2025 Indian Scout Bobber Review: Turning Heads And Tempting Fate

If you're looking for an inexpensive cruiser experience, or more specifically the least-expensive Indian cruiser motorcycle you can buy new, the Scout lineup is where it's at. There are two main cruiser bikes in Indian's lineup: the Chief and the Scout. Of the two, the Chief is significantly more expensive: $14,999 before you add destination fee or any options, which is 50% more than the base Scout. So, for deal-hunters and frugal buyers alike, the Scout is where it's at.

To get the bargain-basement price of $9,999 for a new Scout, though, you have to go with the Scout Sixty Bobber. The Sixty is powered by the 60 cubic inch engine, the smaller of the two available. It's a respectable entry-level bike that uses a 999cc liquid-cooled V-Twin, but power is modest. So what happens if you want more power? It's a pretty specific niche we're talking about here, but that's what picking the right bike is all about, and that's where the 1,250cc Scout steps in. 

The larger Scout Bobber is the least-expensive option for riders who want the bigger engine, and the Bobber name means that it comes preloaded with a blacked-out style and some beefy tires to style things up a bit.

Indian launched the new 2025 Scout lineup late last year, at which point we got a close look at the full array of available bikes. It never hurts to spend more time in the saddle, though, and Indian sent over a top trim Scout Bobber Limited +Tech model for a few weeks of riding.

A bit like music with genres and sub-genres, the Scout Bobber has three different trim levels to choose from: Bobber, Bobber Limited, and Bobber Limited + Tech. Standard gear on the base Bobber is pretty limited: it has an LED headlight, a regular analog gauge cluster, and a key for the ignition (instead of a button). The mid-level Limited trim ups the ante with cruise control, a USB charging port, three riding modes that adjust throttle response, and traction control. The Limited + Tech gets keyless ignition, a 4-inch touchscreen/gauge, and access to Indian's Ride Command+ system which gives you stats on your bike along with a GPS locator. It's a nice list of features, but it adds a lot to the starting price.

The Scout Bobber 1,250cc engine is $12,999 before you add any options, $3k more than the Sixty Bobber mentioned earlier. The Limited +Tech trim I was tasked with riding had an MSRP of $14,699, just slightly less than the Chief's base starting price.

Regardless of price, all trim levels of the Scout Bobber get Indian's 1,250cc liquid-cooled 60-degree V-Twin which makes 105 horsepower and 82 lb-ft of torque. Its a healthy amount of power for a bike that weighs 542 lbs, and there's more than enough grunt to make easy highway passes or gain some serious momentum as you're stringing corners together on b-roads. It's also a big jump from the 78 hp and 65 lb-ft of torque in the Bobber Sixty. The standard Scout also comes with a six-speed transmission instead of a five-speed like the Sixty, a difference you'll appreciate on the highway at cruising speeds.

The Bobber's 9,000-rpm indicated redline was a bit optimistic: I'd need to shift around 8,500 rpm to keep the bike from hitting the limiter, but upshifts were easily done via a quick flick of my left foot. At certain speeds, the throttle felt a bit lazy, but more than once I realized I'd been riding in Standard or Tour mode. Switching to Sport mode made the throttle more sensitive and, with the slight twist of my right wrist, a bit of acceleration was much more readily available. The single front brake left a bit to be desired, but for the most part braking performance was adequate. 

At just 25.6 inches high, the seat on the Scout Bobber is low enough for a quick and graceful dismount by just about any adult. At 5-foot-9, with a 30-inch inseam, I had no problems getting on or off the bike or flat-footing it at stop lights: par for the course on a cruiser like this. The seating position on the Bobber was properly-placed for my frame as well. On the Sport Scout I rode before the Bobber showed up (more on that bike in a bit), I felt like my arms were stretched out a bit too far, but that wasn't the case on the Bobber. Even after hours in the saddle, my arms never felt the strain.

The seat itself is definitely comfortable when the bike is static, or over smooth roads. It's well-padded and the L-shape at the back keeps me from sliding rewards when I open the throttle a bit; but like the previous model year of the Scout, the ride is still rough. Rear suspension travel is just 2.0 inches which means you'll bounce way out of your seat when you hit a big, unexpected pothole. It's the same problem I had with last year's Scout and the comfy seat doesn't do much to address this issue.

I had the Scout Bobber in my garage for several weeks and, during that time, I got lots of compliments on it. My neighbors see tons of cars and motorcycles come and go, mostly ignoring the hum-drum family SUVs I'm testing or the basic bikes, but this one got a lot of attention and questions. Out in the world riding the Bobber, it was the same story. Strangers wanted to know about it or tell me how good it looked, and I received several compliments related to the paint. 

The specific Scout Bobber that Indian loaned me was painted with their Nara Bronze Metallic paint scheme. It's a $1,000 option and one of five different paint colors offered by Indian. It's a bit pricey for my liking, but it seems to pay off in praise.

Travis Langness/SlashGear

Then, there's the sound. The V-Twin has all the typical rumble you'd expect from a cruiser bike with the Bobber's stature. I enjoyed the 1,250cc soundtrack while going up and down through the gears on my local canyon road, and the slight rumble coming from behind me on the highway was pleasant too. My only real complaint (as per my relatively unrefined taste) was that the exhaust felt a bit too quiet. I'd like something a bit more aggressive on a bike that looks and feels this raw. Thankfully, that's a problem that a fresh pipe could solve easily.

I rode the Bobber around for a few weeks, generally living with it in Los Angeles and taking it to a few of my favorite destinations in the canyons. Before I had the Bobber, though, Indian thought I'd like to have a go on the Sport Scout. I'd ridden the Scout Rogue last year and generally enjoyed that experience, so why not have a go on the bike that replaced it? 

The Bobber and the Sport both get the same V-Twin engine, produce the same power, and they're similar in several ways. The Sport Scout, however, allows for 33 degrees of lean angle compared to the Bobber's 31 degrees. The wheelbase of the two bikes is the same, but the rake is slightly different, favoring the Sport Scout when it comes to handling, even if it's just by a little bit.

Travis Langness/SlashGear

The Sport has a bigger front wheel, slightly higher handlebars, and a different look. It offers a small front fairing and a blacked-out tail section (regardless of the color you pick for the tank), so it might be the right choice for riders interested in a more updated vibe than the Bobber. My choice between the style of the two? The Bobber. It appeals more to the Captain America fan in me. Yes, I know Cap rode a Harley in the Marvel movies, but the Bobber still gave me Steve-Rogers vibes every time I swung my leg over the tail, especially with the green paint.

There were some small differences between the Sport Scout and the Scout Bobber, and style is certainly a consideration if you're choosing between the two, but the biggest thing they had in common was poor performance from the digital gas gauges. Before I tell my totally non-harrowing tale of woe, I will say that the Bobber's screen was easy to use and understand. Switching between the displays was simple, and the digital readout was totally legible even under harsh light.

Now, for the complaining part. I rode the Sport Scout up into my local canyons far from civilization and I stopped when the gas gauge showed as half full. I took a break, enjoyed the scenery, then hopped back on the bike and started it up. To my dismay, the low fuel light was on and the gauge looked like it was below one-eighth of a tank remaining. Yikes. 

I was out of a cell service zone and had to ride as carefully as I could down the mountain, hoping I wouldn't have to coast into the nearest gas station or, worse yet, walk. As I rode down the mountain, however, the gauge climbed back up, almost to the halfway mark again and the low-fuel light went out. Confusing? You bet. 

It was a relief to see my cautious riding was paying off for the pessimistic gauge, but the swing between readings was off-putting to say the least. I got to the bottom of the hill and filled up with 2.8 gallons of unleaded, but this wasn't the end of the fuel-gauge saga. At different points, the Sport and the Bobber both showed very pessimistic readings and had me filling up early. Both bikes have 3.4 gallons of fuel capacity. When riding the Bobber, I stopped for fuel with the gauge showing half full — gun shy from my previous readings on the Sport — and I could only add one gallon, a big misreading of the available fuel. What's more, the space inside the tank where the filler spout goes was relatively shallow on both bikes.

In the picture here, the filler is as low it will go in the Scout's tank. Without that rubber bit making contact with the tank or at least being pushed backwards in some way, gas wouldn't flow. This meant that at certain pumps, I had to use one hand to pull the fuel pump and the other to hold back the spring-loaded mechanism that allows the gas to flow. Naturally, this meant a bit of gas splashing onto my hands or gloves. I've experienced this on other bikes a few times before (I've even had it happen with cars once or twice), but that didn't make it any less annoying.

The 2025 Indian Scout lineup is a great place for those who like to modify, customize, and otherwise adapt their vehicles to fit their style. Even as the least-expensive version of the Scout, the Bobber still has a pretty mean aesthetic all its own, and there are several versions of the bike to choose from if the Bobber isn't your jam. The meaty tires, the blacked-out components, and the stripped-down look will turn heads and elicit compliments all over the place, while if the basic equipment isn't enough, there are several options packages and accessories to choose from.

There are drawbacks of course, like the funky performance from the gas gauge, and the stiff rear suspension, but the overall package remains appealing. If I were in the market for an inexpensive cruiser, I'd certainly consider the Scout Bobber, but bikes like the Honda Rebel 1100 and the Harley Davidson Nightster would be on my shortlist too.