2025 Indian Scout 1250 Maintenance Schedule and Notes

This is the maintenance schedule for the 2025 Indian Scout, informally called the Indian Scout 1250 to differentiate it from the earlier generation of Scouts.

The 2025 Indian Scout is a reinvigoration of the original Indian Scout model, which was already a hit for being a high-power middleweight cruiser with relatively low weight, good handling, and great looks — all for a cruiser (although the looks are pretty universally recognised).

The core of the 2025 Indian Scout (all models) is a liquid-cooled 1250 cc (76 ci) 60-degree V-twin. It’s of a DOHC design with four valves per cylinder, and makes healthy peak power of 77-82 kW (105-111 hp) at 7250 rpm (depending on the model), with peak torque of 109 Nm / 82 lb-ft at 6300 rpm, all running on 91 octane fuel.

The final drive is via a 6-speed transmission and a belt drive.

Indian released a plethora of models based on the same engine, chassis, and drivetrain, though prescribed maintenance for all of them is the same.

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2025 Indian Scout 1250 Service Intervals

Overall, the 2025-onward Scout 1250 range has service intervals of 5000 miles or 8000 km at which point Indian recommends you check over a whole bunch of items (in the inspection checklist below).

Oil change service intervals are every 10000 miles / 16000 km or year. At the same time, change the oil filter and air filter. (But inspect the air filter between oil changes.)

The most surprising aspect of the Indian Scout 1250’s maintenance schedule is that the major service — the valve service — is every 40000 miles or 64000 km. This puts the service intervals of the Scout 1250 in the same rarefied heights as that of the Ducati Diavel V4.

At the major service, you also change the spark plugs and check the compression.

You still need to periodically change the brake fluid, and Indian even specifies a time-based service interval for changing the fork seals (2 years, too).

Surprisingly, there’s no recommended schedule for changing the coolant.

Finally, the drive is a belt, so that at least requires little maintenance other than checking its condition.

2025 Indian Scout 1250 Maintenance Schedule

Below is the maintenance schedule for the Indian Scout 1250.

It’s broken into two sections:

1. The service schedule of main items (oil changes, valve clearance checks and so on)
2. The regular inspection checklist to be done at every service per the schedule below (distance interval only — Indian doesn’t require you to do it every year).

Service Schedule

This is the “major items” service schedule. Follow the earlier of time-based or distance-based service intervals.

mi x 1000	0.5	2.5	5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40
km x 1000	0.8	4	8	16	24	32	40	48	56	64	Every
Inspection checklist (below) — Perform all items	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Engine oil — Replace (SAE 15W60, included in the Indian Oil Change Kit)	✓			✓		✓		✓		✓	Year
Oil filter — Replace (included in kit)	✓			✓		✓		✓		✓	Year
Air filter — Inspect			✓		✓		✓		✓
Air filter — Replace				✓		✓		✓		✓
Brake fluid — Replace (Castrol DOT 4)				✓		✓		✓		✓	2 years
Headlight — Inspect, adjust height	✓		✓	✓		✓		✓		✓
Exhaust joints — Check and re-torque	✓		✓	✓		✓		✓		✓
Front fork oil / seals — Replace					✓			✓			2 years
Fuel filter — Replace							✓
Drive belt — Replace								✓
Spark plugs — Replace (NGK LZMAR8CI-10) Torque spark plugs to 12 Nm / 9 lb-ft										✓
Valve lash clearance — Inspect / Adjust										✓
Engine compression — Inspect										✓
Rear shock, bushing, and fasteners — Replace										✓
Engine mount fasteners. Inspect	✓										First service only, optional later

Inspection checklist

Below is the inspection checklist for the Scout 1250. Do these checks per the schedule above.

2025 Indian Scout 1250 — Inspection Checklist
Crankcase ventilation system — Inspect
Cooling system / Radiator — Inspect
Drive belt — Inspect
Evaporative emission control system — Inspect (if fitted)
Fuel system — Inspect
Engine coolant — Inspect
Battery — Inspect
Brake fluid — Inspect
Brake pads — Inspect condition and wear level
Clutch lever and cable — Inspect, adjust free play, lubricate
Fasteners — Inspect, tighten as necessary
Brake lever / pedal — Lubricate
Front forks and axle — Inspect condition
Gear shift lever — Lubricate
Rear shock, bushing, and fasteners — Inspect
Rear wheel alignment — Inspect
Road test — Perform
Side stand / safety switch. Lubricate, past 5000 km inspect and lube as necessary
Steering bearings — Inspect
Swing Arm, Rear Axle, Swing Arm Pivot, and Pivot Bearings — Inspect
Tires / wheels — Inspect

Drive belt maintenance

While drive belts are lower maintenance than chains, you do still need to check its condition, clean it, check the tension, and occasionally replace it (per the schedule above).

Cleaning a belt is easy — use a soft nylon brush with warm water and just a few drops of mild dish soap in it. You brush it, then rinse it dry, and let it dry. It’s more forgiving than a chain as you don’t have to lube it.

Check the belt condition by looking for damage on the belt. Look for cracks, missing teeth, or wear of the hooks.

Checking the drive belt deflection

To check the belt deflection on the Scout 1250, put a jack underneath the engine case, avoiding the oil drain plug, and lift the bike until the front wheel is off the ground. Stabilise the bike with tie-down straps. Lift the rear wheel.

Place a ruler or tape measure at the drive belt, in a spot halfway along it. Use a 10 lb (4.5 kg) belt tension gauge to push the drive belt up and measure the deflection.

Measure the deflection at multiple points along the belt, moving it by rotating the rear wheel.

Target belt deflection for the Indian Scout 1250: 12 mm / 15/32 in

If the belt deflects more, then you need to adjust it.

Adjusting belt tension.

Follow these steps to adjust belt tension.

• Loosen the axle nut completely, then re-tighten it slightly (20 Nm / 15 lb-ft)
• Turn the adjuster nut on the left side to get to the right tension.

• Rotate the wheel backwards, then tighten the right side adjuster until the drive belt comes off the inside sprocket flange during backward feel rotation, becoming centred on the pulley.

• Rotate the wheel forward, and ensure that the belt is still aligned.
• Tighten the axle to 88 Nm / 65 lb-ft

Check to make sure the tension is still correct and the belt is still aligned, and lower the motorcycle.

Maintenance torque values

The manual for the 2025 Indian Scout 1250 mentions torque values for key items sporadically throughout the document. Here they are in one list.

Item	Metric	Imperial
Oil drain plug	20 Nm	15 lb-ft
Spark plugs	12 Nm	9 lb-ft
Shift-rod jam nut	10 Nm	88 lb-in
Air filter cover	1.6 Nm	14 in-lb
Tank console fasteners	10 Nm	88 lb-in
Rear fuel tank fasteners	24 Nm	18 lb-ft
Rear axle nut	88 Nm	65 lb-ft
Clutch cable screw, nut	1.5 Nm, 5.5 Nm	13 lb-in, 49 lb-in
Brake pedal jam nut	9 Nm	80 lb-in
Rear brake fluid cover	1.5 Nm	13 lb-in
Front brake lever screw, nut	0.5-1.5 Nm, 5-7 Nm	4-13 in-lb, 44-62 lb-in
Front brake fluid coer	1.5 Nm	13 lb-in
Front wheel axle bolt	70 Nm	52 lb-ft
Fork pinch bolts	25 Nm	18 lb-ft
Caliper bolts (101 Scout model)	45 Nm	33 lb-ft
Fairing mount screws	10 Nm	84 lb-in
Headlight adjustment bolt (vertical)	47.5 Nm	35 lb-ft
Headlight mounting bolt (horizontal)	24.4 Nm	18 lb-ft
Battery terminals	5 Nm	44 lb-in
Battery terminal cover bolts	4 Nm	35 lb-in

Tire / Wheel Sizes

The Indian Scout 1250 lineup has different-sized front tyres depending on the model. These are all detailed below.

Model	Wheel sizes (Front, Rear)	Tire size (Front, Rear)	Recommended tire
Classic	16 x 3.5, 19 x 3.5	130/90 B16, 150/80 B16	Pirelli Night Dragon, Kendra K673
Super	16 x 3.5, 19 x 3.5	130/90 B16, 150/80 B16	Pirelli MT60RS, Kenda K673
Bobber	16 x 3.5, 19 x 3.5	130/90 B16, 150/80 B16	Pirelli MT60RS, Kenda K673
Sport	19 x 3.5, 16 x 3.5	130/60 B19, 150/80 B16	Metzeler Cruisetec
101	19 x 3.5, 16 x 3.5	130/60 B19, 150/80 B16	Metzeler Cruisetec

But the manual recommends the same tire pressure for all tires cold. Use these as a starting point and adjust them depending on your load, ride style, and comfort preferences. (Note that different pressures will affect not just wear but also handling and fuel economy.)

Wheel	Tire pressure (cold)
Front	36 psi / 248 kPa / 2.48 bar
Rear	40 psi / 276 kPa / 2.76 bar

About the 2025 Indian Scout 1250

The 2025 Indian Scout is a significant upgrade in a number of ways on the original Scout, particularly in the high-spec 101 Scout — which we’ll get to in a second.

The Scout is still Indian’s flagship “small capacity” cruiser. It’s small capacity for a cruiser — this is still a large-capacity bike, with a thumping V-twin now in 1250 cc (up from 1133 for the 2015-2024 model years).

But the Scout is known as the pretender to the crown of the Harley-Davidson Sportster, particularly the Iron 1200, as the all-American entry-level good-looking cruiser. They’re both good-looking bikes, and Harley-Davidson has a much more consistent history of being an American brand, but the Scout trounces the Sportster in power and handling. Anyway, the air-cooled Evo Sportster is no more, and maybe the Scout is part of the reason why Harley-Davidson created the Sportster S.

Let’s look at how the original (Polaris-era) Scout differs from the Scout 1250.

Item	Scout (2015-2024)	Scout (2025+)	Notes
Engine capacity	1133 cc / 69 ci	1250 cc / 76 ci	Much bigger step
Bore x Stroke	99 x 73.6 mm	104 x 73.6 mm	5mm wider bore, more oversquare (short-stroke) engine
Compression ratio	10.7:1	12.5:1	Much higher compression. But both bikes need 91 octane ((R+M)/2) / 95 RON
Peak power	75 kW / 100 hp @ ~7500 rpm	105 hp / 79 kW (base trims)	Original scout peak power rpm from dyno charts. 2025 scout rpm unknown (but probably high in the rev range)
Peak torque	98 Nm / 72 lb-ft @ 5900 rpm	108 Nm / 80 lb-ft @ 6300 rpm	More torque, higher up

The core change, of course, is the engine. But Indian also upgraded the tech level, giving most trims (other than base) cruise control and traction control, and even an optional “Ride Command” touch-screen TFT display.

The jewel in the crown of the lineup is the top-spec 101 Scout, named after the first Scout that Indian produced many decades ago. The 101 Scout gets slightly more engine power output (82 kW / 111 hp), plus an inverted fork and twin disc brakes, plus general all-round good looks that anyone would be hard to deny.

Yes, the 101 Scout is the sportiest of the lineup, even more so than the “Sport Scout”.

Also, Indian is releasing mid-mounted pegs as an option, since so many customers requested it.

In terms of maintenance, Indian hasn’t just massively extended the valve service intervals, but also made it easier — the valve covers can be removed from the side of the bike. So you don’t have to remove the tank and a lot of obstructions like you do on the earlier Scout (and most motorcycles).

A word on the long 40000 mile / 64000 km valve service intervals. In my book, this is effectively “never” for a couple of reasons:

1. Most people don’t own bikes for that long, or ever put that mileage on them. Even die-hard riders who do tons of mileage often have multiple bikes.
2. When it’s that wide, the valve service interval is effectively “as needed”. All motorcycles — even those with hydraulic lifters — can need attention to the valves.
3. Since you have to check/replace the spark plugs at that point anyway, and the valve covers come off easily, the inspection service isn’t that much more work.

However, since the Scout 1250 has a DOHC design, I don’t know if you can adjust the valve clearances without removing more things. The shop manual has to come out for that to become clear.

Reference — Manual Screenshots

The above came from the manual for the 2025 Indian Scout 1250, with some parts coming from online catalogues.

Below are screenshots from the maintenance section of the manual for reference to check against the above.

You can get the manuals for Indian motorcycles online here.