You should really ride both.
The Scout handles much better, weighs 150 lbs less and has more hp, and is MUCH quicker.

I have owned both bikes, and currently own 2 Scouts.

Amazing bike. Love the versatility, as well.

 

You should really ride both.
The Scout handles much better, weighs 150 lbs less and has more hp, and is MUCH quicker.

I have owned both bikes, and currently own 2 Scouts.

Amazing bike. Love the versatility, as well.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I do wish I could test ride both, but I don't have access to any Dynas, or Scouts unfortunately!

The thing that concerns me a bit with the Scout is it has a fair bit less torque than the Dyna. Having said that, the Scout actually has as much torque as the 96 Fatboy I used to own, which I didn't find to be lacking, so there is that. I guess the concern is with a lot of mountain roads around here, I'd be working the gears more on the Scout...

How did you find the torque difference between the two?

 

Both bikes have plenty of power. I have had my Scout up in the WV mountains and it pulls all the hills just fine even in high gear. I am very surprised by how the bike pulls in high gear, If i'm cruising along is 6th gear at 55mph i can accelerate around a car without down shifting (its more fun to drop a gear though). I would cross power off my list for both bikes and look at other details for your decision.

 

Cool, great to know, thank you. Yes, apart from power and handling I have been considering things like aftermarket parts availability. Obviously that's in favour of the Dyna, but I feel like the Scout has been around long enough now that there are options for all the things I'd do to either bikes - seat, bars, exhaust etc.

 

The Scout is a beautiful daily driver, but it's sneaky fast...

just driving around normally, it's extremely capable, but Scout won't "feel fast" until you get up @ 5000-5500 rpms...

but when you get up there, please hang on tight because it will fkn scream up to 8200rpms with little effort...

In 3rd gear at 7000rpms you will feel a rush that you will never get from a Dyno...

 

Good to know - the versatility of the bike is a key factor for me. I'm looking to get a cruiser that's good for a daily drive, but also for twistys on a weekend, with a bit of highway mixed in.

I was looking at Vrods too, but by all accounts the Scout has similar power/weight ratios but also handles better...

 

You’re coming off of an MT07, and you say handling matters.

You’re making the hop from a sporty naked bike to a cruiser. That’s a switch that makes it very difficult to compare by reading reviews. A reviewer swinghing his leg over an MT07 is mentally comparing it to a Speed Triple and a Monster and a few naked Hondas. A reviewer riding a Dyna or a Scout is not thinking about those bikes.

Cruisers pull at a very wide range of engine speeds, but while my Roadmaster sounds and feels great at 3000 rpm, I hardly ever let my 955i Daytona’s engine get that low on the tach. Spin it above 4000 and while you hear and feel a lot of fun, you won’t hear or feel as much as on a cruiser but you’ll be going much faster. The Roadmaster‘s weight disappears once you get rolling, but in actual handling terms, while it’s great for a cruiser, the same rider will be able to go quite a bit faster with the same or maybe even less effort on a naked bike or sportbike.

It’s not that one style (spring it for HP, or gobs of torque everywhere) is better than the other, it’s just a different kind of riding, the way classical violin relates to a bluegrass fiddle.

All of that is background to asking if you’ve ever ridden any cruiser? If not, you need to do so to give yourself the necessary context to read and interpret reviews of the Bobber or Dyna. Cruisers are quite a bit different. Feet forward is a lot different from your MT07. Find a way to spend some non-trivial time on a cruiser, any cruiser. When I was a dyed-in-the-carbon-fiber sport bike guy, I rode a very feet-forward Suzuki cruiser. Did NOTHING for me. A few years later, I spent an hour on a Kawasaki. Much better.

If you’ve done that, great, but if not it will be time incredibly well spent. Then repeat your research.



Then go buy the Scout.

 

Thanks HiDesert. I did leave out a key bit of info in my original post, and that's I used to own a 96 Fatboy. So I do have experience riding cruisers. For a bit more context, I had the Fatboy for a couple of years - I'd always wanted a big HD cruiser - but found it just wasn't suited to the kind of riding I do. Heavy, with single-piston disc up front, limited power...yeah yeah I know, what did I expect?...but I'd always wanted one so at least now I know.

Since then, I've gotten the MT07, and I love the power/torque, but finding the riding position isn't great for me. That's not a knock on the 07, it's a great bike, but my hips/legs aren't what they used to be.

So, what'd be ideal for me is a bike that has the good elements of both - a cruiser with feet-forward controls, but still has the grunt I'm used to on the 07. I don't ride hard by any means, but like knowing I have the power there on-tap if I need to overtake a vehicle quickly and safely. I don't think I'll be pushing the limits of the Scout's handling either, but I do like that the newer models are coming out with cartridge front suspension.

With no 2020 models left, and my dealer taking orders for 2021 Scouts...it's tempting, I've got a bit to think about!

 

No Question I think the Scout would be more suited for what you want .. I have owned a Scout and still presently own a Dyna Super Glide because have become attached and done more work and put more money in it that it's worth and my son is waiting on it to be his one day .. My Dyna is a Stage II Cammed with Andrews TW21's which really pulls it out of the hole designed with Low to Mid Range Torque Add the Bassani 2:1 Exhaust gave it more Horsepower over the Stock Straight Shots even with all this extra at best might come out of the perhaps 500 feet ahead of the Scout then after that Good Bye as the Scout pulls ahead .. Did a lot of work to my Scout as well but some of the work can't be seen like the Tuner, and most expensive the Front Suspension which was terrible on the First Run Scouts in 2015 ..

 

No Question I think the Scout would be more suited for what you want .. I have owned a Scout and still presently own a Dyna Super Glide because have become attached and done more work and put more money in it that it's worth and my son is waiting on it to be his one day .. My Dyna is a Stage II Cammed with Andrews TW21's which really pulls it out of the hole designed with Low to Mid Range Torque Add the Bassani 2:1 Exhaust gave it more Horsepower over the Stock Straight Shots even with all this extra at best might come out of the perhaps 500 feet ahead of the Scout then after that Good Bye as the Scout pulls ahead .. Did a lot of work to my Scout as well but some of the work can't be seen like the Tuner, and most expensive the Front Suspension which was terrible on the First Run Scouts in 2015 ..

Cool, thanks for sharing, Jay. I've been happy hearing about the performance of the Scout, and definitely leaning towards it as the overall more versatile package.

Nice bikes you have there!

 

The Scout will have a power band more like the MT07 than the Dyna...

 

It's interesting you say that. After doing some crude calculations, it looks like power to weight and torque to weight are very very similar ratios on both the 07 and Scout.

No doubt engine characteristics come in to play too, where the delivery is of power and torque, but I did find that stat interesting.

 

It’s almost like everyone says. The bobber has the look Appel that not many bike are able to accomplish from a stock bike but like other say it comes with some compromises. Depending how heavy you are the stock suspensions isn’t to bad but the lean angle is what sucks. And as far as power goes it’s in another class when it comes to “cruiser power” it can keep up with the 600cc sport bikes.

 

I like what I'm hearing about the power on the Scouts, for sure.

When it comes to suspension, I'm budgeting to change the rear shocks out anyway - so I'm thinking that will address some of the comfort issues, and at the same time, may increase lean angle a bit

 

I owned a couple of Dyna’s. I always liked their look and size. But, in my experience, the Dyna was always a let down. Too much vibration, not so great ergos. I ended up getting rid of them.
The Scout is a superior motorcycle. Faster, smoother, lighter. Only complaint I have about the Scout is that it’s a bit too small for me. I’m waiting on a Polaris model in the Softail size range. That said, between the Dyna and the Scout, Scout wins, hands down.

 

Thanks for the insight. How tall are you, if you don't mind me asking? I'm 5'10" and average frame, I do wonder if the Scout might feel a bit small/cramped...

 

If you go with the regular Scout you have much more options for saddles, seats, etc. And there is a ton of aftermarket mods out there for the Scout. More so than the big brother Chief TS111 and 116 models.

 

The regular Scout could still win me over - I wont rule it out - the 2020 Metallic Jade/Thunder Black looked awesome, it's a shame there's none left in the country! I'll wait until the 2021 model colours for both regular Scout and Bobber before I decide which way to go.

 

I'm 5 foot eleven and have the extended reach foot control kit along with the floorboards on my Scout. My toes still hang over the fronts of the floorboards while riding but it is pretty comfortable. I also went with the 10 inch mini apes handlebars to sit up straight for better posture. Sitting up straight requires a windshield so I went with a National Cycle 2-up Switchblade which I can easily see over yet it deflects the wind blast away from my chest and face.

 

I'm 5 foot eleven and have the extended reach foot control kit along with the floorboards on my Scout. My toes still hang over the fronts of the floorboards while riding but it is pretty comfortable. I also went with the 10 inch mini apes handlebars to sit up straight for better posture. Sitting up straight requires a windshield so I went with a National Cycle 2-up Switchblade which I can easily see over yet it deflects the wind blast away from my chest and face.

Ah good to know, sounds like I won't have any trouble fitting the bike - and it seems Indian have a few options for customising fit with extended controls, different seats, bars, which is great. BTW your bike looks great!

 

One thing to also take into consideration between the 2 that I didn't see mentioned in here. Is the service intervals and cost of services/parts.

A Scout only requires 1 oil and at every 10k miles.

The Dyna, I'm guessing requires 3 oil changes and is serviced every 5k miles if I'm not mistaken (Note: not a Harley guy)

 

One thing to also take into consideration between the 2 that I didn't see mentioned in here. Is the service intervals and cost of services/parts.

A Scout only requires 1 oil and at every 10k miles.

The Dyna, I'm guessing requires 3 oil changes and is serviced every 5k miles if I'm not mistaken (Note: not a Harley guy)

Great points. I remember on my old softail it was 3 oil changes as well - engine, primary, transmission. I've enjoyed having just the 1 oil needed on the MT07, that would be a bonus on the Scout too. It's good to know the Scout engines are pretty low maintenance and they seem like a robust design.