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This Gorgeous, Award-Winning Cruiser Just Got Even Closer to Perfect

The low-slung superstar positively oozes West Coast custom style — now it has a game-changing built-in accessory to boot.

Red Indian motorcycle fuel tank with black detailing and logo, showing part of the engine and handlebars.Indian Motorcycle
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By Steve Mazzucchi

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Sometimes a product is pretty dang fantastic right out of the gate. Such is the case with the modern Indian Scout motorcycle. 

After all, the middleweight cruiser’s 2024 reboot — complete with five different variants — was such a hit that it landed on the GP100, celebrating the year’s most impactful new products. 

Red and black Indian motorcycle with a front fairing and rear storage box parked on pavement.
One of the coolest things about the new Scouts is that they rock a super-dialed, custom-looking aesthetic right out of the gate. The new Sport Scout RT is no exception.
Indian Motorcycle

This year, the brand wisely did not mess with success. It did, however, introduce a new treatment with an upgrade that brings it just a bit closer to perfection. 

Meet the 2026 Sport Scout RT. And believe me, I’m as surprised as anyone at what a difference a couple of saddlebags can make.

Gotta bag it up

Among the liveliest bikes in the lineup, the Sport Scout might actually be the one I enjoyed testing the most at the launch event in Northern California last year. Heck, I called it “just plain fun as hell.”

The six-inch moto-style risers put you in a more engaged riding position, the quarter fairing cuts through wind like a blade, and the power mullet of a 19-inch front wheel and 16-inch rear wheel let you flick the bike’s 528 pounds around with reckless abandon. 

Close-up of a red Indian motorcycle front with black windshield, round headlight, and orange turn signals.
The wind-cutting, café racer-style quarter fairing appears on only the most aggressively styled variants, the Sport Scout and the Scout 101.
Indian Motorcycle

The new RT ups the ante with all the bells and whistles top-line Scouts offer (more on that later), plus the aforementioned saddlebags, which are waterproof, lockable and provide 10 gallons of storage space.

While I have not ridden this bike, I have ridden the Sport Chief RT, which launched early this year with very similar bags. 

Red hard saddlebags attached to the rear sides of a black motorcycle with a red and black rear fender.
Waterproof and locking, the saddlebags provide ample storage for plenty of gear, including half helmets.
Indian Motorcycle

Testing it was a blast in many ways, but the bags were the biggest game-changer. While they don’t have room for a full-face helmet, they can definitely fit a half helmet, and the vibe of both bikes kind of leans toward that style. 

Spending quality time with it in New York City, I realized how much easier it is to operate in an urban environment with built-in storage for a helmet, gloves, an extra layer and anything else the day or night happens to demand. 

Red Indian motorcycle with black exhaust pipes and saddlebags parked on a gravel surface.
It may be hard to tell from the photos, but in my experience with the Sport Chief RT, these saddlebags are pretty slim. When navigating gnarly traffic, pretty much any space your bars can fit through, your bags can fit through.
Indian Motorcycle

What’s even cooler is that I could stash an extra helmet in the bags when riding out to social gatherings. In just a couple of weeks, I was able to give a longtime friend and a brand-new one a surprise high-octane ride home, and both women were thrilled. 

The main takeaway here is that this small addition got me thinking about riding in a new way while removing some hassles and simply making me want to saddle up more. Which to me says the upgrade’s goal is unquestionably achieved.  

Top o’ the line

As mentioned above, the RT is essentially the highest trim level Scout you can get, so it boasts all the electronic goodies of any Limited +Tech package bike.

That means three ride modes, traction control, cruise control and ABS, plus all-around LED lighting, keyless ignition, a USB charging port and Indian’s Ride Command system, accessible via the retro-styled 4-inch touchscreen TFT display. 

Gray and black Indian motorcycle with saddlebags parked on concrete near a chain-link fence.
The Sunset Red Metallic paint scheme really pops, but the bike is also available in Black Smoke and Chalk (above), for those of us looking to keep the profile a bit lower.
Indian Motorcycle

While I have had some beefs with this built-in nav system in the past, I have to say that my experience was much better on the Sport Chief RT.

Heck, it successfully directed me to the US Open in Queens, the Indian dealership in White Plains and a café in Brooklyn (with one small hiccup), so I won’t demand they switch to CarPlay just yet.

Black Indian motorcycle with matte finish and hard saddlebags parked under a bridge with a rider in black gear and helmet.
As seen on the Black Smoke edition, that analog-looking gauge above the tank is in fact the TFT display, offering a nice throwback vibe alongside modern functionality.
Indian Motorcycle

Of course, the beating heart of the whole operation remains unchanged from the big Scout rollout last year: the absolute beast that is the SpeedPlus 1250 V-Twin engine. 

Since it makes an adrenaline-pumping 105 horsepower at 7,250 rpm and 82 lb-ft. of torque at 6,300 rpm, I highly doubt you’ll be left wanting for power or acceleration, from city streets to six-lane highways.

I sure never have been, anyway. 

Availability and pricing

Available in three paint schemes — Black Smoke, Chalk and Sunset Red Metallic — the 2026 Indian Sport Scout RT starts at $16,999.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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