Indian Scout Rogue cruiser/custom (2022-) review

Yes, the ‘West Coast’ style Rogue is a very particular design of cruiser which won’t appeal to everyone but there’s no doubt Indian has executed it well. It’s distinguished from the standard, already excellent Scout by virtue of its larger 19inch (from 16) front wheel, high, ‘mini-ape hanger’ handlebars, slightly incongruous-looking nose-fairing, ‘sports’ solo seat and generally ‘blacked-out’ look. The result not only looks striking but just as impressively comes over as a larger, more substantial machine and is also surprisingly fine-handling and reasonably comfortable. And all of that comes on top of already excellent Scout mechanicals. For an ‘off-the-peg’ West Coast style cruiser there are few better.

It all sounds excruciating – high bars, low single seat, feet forward ‘highway pegs’ – and yet impressively, it’s not. Instead the low seated Rogue is a doddle to get on with and ride, the bars, once on board, don’t seem high at all, the nose cowling does a decent job of deflecting some windblast at cruising speed and the seat’s not bad either, if only for one. In fact, that latter point is the only reason we’ve docked it one mark here. If you want to bring a friend along for the ride you’ll have to shell out more for an accessory double version.

There’s no doubt that style takes precedence over substance with the Rogue, but nor does that mean it’s horribly impractical. If your riding is mostly solo over short distances or around town – and, let’s face it, there’s many of us who hold our hands up to that – the slim, reasonably nimble and grunty Rogue will do just fine. Longer distances aren’t much of a bother, either, while although there’s no luggage provision, with this sort of bike you’re far more likely to don a satchel or rucksack anyway.

Underneath the ‘West Coast’ fripperies, the Scout’s mechanicals are basically unchanged – and that’s a good thing. The liquid-cooled, DOHC, 1200cc V-twin is a quantum leap ahead of US rival Harley’s old 1200 sportster, producing a healthy 100bhp against the Hog’s 60-odd and that, allied to plenty of grunt and a slick five-speed ‘box gives the Rogue enough performance to compete with any cruiser this side of a Ducati Diavel and enough ‘shove’ to be worthy of that hot rod style. Braking is less impressive, but adequate. That’s because the single front disc and twin piston caliper was already a big marginal and the Rogue’s bigger but narrow front wheel has a smaller contact patch. But it does the job and if you ride in true cruiser style with plenty of assistance from the rear you’ll have few complaints.

Again, not really what cruisers are all about, but the base Scout was already better than most due to its quality cast aluminium spine frame and the Rogue only differs from that slightly. The slightly shorter travel suspension plus an upright riding position is fine on the whole, but the rear end can jar your spine over pot-holes and there’s no suspension adjustment available. Corner-carving is pleasant and predictable enough, with light but secure steering and a pleasingly-low centre of gravity, but those forward-mounted ‘highway pegs’ restrict ground clearance and spirited riding through some twisties can result in grounding-out the ‘hero’ blobs.

Although, like the Scout, the Rogue’s performance is better than most ‘junior’ cruisers, the Indian, with 100bhp, belt drive and a laid-back attitude is still more relaxed than most motorcycles so you shouldn’t worry about an excessive hunger for consumables such as fuel (around 45mpg), chain (n/a), tyres, brake pads and so on. At the same time its new price is competitive, insurance should be affordable and residuals, although not quite in rival Harley’s league, aren’t bad either.

Although a new model for 2022, the Rogue is actually a variant of the Indian Scout which has been around since 2014 with very few mechanical issues reported since. Significantly, the Rogue’s powertrain and most of its chassis is unchanged from those of the Scout, too. On top of that, build quality is robust and premium quality and, if considering buying used, most examples, being quality cruisers, are also likely to have lead a gently, pampered life so you’ve no need to fear the sort of neglect, corrosion and damage that can come with year-round commuter bikes, for example.

New Indians come as standard with a fairly typical two-year, unlimited mileage, manufacturer-backed warranty for all parts and labour, so you should have few concerns. In addition, it’s possible to extend this, at extra cost, by a further three years taking it up to five in total, so you should nhave complete peace of mind. Serving-wise, the Rogue’s unchanged from the Scout: after the initial 500-mile oil change, routine services are due every 8000 kms, although the major, and most expensive valve adjustment service is only due every 32,000.

The Rogue is a pared-back cruiser so you shouldn’t expect much by way of luxuries or creature comforts – and there’s isn’t, as mentioned earlier there’s not even a pillion seat. So, instrumentation takes the form of a single analogue dial with an LCD digital inlay; there are now electronic rider aids beyond the mandatory ABS, so no modes and no traction control (not that it needs either) and there’s not even much in terms of comfort beyond the nose fairing. That said, it is finished nicely with three colour ways including a two-tone option and, in true cruiser style, there are plenty of official factory accessories available including uprated shocks, twin seat, bigger fairing and more…

It’s easy to think at first glance that the Rogue is very West Coast specific, likely uncomfortable/impractical and largely irrelevant in the UK. But that would be a mistake. In reality, the style makes it stand out in a crowd far more so than the base Scout; it’s roomier riding position makes it feel more like a full-size cruiser than a junior, entry-level one; that style in no way compromises its performance/handling (well, except for ground clearance that is) and, being based on the excellent, 100bhp Scout means it’s performance is more than a match for most, too. Or, to put it another way: if you like the style, the Rogue’s a more than competitive rival to, say, Harley-Davidson’s bigger, but less powerful, similarly-styled Low Rider S – for nearly £5000 less.