For quite some time now, we have believed that styling is separate from engineering. We have always thought of styling to be taken care of by imagination, followed by different designing applications. But, this isn’t true. These engineering machines can design very pretty motorcycles.
The styling
The Indian Scout Bobber is one of the nicest looking bikes available in India and this is owing to the engineering. This motorcycle is a typical Bobber with the thick front tyre and solo seat. The overall styling of the bike is really impressive and to top it off, it looks expensive and made of high quality materials.
The motorcycle produces an exciting sound upon start up, shifting into first is exceptionally smooth, something that can be found on other Indians as well. A quick launch will lead to either a wheelie or a small spin from the rear tyre. This bike is fast and we found this out within the first five minutes on the bike.
The powertrain
The motorcycle did 0-100kph in just 4.5sec and almost did it in first gear. Powering this bike is a 1,133cc, liquid-cooled v-twin that makes 94hp and 97Nm of torque. Paired to this motor is a six-speed transmission which is really smooth. The motorcycle is belt driven and not chain driven. Another nice bit is the huge radiator the bike is equipped with; it helps keep the engine temperature low even in stop and go traffic. The power delivery is smooth and so refined that it lacks character at the bottom-end – and these are the speeds most buyers will be spending their time.
How does it ride?
The Bobber is an exciting bike to ride, while being smooth with lots of power. The motorcycle feels comfortable even at high speeds; it also doesn’t lose its nerve. Interestingly, the bike gets more fun in the corners because the Bobber has good combinations of stability and agility. The bike has a low set height of 649mm and a wheelbase of 1,562mm. This means it handles curves like a big airplane. The bike also begins scraping its pegs once you get a bit carried away. The nicest thing about this bike, is the 255kg weight is only felt during low speeds. The Bobber has a low ground clearance of 123mm which means one has to be careful over sharp speed breakers.
What about comfort?
The Bobber’s near perfect streak ends when you encounter a bump. The bike is incredibly stiff and can send the shock down your spine. We tried going slower on the next bump but that didn’t help. We found the need to stand up and ride over rough surfaces, but this wasn’t a natural position since the pegs are forward biased. We tried figuring out what caused this problem and it was the limited travel the suspension had.
After a day of riding we were left with a sore back. This is a big problem and crawls over the Bobber’s appeal, we didn’t feel the need to keep riding it beyond that single day. Even though it looks really nice, it won’t encourage you to hop on to its saddle.
Should I buy one?
With a price tag of Rs 12.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the motorcycle is still very desirable. Even though it isn’t in-your-face like the modern Harleys, it still stands out. The Bobber makes a statement, but considering the rough tarmac we have in India, the Bobber is not a bike for long rides but only short spins around town.
