The 2019 Indian Scout Sixty Converts Super Bikers to Cruiser Heads

By Inaki Jose

It just takes your breath away. The soul of an Indian motorcycle basks in historic Quezon Memorial Circle.

No way -- I would not be riding a cruiser… it’s slow, and handles like 1940. It’s too limited, can’t corner like a sport bike, etc. etc … Some people can be so biased. Well, I’m one of those people, and I’M SO SORRY, FORGIVE ME!!! I PROMISE I WON'T DO IT AGAIN, AND EAT MY VEGETABLES!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!


The way I picture cruisers are like the old rigid frames with springer front suspension, real hotrods that come in a box with a stamp some assembly needed. I had a boss who owned a custom cycle manufacturing shop, I just won’t go into details, he never had a bike that his company built. He had a Honda CB750. That was how cruisers were stereotyped. It just won’t appeal to anyone under 50 years old, try-hard expensive pieces of wannabe yester-year “technology.”

Hottie. The 2019 Indian Scout Sixty.

Not until today….. Enter the 2019 INDIAN (as in kimosabe not chicken curry ) SCOUT SIXTY. Man… I love this bike!!! This bike is practically making me eat all my bias words against cruisers. This bike practically killed my feasible definition of what the bike is. It is actually very modern, and can be compared to any new type of bike.

Stylishly classic. The Indian motorcycle was established in 1901.

The frame design of the tubes is by-gone on the Indian SCOUT 60. The engine basically is hanging from the frame or maybe its the other way around. The frame is bolted to the engine, but either way you look at it, that makes the bike so light. Another INDIANnuity (get it? Indianuity .. ok, corny) that INDIAN incorporated on the engine frame or frame engine yadi yada is the suspension. 

Simple elegance of the Indian Scout Sixty.

If you look at how the whole engine, frame and suspension come together, it actually forms the shape of a rigid frame. Its shocks replacing the frame tube---genius! Old school custom riders say that they would sacrifice the comfort of shocks to steel rigid frames because it lessens the twist of the frame and maximizes the engine output and torque because there are less moving parts, ergo, the shocks, connected to a frame. 

But honestly, on the INDIAN SCOUT SIXTY set up, I think it won’t matter. This bike is so behaved and the reputation that cruisers have as hard headed temperamental bikes is now in the past. The Sixty handles so smooth like a baby's behind, soft and gentle. It’s so easy to tilt the bike even at very slow speeds.

Giving credit to the engine alone on its power, smoothness and top end, oh yeah it has top end believe me. I looked so ridiculous and stupid riding a cruiser in a tucked position because that was the only way I could handle the speed, and I was at riding on the SKYWAY. I won’t say how fast I was for legal reasons and speed censorship, but I was fast. Even though I looked stupid in a tucked position, it was the only way for me to do it.

Relaxed cruiser riding position.

The 1000 cc @ cylinder V twin gave out 78 horses, with 65 foot-pounds of torque and weighs 542 pounds. It also has a hybrid five-speed gearbox. Why hybrid? Because the fifth gear felt like the seventh, or sixth gear. The ratio from 4th gear to 5th gear was far, giving the bike that freakish top end speed for a cruiser. It gives you that smooth initial, but would suddenly kick at 4000 RPM and give you that cruiser torque, then morph into top end speed.

Aesthetically the bike is a work of art. So clean, no unnecessary wires or tubes hanging out or visible on the engine. Also being water cooled, the absence of air cooling fins on the cylinder head gives the engine a tidy and modern look. When I’m at stopped at a traffic light, almost everyone beside me was giving me the thumbs up. I’m sure people thought that I was Keanu Reeves, I just made sure that my smoked silver visor shield is down, I didn’t want to disappoint the people around me that its only Tom Screw riding the bike.  

Even the locals loved the Indian Scout.

Some riders would even chat me up and tell me how unique the bike is, but the most common question is how heavy the bike is. Making sure my silver shield is down, I give them the No the bike is not heavy, in fact I will recommend the Scout as a bike for beginners and for lady riders also because of its low seat height, and its low ground clearance it makes the bike feel so light when up right.

Nifty, nimble and quick.

It may have that odd riding position with forward foot controls like you’re on your lola's rocking chair, but hey, these are inherent on all cruisers but for me it didn’t matter, I love this bike and I’m proud to say I enjoyed this cruiser ... BEHOLD A CONVERT.

I can go on and on and yak about this bike but this review is already getting long and someone might accuse me that I get paid to do this, no I don’t. I just do this for the love of riding, and also to help out confused future riding souls out there. 

So, if I got your curiosity going, please do not hesitate to visit Indian Motorcycles and look for Hershey Rana at the Indian Motorcycle Philippines at 122 P. Tuazon st. QC  for a test ride. HASTA LA VISTA BAYBEH!

The rebel and the Indian Scout.