Indian Scout versus Harley-Davidson Sportster

One of the most renowned grudge matches in the history of motorcycling is the ongoing battle for knockout sales between Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle.

The ultimate cruiser contest between these two companies has lasted for well over a century. Harley won the last one with a mostly undisputed track record, winning sales and strong brand loyalty.

Indian started out with a bang and was knocked out cold for over half a century, but has since returned to the ring with a vengeance.

Today, we have the ultimate street fight for the 21st century – a rumble in the suburban jungle between the two competitors.

Ding. Ding.

In this corner, from Spirit Lake, Iowa (formerly Springfield, Massachusetts) in Indian Red, weighing in at 558 pounds, with a World’s Fastest Indian title under its belt, here is, ladies and gentlemen, the new and improved Indian Scout.

The opponent hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin wearing Velocity Red Sunglo paint, weighing 551 pounds, undefeated for nearly six decades and the undisputed middleweight cruiser of the world, the Harley-Davidson Sportster.

The Sportster has iconic, classic looks and a loyal, fanatical following. The new Indian Scout is a worthy, challenger but still has miles to go before retaking the crown.

Both motorcycles are American-made, built for beginner/novice riders and are fun to ride around town, but which one is right for you? Here’s a round by round comparison for your consideration.

Round One: The Bikes

Harley offers a half dozen Sportster models to choose from including the Iron 883 (833cc) engine and the Forty-Eight (1202cc).

Indian has two choices in this middleweight cruiser range – the Scout (1133cc) and the Scout Sixty (999cc).

For the purposes of this match, I will focus on the Forty-Eight Sportster and Indian Scout differences and advantages.

The Forty-Eight XL1200X model has been around since 2010 and can trace its roots directly back to the original 1957 XL Sportster.

The Indian Scout was all-new in 2015 and is the first Scout in decades from the recently resurrected brand by its latest owner, Polaris Industries.

Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company (originally the Hendee Manufacturing Company) built its first bike in 1901. It officially became IMMC during the 1920s, made a number of legendary machines like the 101 Scout and ended its continuous production in 1953.

The brand has been resurrected numerous times and the most recent failed attempt was by the California Motorcycle Company of Gilroy, California during the 1980s. Since 2011, Indian is owned by Polaris, the maker of snowmobiles, Victory motorcycles and electric vehicles.

Harley-Davidson built its first two-wheeler in 1903 and hasn’t stopped building them ever since. Of course, the company has had its share of rough patches, (add an AMF expletive here,) but they still make a lot of incredible motorcycles with worldwide sales reaching over a quarter of a million motorcycles last year.

Indian Motorcycle declined to provide sales figures for 2015.

First round winner: Harley-Davidson Sportster.

Round Two: The Ride

The all-new Scout has a 69 cu. in. (1133cc) Liquid-Cooled V-Twin engine with a 6-speed transmission. The engine sounds strong and steady with a tin-like putt, putt, putt sound.

It’ll go 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 126 mph according to the manufacturer. The sculpted tank holds 3.3 gallons and it gets about 44 mpg city/highway combined.

The Sportster Forty-Eight has a 73.4 cu. in. (1202 cc) Air-cooled, Evolution engine with a 5-speed transmission. It has a low rumble sound when you start it up and a thup, thup thup with a rattle to it too.

Harley doesn’t release horsepower or top speed numbers, but the Forty-Eight’s iconic, but puny, peanut tank holds only 2.1 gallons and averages 48 mpg city/highway combined. (Note: the Iron 883’s tank holds 3.3 gal. and other Sportsters like the Superlow have a 4.5 gal. capacity.)

The Forty-Eight has a range of about 80 miles and the fuel reserve light kicks in when there is less than half a gallon of gas in the tank, so frequent stops for gas are expected. The fuel cap does not lock on Sportsters, which is a major drawback for urban bikers, but the Scout has a solid, but generic one.

The engine vibration is more pronounced on the Sportster than on the Indian but it’s not an issue. The suspension feels nearly the same on both bikes, which can be unforgiving on uneven pavement, where you can feel each bump in your spine and wrists. Both are belt driven and fairly easy to maintain.

The Scout has a comfortable riding position, teardrop-mirrors, a chrome headlight and a solo seat that’s a real pain in the ass. The stock, desert sand leather seat feels like a granny’s puffy, toilet seat – the kind with a thin, foam cushion and it looks like cheap vinyl too.

The Scout’s speedometer is basic, easy to read and there’s a dummy light to let you know when you are low on gas. The stacked, stock pipes sound fine, but the engine is really the best thing on this bike. The water-cooled, V-Twin cranks out 72.2 ft. lbs. at 5900 rpm of torque to the rear wheel by a belt drive and six-speed transmission.

The Forty-Eight is short, mean and low, pit bull of a motorcycle. It sits at 26.2 inches verses the Scout at 25.3 inches. It’s the lightest of the Sportster models at 551 pounds and lighter than the Scout by a few pounds.

The air-cooled, V-Twin cranks out 70.8 ft. lbs. at 3500 rpm of torque to the rear wheel by a belt drive and five-speed transmission. Rear shocks are adjustable on the little hog and questionable mirrors are tucked under the low, drag-styled handlebars, which can be annoyingly cool.

The Sportster’s electronic speedometer with odometer, clock, and gear indicator are decent modern enhancements along with hazard warning lights and self-canceling turn signals. Factory chopped fenders, blacked out everything else and retro slash/stripe graphics complete the vintage look.

Anti-lock braking system is available on all the Sportster models and is an option on the Scout, but strangely only available in Indian Red painted models. Both motorcycles tested without ABS had adequate braking stopping power, despite only having single discs in front and rear. Adding ABS is a well-spent extra $795 on the Harley or an additional $999 on the Scout.

After riding the two motorcycles back to back, the Indian noticeably pulls ahead of the Harley in the speed and horsepower department, but the Forty-Eight still offers plenty of low-end grunt fun for new riders, but sadly not enough to take this round.

Second round winner: Indian Scout.

Round Three: The Winner

Honestly, you can probably buy a cheaper cruiser from Yamaha, Honda, or Kawasaki but that’s a whole different type of grudge match. If you took an engine from the Indian Scout and managed to stuff it into a Harley-Davidson Sportster, you just might just have the best motorcycle cruiser in the world.

That said, the Indian Scout is solid, practical ride for commuters and a worthy challenger. The Forty-Eight looks irresistible and you will totally look like a bad ass riding one around town.

The Scout’s chunky, retro looks, aren’t for everyone and they take a while to get used too, but it’s still the best looking Indian in their current line up of motorcycles.

The Forty-Eight has weight, history and a look that will never go out of style. For now, I’d stick with a winner like Harley, but the Motor Company now has a formidable opponent that hails from the great state of Iowa.

The Scout is available in Thunder Black for $10,999, Wildfire Red and Silver Smoke for $11,299 and Indian Motorcycle Red (w/ABS) for $11,999.

The Forty-Eight is available in Vivid Black for $11,199, Velocity Red Sunglo, Billet Silver, Olive Gold of $11,549 and Hard Candy Custom Cancun Blue Flake or Gold Flake for $11,649.

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