I purchased an Indian Scout from a dealership in Little Rock, Arkansas in the winter of 2016. It had zero miles on the odometer. Zero. Fashioned in ‘Indian Red,’ my base model Scout was just one of two available at the time – the Scout and the Scout Sixty, the latter of which was powered by a sleeved-up 1,200cc V-twin that reduced output to 999cc, respectively.
The only options at the time were whether you wanted an ABS model, or one without. Everything else was accessories. A few years later, Indian introduced the Scout Bobber, a lower, meaner looking example of the Scout, with bobbed fenders, narrow handlebar, headlight bezel and a solo seat as the only option.
But in the last ten years, the Scout line has ballooned in size, with 17 variants available in 2025, and some 15 available this year. There’s the 101 Scout, Scout Classic, Super Scout, Sport Scout, Scout Bobber and Scout Sixty. All of the models are offered in different trim levels, and save for the Scout Sixty, are all powered by the 1,250cc Speedplus engine. Indian offers Limited and Limited +Tech variations, which add features like traction control, cruise control, and a four-inch round touchscreen display affixed to the triple clamp.
With new management moving in, this broad and rather overwhelming range of Scout models is about to be, well, trimmed down. For 2027, Indian Motorcycle will release just six models of the Scout, according to a report from Motorcycle.com. Their source is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which certified Indian’s Scout lineup for the 2027 model year, with only the 101 Scout, Scout Bobber, Scout Bobber Limited, Sport Scout Limited, Super Scout Limited, and the Scout Sixty Bobber listed in the filing.
It appears that Indian will be eliminating the +Tech trim packages, leaving three Limited models, and will also discontinue the Scout Classic and Sport Scout RT models entirely, while also reducing the 999cc variations to just the Scout Sixty Bobber.
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though, as Indian Motorcycle’s new CEO, Mike Kennedy, had suggested that the brand would focus its attention on its Chief and Touring lines. And while I feel like the Scout family had swelled unnecessarily in recent years, the company’s intention to focus on the larger displacement models feels like a miss.
When I purchased my Scout, Indian only had a few models in total on the showroom floor. Basically, it was just the Scout, Chief, Chieftain, Springfield and Roadmaster, all in a variety of trim levels. It was, in my opinion, a clean lineup with an intended trajectory: Introduce riders to the brand and the experience of ‘Cruiser Life’ with the Scout, then offer a step up in the form of a full-sized touring model, with the summit of this Bagger Mountain being the Roadmaster.
Hell, I fell victim to this theory. After putting nearly 30,000 miles on my Scout in the first year that I owned it, I was ready for locking saddle bags, adjustable windscreens, cruise control and a stereo. But if the focus of the brand at this stage is to build and sell only high-spec, big chrome and even bigger dollar touring bikes, potential ‘Cruiser Life’ customers will be missing that first step, stumbling their way into a dealership and walking out when they put eyes on the $35,000 price tag affixed to the Chieftain PowerPlus.
Yes, Indian is still making the Scout, and in no less than six variations, I might add. But the 2026 Sport Classic, which is essentially the same bike I purchased new in 2016, now starts at $22,424, which is nearly double what I paid for my base model Scout just ten years earlier.
So, while I applaud Indian for cleaning up the messy Scout line, I have to wonder how the company intends to introduce new riders to the brand?
