Indian Scout vs. HD Softail Street Bob. I own both. my observations.

Recently my wife and I were in the market for new bikes. We ended up getting an HD Street Bob for me and an Indian Scout for her - yes we are a house divided. We both swap bikes and I've put a few miles on both so thought I would share my impressions and comparisons.Looks: The Scout to me looks like a modern classic. Long and Low, and I love the machining on the cylinders and the graceful sweep of the long tank into the lines of the bike. The street bob in contrast looks more ‘brutal’ but in a disjointed way. For example, the smallish tank and the way it has that gap between the tank and the seat bugs me. And the fork gaiters – well unless you put armor all on them they just end up looking like chalky rubber bits on an otherwise shiny bike. Personally I think the fork gaiters are dumb. The Harley looks more traditionally ‘bobberish’. But IMHO the scout in bobber or traditional dress gets the nod for style. When we are out riding together the Indian gets all the comments.​Engine and drivetrain. You can definitely feel the difference a few hundred cc’s make when rolling on the throttle with the HD versus the Indian. Merging onto the highway is when I most miss the torque of the HD vs the Indian. The scout likes to be revved more, while the HD is content to chugg along at 3k rpm. The shifting of the HD, while not imprecise, definitely has more travel, and is definitely chunkier than the snickety shifting of the Indian. At idle the stock Indian actually has a better sounding, deeper rumble, but at speed the Harley sounds better.Riding impressions. The Indian definitely feels smaller and lighter – because it is. But the HD is surprisingly nimble given how much heavier it is. They are both easy to ride, the Indian is super nimble and fun to ride around town, but at highway speeds I prefer the solid feel of the HD. I don’t like the forward controls and low bar of the scout and much prefer the mini apes and mid controls of the street bob. The throttle response of both is excellent, with no jerkiness or fueling issues that I noticed. I was concerned that the HD would feel hotter by the seat of my pants – being air-cooled. But I haven’t noticed a great difference between the two. I can’t say how they handle curves – I live in Florida and we’ve straightened out the roads decades ago.Fit and finish: I don’t think you can go wrong with either one. Beautiful paint, no exposed wires. I do prefer the spoked wheels of the street bob vs. the cast wheels of the Scout. But the scout in the willow green and ivory paint looks positively stunning.Amenities/value for the money. The scout has a nice flip up locking gas cap. The street bob has a plain jane chrome non-locking cap. I like the small digital gauge integrated into the handlebar riser of the street bob, but the analog speedo on the scout looks good too. The HD also has an integrated alarm, and keyless ignition, in addition to a steering column lock. I LOVE the keyless ignition. I keep the key fob in my jacket and it’s awesome not having to plug in a key. Just walk up to the bike, thumb the starter and go! The HD also has an actual fuel gauge and not just a low fuel light. The HD also has an LED headlamp whereas the Scout does not.Overall I think both of these bikes are a fantastic value. The HD is more – but you get more engine and more convenience touches, like the keyless entry, alarm, fuel gauge, and led headlamp. On the other hand the scout is the best looking cruiser out there – at any price, and you get a lot of bike for your money. I don’t think you could go wrong with either one! via /r/motorcycles https://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/f92w88/indian_scout_vs_hd_softail_street_bob_i_own_both/?utm_source=ifttt