Indian Scout Bobber (2018+, including Twenty and Sixty) Maintenance Schedule

This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the Indian Scout Bobber, one of the most popular motorcycles out of the revitalised Indian brand in recent years.

The Indian Scout Bobber uses the same basic platform as the Indian Scout, but lower, sleeker, and somehow just a lot cooler. The Scout Bobber has a 1133cc water-cooled V-twin that produces around 100hp, revving quite high for a cruiser.

Unlike the Scout, the Scout Bobber has handlebars that are a bit lower and closer, mid controls (still quite far forward compared to e.g. a Bonneville), lower rear suspension (two inches of travel rather than three), and of course, a single seat with no rear seat, much less a rear rest.

The Scout Bobber also comes in two other configurations:

• Scout Bobber Twenty: basically the same bike but with taller handlebars so you’re not quite so folded over
• Scout Bobber Sixty: smaller motor (and slightly less power), and some downgraded components

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What you need to service your Indian Scout Bobber

Servicing your Indian Scout Bobber may seem intimidating if it’s your first bike (not an uncommon occurrence!) but it’s not hard. You should regularly change the oil and filter, and check and adjust the belt tension at a minimum.

Part	Indian Scout Bobber spec
Engine Oil	Indian recommends “Indian motorcycles Synthetic Blend 15W-60 Engine Oil for your motorcycle”. This is an oil that meets API SM and ILSAC GF-4, and JASO MA specifications and that’s 15W-60 in weight. Your best bet is an Indian Scout Oil Change Kit, which includes an oil filter.
Oil filter	Change the oil filter every time you change the oil. An oil filter is included with the oil change kit, or you can separately get a Hiflofiltro part number HF199.
Belt tension	Check the belt tension regularly with a belt tension tool and adjust if necessary.
Air filter	You need to change the air filter every 10,000 miles (16,000 km). The part number is PL-1115.
Spark plugs	Change spark plugs periodically with an NGK MR7F with an 0.030 inch (0.80 mm) gap (you might need a spark plug gapping tool)
Battery	Dead battery? Replace it with a 12 volt, 13 amp-hour, 245+ CCA maintenance-free AGM, e.g. Yuasa YTX14AH-BS, used in many high-end motorcycles.
Light bulb	Standard headlight bulb size HB2 60/55W 12V LL.

Maintenance Schedule for the Indian Scout Bobber

This is the maintenance schedule for the Indian Scout Bobber, just reformatted slightly to make it easier to read.

Generally, inspect, clean, lubricate, adjust and replace parts as necessary. When inspection reveals the need for replacement parts or components, Indian recommends you use genuine Indian Motorcycle parts.

Record service and maintenance information in the “Maintenance Log” in your manual.

Notes:

• The maintenance schedule goes until 50K miles (80K km) as some items only need very infrequent service
• If you subject your motorcycle to “extreme use”, inspect and service it more frequently. “Severe use” includes: 1. high-speed operation for extended periods, 2. low-speed operation for extended periods, 3. operation in dusty or otherwise adverse conditions, and 4. operation in cold weather (temperatures below freezing).

Maintenance table key:

• I: Inspect (tighten, clean, adjust, correct or replace if necessary)
• R: Replace/Rebuild
• L: Lubricate with proper lubricant as directed
• P: Perform
• *: Replace at specified interval, or annually if driven in extreme conditions.
• **: Replace at specified interval or every 2 years

Engine maintenance

‘000 Miles	0.5	2.5	5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50
‘000 km	0.8	4	8	16	24	32	40	48	56	65	72	80
Air Filter		I	I	R	I	R	I	R	I	R	I	R
Crankcase Ventilation System	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Cooling System / Radiator	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Drive Belt	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	R	I	I	I	I
Engine Compression				I		I		I		I		I
Engine Mount Fasteners	I
Engine Oil*	R			R		R		R		R		R
Engine Oil Filter*	R			R		R		R		R		R
Evaporative Emission Control System (CA. Only)	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Check and re-torque all sealed exhaust joints	P			P		P		P		P		P
Exhaust Heat Shield Worm Clamps	I
Fuel Filter							R					R
Fuel System	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Oil Lines / Oil System Inspection	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Spark Plugs				I		I		R		I		I
Engine Coolant	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	R
Valve Lash Clearance						I				I

Chassis maintenance

‘000 Miles	0.5	2.5	5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50
‘000 km	0.8	4	8	16	24	32	40	48	56	65	72	80
Battery	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Brake Fluid**	I	I	I	R	I	R	I	R	I	R	I	R
Brake Pads	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Clutch Lever	L		I	L	I	L	I	L	I	L	I	L
Control Cable Ends	I		I	L	I	L	I	L	I	L	I	L
Fasteners	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Front Brake Lever	L	I	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L
Front Fork Oil**	I		I	I	R	I	I	R	I	I	R	I
Front Forks and Front Axle	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Gear Shift Pedal	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Head Light	I	I		I		I		I		I		I
Rear Brake Pedal	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Rear Shock Absorber	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	R
Rear Wheel Alignment	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Road Test	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
Sidestand / Sidestand Safety Switch	L	I	L	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Steering Bearings	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Shock Bushings and Fasteners	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Swing Arm, Rear Axle, Swing Arm Pivot, and Pivot Bearings	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I
Tires / Wheels	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I	I

Tyre sizes and pressures

The Indian Scout Bobber ships with the following tyre sizes and recommended pressures. The standard tyre is a Pirelli MT60RS.

Wheel	Tyre size	Tyre pressure (cold)
Front	130/90B16 67H	36 psi (248 kPa)
Rear	150/80B16 77H	40 psi (276 kPa)

The recommended tyre pressures are the same for the standard Scout Bobber, Twenty, and Sixty, and are the same recommended pressures with any load, with or without a passenger. (J/k it’s a bobber…)

Of course, recommended tyre pressures are often to minimise tyre wear and associated expense, so find the ideal pressure for your weight and ride style.

About the Indian Scout Bobber

The Indian Scout had already been successful for a few years before Indian Motorcycles decided to release the Indian Scout Bobber for the 2018 model year.

The basic platform for the Indian Scout is unchanged. It’s still powered by a 1133cc liquid-cooled eight-valve 60-degree V-twin that makes a claimed 94 hp (70kW) at the crank, and 97 Nm (130 ft-lb) at 5,600 rpm. There’s a six-speed transmission and a belt drive.

All that is for a motorcycle that weighs a pretty heavy (but also pretty reasonable for a cruiser) 255kg wet — I think of this as “quite a lot more than a similarly-powered Triumph Bonneville Bobber, but not as much as a much slower Harley-Davidson Iron 883″.

The Scout’s engine is quite fun to use, making this a good transition bike for sportbike riders who want to try a cruiser. Normally, if you’re used to sportbikes, you might be frustrated with bigger cruisers’ inability to rev. The Scout Bobber’s engine does rev nicely to 7000 rpm, so while you’re not going to the moon, you won’t feel like it’s “choking” as you might feel on other bikes.

Differences for the Indian Scout Bobber vs the original are

• Mid-control foot-begs (38mm closer)
• Flatter handlebar
• Solo seat, no rear seat/grab rail
• Shorter 50mm/2 inches rear suspension (vs 75/3 inches)

The riding position of the Scout Bobber is aesthetically cool-looking, but a little difficult for distance. There’s no escaping the fact that with the low handlebars and mid controls you’re quite folded over.

Still, people really enjoy the Scout Bobber for medium distances, and you can even get saddlebags for it… though they look more at home on the original Indian Scout.

Suspension on the Indian Scout Bobber is quite minimal. The standard (right-side-up) cartridge forks are non-adjustable, and the rear twin shocks are preload-adjustable with just 50mm (2 inches) of travel. So don’t go planning on doing any jumps with it.

The low suspension also means it’s quite easy to scrape the Indian Scout Bobber. Going around a freeway on-ramp somewhat aggressively or doing a quick left-hand turn at an intersection will result in you making contact. Because the motorcycle is low, you have to lean it more to turn it… so it’s a catch-22 in that regard.

Maintaining the Indian Scout Bobber is quite easy. There’s a belt drive, so you have to check the tension and make adjustments periodically. Valve service intervals are quite wide — every 20,000 miles or 30,000 km, which is in the same territory as other modern Japanese and European water-cooled motorcycles.

Variants of the Indian Scout Bobber are

• Scout Bobber Twenty: Named for the first Indian Scout in 1920 (and this one, released in 2020). Has 10-inch “ape-hanger” bars. This transforms the riding position into kind of like a standard (like a Bonneville with your feet slightly forward), and standard low-slung rear-view mirrors (which are actually unusable in practise… your fore-arms are always in the way)
• Scout Bobber Sixty: Named for the 60-cubic inch engine that’s slightly lower-power. Has a five-speed transmission and a lower price. Has otherwise the same chassis and ergonomics as the Scout Bobber, and pretty much the same weight.

Manual for the Indian Scout Bobber

The above maintenance schedule was transcribed from the manual for the Indian Scout Bobber, which it shares with the Scout Bobber Twenty and Scout Bobber Sixty. You can get the original manual from Indian’s website, here.