Musings on the Indian Scout, from a beginner's perspective

Up on my toes because that engine is HOT

If I'm being specific, my title should say "Scout Sixty", and add in (who also happens to be a woman).  To make this blog post super short, I love 99% of my 2016 Scout Sixty.  I am SO grateful this bike exists.  I mean, let's get real.  I sat on my VERY first motorcycle as a driver exactly 59 days ago.  I'm 5'2 and sit behind a desk every day.  Now that I've had about 5 rides of 50+ miles, I'm ready to give a beginner perspective on my Khaleesi.

Khaleesi and her stable mate, Cheyenne

First things first is quality.  ALL the pro reviews out there have no bones to pick on the fit and finish of the bike.  After sitting on a demo Suzuki today and deciding NOT to even bother to demo it because of the extreme lack of quality, I appreciate the solid feel of my Scout even more.  I really like the solid shifting.  I can really HEAR it, but it doesn't feel luggish or heavy.  I CAN feel when I'm shifting down into first, which is great.  I've only 'missed' a shift ... maybe 5 or 6 times total in 1000+ miles.  And by 'missed', I mean shifted from 1st to N :)  I also love how no matter how long I've been riding, finding N is effortless.  I learned to ride on an H-D Street 500, and pretty much the second that damn thing got hot, it was like an act of Congress to find N with the engine running.

She gets just about to 150 miles before the fuel light comes on

Next, I love the size of the bike.  It's JUST right for someone maybe not so blessed in the height department.  The weight is very manageable, but I'm going to be honest and transparent ... I've dropped her already :(  The epic ride we took 2 weekends ago, I got a little careless at a pull out when David was stopping to check his map.  I wasn't straight so I was making a conscious effort to not use my front brake so I WOULDN'T go down, and I only put down my left foot as my right one was on the rear brake ... stepped down in a tiny little hole ... before I could blink, she was over on her side.  So though the size of the bike is confidence building, DON'T think you can just sling it around like a dirt bike.  On the bright side, I have been EXTRA careful at every incidence of stopping and have made sure to put both feet down; so far, so good.

Tiny country roads are the BEST

Let's talk about the power.  The Scout Sixty has 130 less CC's than her bigger sibling, the Scout.  She also boasts one less gear.  Now, I didn't buy a Sixty because of that; for me, it was more of price and opportunity.  I live in an area where there can be a fair amount of traffic, which means when you pull out, you have to get on that throttle pretty hard sometimes.  I have never felt in danger due to a lack of power.  I have whaled pretty hard on the gas and shifted quickly up into 5th gear, leaving the cages far behind!  On the interstate, going 75 in 5th gear runs around 3500-3800 RPM's, and I still feel like there's plenty of power to get up to 80/85 if necessary.  That's as fast as I EVER feel like going on a motorcycle; I'm a wife, sister, daughter, and a mother; my life is more important than my adrenaline rush!

This brings us to the handling part of the bike.  There has been some discussion that you don't have an AMAZING turning radius, but for normal road riding, it is way more than sufficient.  In fact, our ride today involved more than 5 actual U turns, and several left hand turns that may as well have been U turns!  Assuming the driver can safely execute slow speed maneuvers, the Scout is responsive and agile, turning easily when you give power to that rear wheel.  And curves?  They don't stand a chance!  Depending on how you try to (man)handle her, she will literally just float through the curves with minimal effort on the rider's part.  It's a VERY confidence inspiring ride!

Tail of the Dragon, anyone?

For a new rider, I think the amount of information available at hand with regards to the rider readouts doesn't need to be like what you have on the Chieftan.  I think the available info of time, speed, RPM's, and gear you're in is just perfect.  I have all the info I need right at my fingertips, and nothing to distract me.  And can I just say ... the self cancelling turn signal is just one less thing to have to worry about all the time!

Our riding family has expanded!

OK, the 1% I would change.  I wish the Scout had a key fob like the big bikes.  Or maybe a different location for the key.  I have just a small, regular sized key ring, and it hits my leg as I'm driving down the road.  Small nuisance, but a nuisance nonetheless.  The design of the seat; it locks you pretty effectively into one position, and within 30 minutes my butt is asleep.  I wish I had a little more positional freedom, but you're pretty limited with how you can sit on her.   Because of her weight, I do feel her get blown around at high speeds some.  Never to the point of feeling out of control, but enough that I can feel the shimmy and it makes this new rider nervous.  I don't know if there's any way to fix that other than make it heavier, and I'd rather put up with a slight shimmy than have to wrestle around 300 additional pounds! Finally, that damn engine is HOT.  The inside of my right thigh burns every time I pull up to a stop; I don't want to modify her right now because I would hate to do anything to void my warranty, so I think I'm going to be stuck with a leather crotch cooler.  My husband's Kawasaki Vulcan has never burned his leg at all; even when it's hot, it doesn't put out copious amounts of heat.  Why can't the Scout be designed that way?  The H-D Street 500 burned my leg too, so it's not about the size of the engine!

This is an ACTUAL sign at the bottom of McCloud Mountain

In conclusion, my Scout is not only the perfect "starter" bike, it's the perfect "forever" bike.  My experienced husband test drove her, and said it was just a blast to ride on.  The forward controls makes her flexible for accommodating taller riders, but it doesn't make me as a shorter rider feel uncomfortable.  You'd think the pegs would cause your toes to fall asleep, but so far so good.  I really haven't had any problems with that.  I adjust my foot position slightly between the ball of my foot on the pegs, to putting my foot 'home' on the pegs, resting right in front of the heel of my boots.  I've ridden my baby as a passenger, and I do NOT like the Scout as a 2- up bike, so if that's what you're in the market for, I recommend you pass.  I had the dealer switch out the passenger seat/pegs for a windshield.  I think the passenger setup is just too cramped.  Me personally, I will NEVER carry a passenger, so solo seat all the way for me!  I feel extremely accomplished for the 45 days I've been licensed (it took a few weeks to get to the DMV, lol).  I feel it's a testament to the rider friendly design of the bike that this newbie has ridden up McCloud Mountain, the Foothills Parkway, and the Tail of the Dragon, not to mention all the small, unnamed curvy mountain roads.  I've had quite a bit of highway and interstate riding, and have turned just over 1000 miles so far.  NO plans to ever trade her in.  If anything, in the future, I'll have a SECOND bike, but my Khaleesi will stay in my stable permanently.

Enjoying these beautiful Tennessee back roads