On a hot and sweaty July night in downtown Minneapolis, America?s oldest motorcycle manufacturer pulled the wraps off a low slung, blacked out affair. They told us it was mean, badass and stripped down. They told us it was refined from hundreds of drawings. And that it would expand the appeal of the Indian brand a step or two away from traditional buyers, and lure a younger demographic. They also told us the bike would be called the Scout Bobber.
I feel for the group of minds that signed off the Bobber name. No matter how clear the design, or how capable the bike, they must have known that tagging it a ?Bobber? was going to generate a backlash. After all, a bobber is by definition a custom bike.

Or maybe not. Sales of Triumph?s solo-seated iteration certainly aren?t suffering?and Hinckley flat out scripted ?bobber? on it. And as for ?scrambler?…well, that?s a best-selling lifestyle brand now. If you followed our coverage of Indian?s Project Scout competition, the design of this factory bobber may look familar. There is a strong resemblance to the custom Scout Sixty by Tank Machine of Paris. And from where I?m standing, keys in hand, that?s not a bad thing at all.

This newest Scout has a decidedly muscular stance to it. The lack of chrome is a welcome change in my eyes and, thanks to a shorter pair of shocks in the rear, the Bobber seriously hugs the ground.
Up front, a nacelle surrounds the round headlight, and there are bar-end mirrors mounted to the flat-trac...