That’s something we heard again and again, from customizers but also customers that do a lot of work on their own bikes,” says Ola Stenegärd, director of industrial design for Indian Motorcycle. “An aluminum frame can be pretty daunting if you want to do custom work to it.”

Indian also touts size and approachability, claiming that the Scout has the lowest seat height in the class (25.7 inches for most models) and narrow stand-over, which will make it easy for shorter and new riders to feel comfortable on the Scout. The base package is 10 pounds lighter than the outgoing Scout, which also helps. The lightest option is the 522-pound Scout Bobber, and the heaviest the 571-pound Super Scout.

Wheel sizes split the range: The Scout Classic, Super Scout, and Scout Bobber roll on 16-inch wheels front and rear, but the 101 Scout and Sport Scout get a 19-inch front. All bikes have a single, 298mm front brake disc, except for the 101 Scout, which gets dual 320mm discs.

The story is much the same as you move over to the suspension, with the Scout Classic, Sport Scout, and Super Scout fitted with a 41mm fork with 4.7 inches of travel and dual, preload-adjustable shocks with 3.0 inches of travel. The Scout Bobber uses the same fork but has dual shocks with 2.0 inches of travel, while the 101 Scout gets a fully adjustable, 43mm inverted fork with 5.9 inches of travel and fully adjustable, dual piggyback shocks with 3.0 inches of travel.

A newly designed tank and rear fender add new lines without losing the Scout identity. Stenegärd says designers were “obsessed with the details—with the fit and finish of the bike.” The result is a premium finish for a lot of the outwardly visible components plus cables and wires that are tucked away. “We added a lot of technology, but we wanted to do it in a way where you didn’t see that technology,” Stenegärd adds.

As mentioned, specific features do vary depending on model and trim package, with bikes like the Sport Scout and 101 Scout getting small, quarter fairings, and the Super Scout a pair of saddlebags to go with its quick-release windshield.

Upgrading to the Limited trim gets you the aforementioned traction control, ride modes, and USB charger, while the Limited + Tech trim moves you from analog to a fully modern touchscreen display.

Consider also that the bike is now available with mid-controls, Indian adding that there are a total of 32 ergonomic combinations across the Scout lineup. And when dipping into its accessories catalog there are over 100 family accessories available—in case you need more options.

Given the concept of easy customization, it’ll also be interesting to see what future custom builds will look like. Surely, we won’t have long to wait.