Indian Motorcycles crashed the 2015 LA Auto Show this week, using the international car, truck and SUV showcase as a backdrop to unveil its latest bike, the Scout Sixty.
It’s a hugely important addition for Indian. Now that its touring and cruiser rides are established in the marketplace, Indian Motorcycles needs a machine that’ll bring younger riders of lesser means in on the brand. That’s the Scout Sixty’s job.
With a starting price point of $8,999, the bike looks to offer an affordable option to young riders who Indian Motorcycles hopes will become lifelong customers — always trading up to more expensive models.
The original Indian Motorcycles Scout debuted at the Sturgis Rally in 2014 to great fanfare as the company’s first foray into cruisers since the company returned to business under the Polaris umbrella. In fact, the Scout was the first motorcycle the reborn Indian put up for sale that wasn’t a big touring model. So, the Scout took on the challenge of opening up an entire market segment for Indian.
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The Scout Sixty strips down the original Scout, offering a slightly smaller bike with styling similar to its predecessor cruiser. More importantly for Indian, a starting MSRP under nine grand looks to cut into other more expensive cruiser or sportsters from Harley-Davidson, Yamaha/Star, Suzuki and others.
In an era when many traditional riders are aging out of the market, all bike builders are looking at their introductory price point rides and realizing they have to be competitive to get new riders onto motorcycles. With Japanese sport bike makers offering brand new bikes around $5,000 to $6,000 to young buyers, Indian had to put out a more affordable, baseline machine.
The new Scout Sixty shares the same chassis, suspension and brakes working with a new 60 cubic inch engine and five speed transmission, and starts at $8,999. The Sixty hangs on to similar style lines as the original Scout, with more than 200 accessories available for the Scout – including seats, handlebars, peg relocators, saddlebags, wire wheels and quick-release windscreens.
To welcome the new motorcycle, Indian selected Roland Sands Designs to do the first customizing on the new model. The first five new motorcycles the company race prepped will compete in the “Super Hooligan” class at the Superprestigio of the Americas in Las Vegas tomorrow night.
Stay tuned here for coverage of that event as it unfolds out in the desert.
