To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Indian Motorcycle brand, it looks like a special edition Scout Bobber is slated to be introduced in 2026. According to Motorcycle.com, Indian submitted “homologation filings in Australia for its Scout range, listing a Scout Bobber 125th Anniversary model by name along with an internal model code of SBD77.”
Indian uses model codes with five characters that indicate the model line, body styling, trim level, engine displacement, and its claimed power output, in that order, apparently. Based on this information, the special-edition Scout Bobber is expected to be powered by the 101 Scout’s 111-hp 1,250cc SpeedPlus engine. The final “7” in the model code tells us they will likely use the same engine tuning as the 101 Scout (SSE77), as opposed to the tune utilized on the standard Scout Bobber (SBD76), which produces a claimed 105-hp.
I first put eyes on the Indian Scout at the 2016 International Motorcycle Show in Long Beach, California. The model had just been introduced and was sitting a few feet off the showroom floor so that onlookers could cast their eyes on Indian’s first liquid-cooled cruiser. Admittedly, I was not a cruiser fan, but something about the Scout spoke to me. It looked like a cruiser designed for a new generation, my generation.
To make a long story short, I rode a loaner Scout across the country, from Los Angeles, California to Key West, Florida. And after completing that trip, I purchased my own Indian Scout from a Gregory Polaris in Little Rock, Arkansas. I put nearly 30,000 miles on the Scout over the course of the next couple of years, crossing the country no less than four times. I loved that motorcycle.
So far, Indian has only unveiled one new model for 2026, the Sport Scout RT, so these homologation filings come as no surprise, as we expect the company to introduce a handful of “new” models this year. What we don’t know, however, is what the special-edition Scout Bobber will look like, only that it will likely be powered by the more potent 1,250cc SpeedPlus motor.
While my love for the Scout endures, the Bobber is a tough sell for me. My step-father owns one, and I’ve suffered many miles in the saddle, with little to no suspension, and a riding position that folds you in half, literally. Will the latest iteration of the Bobber address any of these issues? Perhaps mid controls like the aftermarket variety that Roland Sands released some years back? Or more suspension, maybe? Given that it appears Indian is choosing to utilize they’re performance focused SpeedPlus motor for this special-edition Bobber, I can only hope they do away with the human taco riding position and two-inches of rear suspension travel.
All of that being said, Indian Motorcycle is in a transitional phase, with Polaris having sold the legacy American motorcycle brand to Carolwood LP, a private equity group. That handover is slated to take place sometime in the first quarter of this year, so it wouldn’t shock me to see the special-edition Scout Bobber, and perhaps a handful of other new models, unveiled shortly thereafter.
