I recently purchased and fitted the Darkscout Suspension Kit from Prop Engineering in Australia. I did the rear springs myself and had the front springs and oil professionally done at a local motorcycle suspension specialist. I thought I would do an in-depth review and follow up with a Youtube video the same effect when I have the time to record one.
Rear Shock
First impressions: When I first got the kit I only had the back springs fitted (as I had to book to have the fronts done in a couple of weeks). Immediately I could notice how much better the rear of the bike was with the new suspension on there, I was no longer jarring my back as soon as I hit the smallest pothole and overall the ride seemed smoother and less like I was sitting and bracing for whenever the next bump would be...
Adjustability: Darkscout has made it very easy to adjust the rear shock to suit your weight/preferences. There are a total of 6 settings for the preload which lets you set your sag. Overall I find that cranking the preload to the 3rd option works best for my weight. I weigh around 80kg with full gear, give or take 5kg depending on the extend of the gear I am wearing, I also have a rear seat, backrest and two saddlebags fitted on the bike. I think for 1 up riding this shock is going to have good preload settings for most riders that aren't pushing 120kg+ (and if they are, then maybe a scout isn't the bike for them anyway!)
Now another adjustability setting on the rear spring is the rebound dampening. I'm not going to lie, I don't fully understand this setting or how it affects the ride. I kind of get it, but for me I haven't found it super apparent between the different settings. There are 4 different settings for the rebound dampening. 1 being the smallest amount and 4 being the largest amount of damping. I currently ride on setting number 3 and find the bike to be pretty comfortable when going over a bump. To be honest I wouldn't mind cranking it up to 4 if I was going on a long straight ride, but if I was hitting the twisteys, I'd probably pull it back to setting 1 so that the shock comes back out quicker. Like I said, I don't fully understand this setting yet, but it does seem helpful in reducing how much you feel the "buck" of bumps.
Comfort: I've been riding with this new shock for the good part of a month now and I am very very happy with it. Compared to stock (2016 scout) I find the bike handles the roads a lot better, and it no longer feels like a chore to ride my bike. I was getting lumbar pain with the stock suspension and I found this + reduced reach bars have dramatically helped with reducing that. So long as I stretch before a ride, I no longer get any pain/discomfort when riding.
Front Shock
First Impressions: You really don't realise just how bad the front of this bike is until you have put a good spring on the back. As I did the back before the front, it became immediately apparent why DarkScout recommends doing the front alongside the back on the suspension... With the stock springs, the front felt too bouncy, too low and somewhat scary mid corner if you hit a bump, throwing off your line. Immediately after having it replaced with the DS springs and 20WT oil (and air gap set for my weight) the front handled beautifully! I feel like I'm back riding a sports bike, I've been leaning forward and really enjoying putting the bike through its paces. Hitting a bump mid corner no longer feels like a dance with death and the bike seems a lot more stable in general. Even braking on the new springs feels better. The nose doesn't dive as hard and as a result the rebound from braking isn't as rough.
Adjustability: As this is only a front spring kit, the adjustability isn't amazing. Setting the air gap and using the spacers that have been provided will allow you to set up the bike correctly for your weight which should be good enough for solo riders. The only time I find this kind of detrimental is when I chuck the fiancé on the back, as we are unable to just turn a lever on the front to account for the added weight (not a big deal though).
Comfort: I think the difference between these springs and stock springs is night and day. Personally for me this is the perfect setup for the bike. When I first bought the bike and had stock springs, cornering was not fun, now it is the best part of each ride! I love these springs and the overall comfort has improved tenfold.
Two up riding
First Impressions: Let me start by saying that riding an Indian Scout two up with the STOCK suspension setup is absolutely unbearable. The rear shock bottoms out, the front end sits too low and the stock suspension overall just does not want you to have a pillion on the back. My fiancé and I both had bad back pain after riding on the stock springs together, as each bump would cause the springs to bottom out and the whole bike would shake. Now after replacing these with the DarkScout kit, wow what a world of difference! No more bottoming out, no more shaking bike, just a smooth ride all round! My fiancé instantly noticed the difference and is much much happier on the back.
Adjustability: Adjusting the ride for two up is very easy. I crank the rear spring up to their max pre-load setting of 6 and the sag is pretty much perfect for our combined weight (around 135kg fully geared). The front feels a bit soft with all of our weight on it (as it's set up for me solo), but it's still a huge improvement over stock that makes sunday cruises with a pillion a fun event instead of a painstaking venture. I'd say if you're pushing over 150kg for you and your pillion this setup might not be for you, but it will still be much better than stock and I'm not sure of any springs for the scout that would provide a better experience. As the DarkScout kit has the preload settings very easy to adjust, setting up the bike for our two up only takes about 3 minutes including the time to remove and re fit the rear saddlebags (quick release). The rebound damping is good, although I think cranking it up to setting #4 would be beneficial for two up riding. I should also mention that adjusting the rebound damping is also a very quick job, it's literally just turning a nozzle with your fingers.
Comfort: Very good. We've previously ridden together on a Triumph Tiger 800 and I'd say the suspension on that bike was pretty much perfect for two up riding. I'd say the DarkScout kit matches or exceeds that level of comfort in the rear spring, and is about on par in the front. Compared to stock, the DS kit blows it out of the water. If you plan to ride two up on a scout, I highly recommend saving yourself a lot of pain (literally) and grabbing this kit! My fiancé is happy on the back and I'm happy with the handling of the bike when she is sitting up there. 9/10.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I feel that the suspension kit is a necessary improvement for the Scout. Someone mentioned that you should factor in the price of a suspension kit when purchasing an Indian Scout, I find this to be true. The price is a bit steep, but if you consider how unrideable the bike is without this kit (especially the older models without the updated suspension) it is a necessary and good purchase. I'm very very happy with this suspension kit and can't imagine going back to the stock setup now. I would recommend this purchase the anyone and everyone with an older scout (not sure what year they updated the suspension, 2018 maybe?). DarkScout was VERY helpful with the setup and ordering process. Some of the best customer service I have had in years.
Rear Shock
First impressions: When I first got the kit I only had the back springs fitted (as I had to book to have the fronts done in a couple of weeks). Immediately I could notice how much better the rear of the bike was with the new suspension on there, I was no longer jarring my back as soon as I hit the smallest pothole and overall the ride seemed smoother and less like I was sitting and bracing for whenever the next bump would be...
Adjustability: Darkscout has made it very easy to adjust the rear shock to suit your weight/preferences. There are a total of 6 settings for the preload which lets you set your sag. Overall I find that cranking the preload to the 3rd option works best for my weight. I weigh around 80kg with full gear, give or take 5kg depending on the extend of the gear I am wearing, I also have a rear seat, backrest and two saddlebags fitted on the bike. I think for 1 up riding this shock is going to have good preload settings for most riders that aren't pushing 120kg+ (and if they are, then maybe a scout isn't the bike for them anyway!)
Now another adjustability setting on the rear spring is the rebound dampening. I'm not going to lie, I don't fully understand this setting or how it affects the ride. I kind of get it, but for me I haven't found it super apparent between the different settings. There are 4 different settings for the rebound dampening. 1 being the smallest amount and 4 being the largest amount of damping. I currently ride on setting number 3 and find the bike to be pretty comfortable when going over a bump. To be honest I wouldn't mind cranking it up to 4 if I was going on a long straight ride, but if I was hitting the twisteys, I'd probably pull it back to setting 1 so that the shock comes back out quicker. Like I said, I don't fully understand this setting yet, but it does seem helpful in reducing how much you feel the "buck" of bumps.
Comfort: I've been riding with this new shock for the good part of a month now and I am very very happy with it. Compared to stock (2016 scout) I find the bike handles the roads a lot better, and it no longer feels like a chore to ride my bike. I was getting lumbar pain with the stock suspension and I found this + reduced reach bars have dramatically helped with reducing that. So long as I stretch before a ride, I no longer get any pain/discomfort when riding.
Front Shock
First Impressions: You really don't realise just how bad the front of this bike is until you have put a good spring on the back. As I did the back before the front, it became immediately apparent why DarkScout recommends doing the front alongside the back on the suspension... With the stock springs, the front felt too bouncy, too low and somewhat scary mid corner if you hit a bump, throwing off your line. Immediately after having it replaced with the DS springs and 20WT oil (and air gap set for my weight) the front handled beautifully! I feel like I'm back riding a sports bike, I've been leaning forward and really enjoying putting the bike through its paces. Hitting a bump mid corner no longer feels like a dance with death and the bike seems a lot more stable in general. Even braking on the new springs feels better. The nose doesn't dive as hard and as a result the rebound from braking isn't as rough.
Adjustability: As this is only a front spring kit, the adjustability isn't amazing. Setting the air gap and using the spacers that have been provided will allow you to set up the bike correctly for your weight which should be good enough for solo riders. The only time I find this kind of detrimental is when I chuck the fiancé on the back, as we are unable to just turn a lever on the front to account for the added weight (not a big deal though).
Comfort: I think the difference between these springs and stock springs is night and day. Personally for me this is the perfect setup for the bike. When I first bought the bike and had stock springs, cornering was not fun, now it is the best part of each ride! I love these springs and the overall comfort has improved tenfold.
Two up riding
First Impressions: Let me start by saying that riding an Indian Scout two up with the STOCK suspension setup is absolutely unbearable. The rear shock bottoms out, the front end sits too low and the stock suspension overall just does not want you to have a pillion on the back. My fiancé and I both had bad back pain after riding on the stock springs together, as each bump would cause the springs to bottom out and the whole bike would shake. Now after replacing these with the DarkScout kit, wow what a world of difference! No more bottoming out, no more shaking bike, just a smooth ride all round! My fiancé instantly noticed the difference and is much much happier on the back.
Adjustability: Adjusting the ride for two up is very easy. I crank the rear spring up to their max pre-load setting of 6 and the sag is pretty much perfect for our combined weight (around 135kg fully geared). The front feels a bit soft with all of our weight on it (as it's set up for me solo), but it's still a huge improvement over stock that makes sunday cruises with a pillion a fun event instead of a painstaking venture. I'd say if you're pushing over 150kg for you and your pillion this setup might not be for you, but it will still be much better than stock and I'm not sure of any springs for the scout that would provide a better experience. As the DarkScout kit has the preload settings very easy to adjust, setting up the bike for our two up only takes about 3 minutes including the time to remove and re fit the rear saddlebags (quick release). The rebound damping is good, although I think cranking it up to setting #4 would be beneficial for two up riding. I should also mention that adjusting the rebound damping is also a very quick job, it's literally just turning a nozzle with your fingers.
Comfort: Very good. We've previously ridden together on a Triumph Tiger 800 and I'd say the suspension on that bike was pretty much perfect for two up riding. I'd say the DarkScout kit matches or exceeds that level of comfort in the rear spring, and is about on par in the front. Compared to stock, the DS kit blows it out of the water. If you plan to ride two up on a scout, I highly recommend saving yourself a lot of pain (literally) and grabbing this kit! My fiancé is happy on the back and I'm happy with the handling of the bike when she is sitting up there. 9/10.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I feel that the suspension kit is a necessary improvement for the Scout. Someone mentioned that you should factor in the price of a suspension kit when purchasing an Indian Scout, I find this to be true. The price is a bit steep, but if you consider how unrideable the bike is without this kit (especially the older models without the updated suspension) it is a necessary and good purchase. I'm very very happy with this suspension kit and can't imagine going back to the stock setup now. I would recommend this purchase the anyone and everyone with an older scout (not sure what year they updated the suspension, 2018 maybe?). DarkScout was VERY helpful with the setup and ordering process. Some of the best customer service I have had in years.