The Cruiser That Proves You Don’t Need 1,800cc To Have Fun
For decades, cruiser logic has been simple. More cubic centimeters and more muscle meant more fun. That’s why 1,800cc-plus V-twins become the stars every bike night. They do deserve praise, since nothing quite matches that big-inch thump, but displacement is only part of the story. Several modern cruisers are, in fact, working on the other side of it by making every ride feel livelier with lighter chassis and rev-happy engines. They’ve surely changed some age-old beliefs, and one American V-twin aces this by trading some cubes for a cruiser that’s more fun to have in your garage.
Modern Cruisers Are Proving Size Isn’t The Whole Story
The age-old belief says a proper cruiser needs a big-boy attitude and an even bigger mill to back it up. Anything less, and you weren’t really riding a cruiser. Modern cruisers, however, are happily rewriting that rule. Take the Honda Rebel 1100. It wears a cruiser tag, but it carries the soul of the Africa Twin, so it’s light, eager, and happy to shrug off city traffic without ever feeling short on punch.
Then there’s the Ducati Diavel V4, which looks like a muscle cruiser but pulls like a superbike, even though it gives away a huge chunk of displacement to the big-inch crowd. The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650, meanwhile, goes the other way entirely. It’s a laid-back middleweight that proves you don’t need a giant engine to enjoy a long day in the saddle. America has mostly stuck to the big-engine recipe, of course. However, one homegrown cruiser has taken a slightly different route, and it’s well worth a closer look.
The Indian 101 Scout Puts Fun Ahead Of Displacement
That cruiser is the Indian 101 Scout, and if you’ve been around bikes long enough, the name might ring a bell. Back in 1928, the original 101 Scout won over racers because it was a joy to ride, not because it had the biggest engine around, and Indian has carried that same thinking into the modern one. Sure, it won’t win you many bragging rights at bike night, but it’s still the most powerful Scout ever built, and it’s built around how much you enjoy the ride. So, while it’s a mid-size cruiser on paper, it can keep up with bigger sport cruisers and still feel nimble and easy to live with every day.
$16,999 Makes This The Scout Range’s Top-Shelf Choice
All that fun does come at a price, though. The $16,999 figure makes the 101 Scout one of the most expensive bikes in the Scout range. But the extra you pay goes directly into the stuff you’ll actually feel on a ride. You get suspension you can tune to your liking, plus Brembo brakes you won’t find on the other Scouts. In other words, Indian hasn’t just slapped a badge and some fancy paint on a regular Scout and called it a day. Just keep in mind that it’s built for one, so if a friend wants to tag along, you’ll need to budget for a passenger setup. Still, the best part of the deal sits right between the frame rails.
The SpeedPlus 1250 Makes Big-Inch Twins Look Lazy
At the heart of the 101 Scout is the SpeedPlus 1250, a liquid-cooled V-twin that makes the old-school thumpers in most American cruisers look lazy. You see, a big twin does its best work down low and runs out of breath as the revs climb, whereas the SpeedPlus loves to rev and saves its peak of 111 horsepower and 82 pound-feet for well up the tach. Around town, the 101 Scout stays calm and easy to ride, but open the throttle, and it properly wakes up. Sure, you’ll have to work it a little harder off the line, though that’s half the fun. And while the SpeedPlus may be a fairly young engine, it’s already proving to be surprisingly reliable. The smooth six-speed gearbox makes it easy to live with too, and the engine doesn’t have much weight to haul around.
Lighter, Tighter, And A Whole Lot More Fun
A big part of the fun comes from how little bulk this Indian Scout carries. At 549 pounds, it’s pretty light by American cruiser standards, thanks to a tubular steel frame that uses the engine as a stressed member. The hardware bolted to that frame is just as serious. Up front, 43 mm inverted forks with 4.7 inches of travel work alongside twin 320 mm discs and radial Brembo calipers, while the rear gets piggyback shocks and a single 298 mm disc. That low stance comes with some compromises. The shocks offer only three inches of travel, which keeps the seat low but leaves less room to soak up big bumps. The slim 3.4-gallon tank, meanwhile, suits the bike’s looks, though it means more fuel stops on a long ride.
Modern Rider Tech Adds Confidence To The Chaos
Elsewhere, Indian fits the 101 Scout with a 4-inch round touchscreen powered by Ride Command, which handles navigation, Bluetooth, and weather and traffic overlays without cluttering the cockpit. Sport, Standard, and Tour ride modes change how sharply the throttle responds, so the SpeedPlus can be as calm or as lively as you want. Traction control and ABS are there to rein things in if you get carried away, while cruise control, keyless ignition, and a USB port make daily riding easier. However, there’s no six-axis IMU, so you don’t get any cornering functions.
The 101 Scout Goes Up Against Harley’s Sporty Trio
Of course, no American cruiser gets a free pass while Milwaukee is around. The Sportster S is the modern rival, undercutting the Indian on price and weight while packing more power from its liquid-cooled Revolution Max engine. However, it makes do with a single front disc and a much taller seat. If you prefer things old-school, the Low Rider S brings the most potent Milwaukee-Eight 117, inverted forks, dual front discs, and Japanese-level reliability. It costs and weighs more, but that big-inch torque makes it the better highway machine.
The Street Bob, meanwhile, is the simple, affordable option, built around easy low-end pull rather than outright performance. All three do get the cornering functions that the 101 Scout misses out on. Still, the Indian offers a proper cruiser attitude without the big-inch bulk, and that’s a good reminder that you don’t need 1,800cc to have fun.
Source: Indian
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