Indian Scout Project Gets a Windshield

WRIST: Brian Hatano
MSRP (2015): $11,299
MILES: 3,741
MPG: 43
MODS: Short windshield
UPDATE: 4

Not long after the first scheduled service was completed last month, a box showed up at the office. The shipping label said it was from Indian Motorcycle, and I knew that 3,000 miles of unmanaged wind-in-my-face cruising was about to change. The Scout windshield I requested had arrived.

While the aftermarket is just beginning to offer Scout-specific accessories, Indian’s website (indianmotorcycle.com) already has a full assortment of goods on virtual display, including saddlebags, passenger pillion, crashbar, backrests, and a 50-state-legal slip-on exhaust that is next on the to-do list. Also available are extended- and reduced-reach controls, handlebars, and seats that I’ll be experimenting with in the near future. The Scout comes factory equipped with the medium combination of bar, seat, and controls, which makes an almost perfect arrangement for my 5-foot-9 height.

Indian has a trio of windshields for the Scout that, like the controls and bars, is sized for three groups of riders: short, mid (3 inches taller than the short), and tall (3 inches taller than the mid). I’m not particularly fond of windshields on cruisers, but I was sure that adding one to the Scout would up the quality of my daily ride not to mention any future day or weekend runs involving long stints on the highway. I opted for the short shield ($450…gulp) in hopes that it would provide sufficient wind deflection while not detracting from the Scout’s lines.

Credit Indian’s design team for creating a windshield that attaches quickly and easily and detaches even easier without leaving behind any brackets or docking hardware. The windshield comes ready to install by way of a clip-on/strap-on system that is so simple that I didn’t even have to unfold the instruction sheet. The shield has brackets that clip securely onto the handlebar and lock around the bar using an Allen wrench (included). As you pivot the windshield into position, rubber straps wrap around the left and right fork tube to hold the assembly in place.

The quick-release shield, which is low enough that I can see over it, does an adequate job of deflecting the brunt of oncoming wind over the top of my helmet, and while there is some turbulence coming around the sides of the shield in the 70–80 mph range, both noise and buffeting are noticeably improved. The shield is also stable at those speeds (and higher). No shaking or vibration.