I find the Indian Scout to be a good looking bike. They had 3 colors on hand for the demo ride. The gray, black, and red.
I'll start with the good. The engine is freaking awesome! Within the constraints of the demo ride I was still able to get on the bike a little. Definitely a fun engine with plenty of power and it sounded nice with the stock exhaust. The bike was nimble with very light steering. Almost turned in too quick for those only used to cruisers.
They only had the bikes set up with the base ergonomics which were fine for me. They offer several seats to move the rider forward or back, and several footpeg mounts to adjust the reach to the pegs. Handlebars could be adjusted up and down for reach and they have alternate bars as well. The bike should appeal to a lot of riders.
The not so good. The fueling still needs to be sorted out. If you are just racing from stoplight to stoplight you will love the fuel delivery. It comes on strong and hard. If you are trying to cruise with the bike there was a lot of surge and/or hesitation in the low throttle input fuel delivery. The suspension was sprung softly. Indian did not spend any money for the suspension to match the stellar engine. I guess they didn't want a $15000 bike, or thought that anyone coming from a Harley wouldn't notice anyway. I had a discussion with the salesman and the manager and after telling them I currently ride a Mean Streak they both acquiesced and admitted that they found the suspension lacking as well.
The bad. While getting acquainted with the bike before the ride, I grabbed the front brake and rocked the bike back and forth to feel the suspension and make sure the steering stem wasn't loose. All of a sudden the brake lever came all the way to the grip. I looked down at the caliper and there was brake fluid on the ground. I am so glad I checked before the ride, but now my demo ride was in jeopardy. I called over the Indian transporter and fortunately it was just the banjo bolt that needed tightening. I have never ever had a bike that needed the banjo bolt tightened. WTF?
Conclusion. If you really want to join the ranks of Indian owners and don't have $21,000 - $29,000 to buy the 111 engine bikes, the Scout is a good choice. What I told the dealer is that it would be a bike I would consider on the used market for around $7,000 so I could then address the suspension and fueling issues with aftermarket.
This same dealer also sells Ducati so they are supposed to call me when they get a demo Scrambler in next spring. If it fits, and rides well, it might beat the Scout into my garage.
