A comparison of nextgeneration cruiser motorcycles. The 2022 HarleyDavidson Nightster versus Indian Scout Rogue versus Honda Rebel 1100.



There are faster machines, if that’s what you’re after, bikes with more power and less weight. Many even cost less than these. Yet the cruiser genre is home to some of America’s bestselling motorcycles. It’s no exaggeration to say that millions of riders have started out on bikes called Sportster or Rebel.

​​But after over three decades of successful manufacturing runs, both the Sportster and Rebel have changed. Honda’s Rebel brand is now a family of bikes in three displacements, 300cc, 500cc, and 1,100cc. HarleyDavidson’s Sportster is now a growing family of Revolution Max–powered machines, listed under the new Sport tab on HarleyDavidson’s website.

It was toward the end of these 30plusyear runs for the Rebel and Evolutionpowered Sportster that Indian Motorcycle saw an opportunity. These longrunning models lacked technology and were starting to feel dated. Indian’s Scout hit the market with a new liquidcooled DOHC 1,133cc Vtwin engine and newschool multipiece aluminum frame, but with a traditional cruiser silhouette and dual outboard shocks. If HD and Honda weren’t working on Rebel and Sportster replacements by that point already, the Scout was a clear message that times were changing and updates were due.

Now the Sportster name exists only on liquidcooled models with a 60degree vee angle. Iron 883s and FortyEights remain with the traditional 45degree Vtwin, but it is only a matter of time until the Evolution line disappears completely. This Evo line of Sportsters has sold more than 1.4 million motorcycles since 1986. HD’s Evo line was, at one point, selling more than 70,000 units a year. The 2022 Honda Rebel 1100, Indian Scout Rogue, and HarleyDavidson Nightster are all here to fill that impending void.

Any of America’s vast network of long scenic highways could serve as a spiritual home and testing grounds for these new motorcycles, but few are as versatile and iconic as California’s Pacific Coast Highway. North of Los Angeles, long open stretches of beachside road cut through charming beach towns. Flip up your visor, pull in your clutch lever, and you can hear waves breaking on the shore. It’s a perfect cruiser environment, and Cycle World’s InMarket Editor Bradley Adams, former EditoratLarge Andrew Cherney, and I lost no time ambling north out of Malibu toward Ventura.

If you’re in no hurry at all, these bikes are easy to enjoy. Their riding positions are varying levels of relaxed. There’s little in front of their riders to distract from the road and landscape ahead. Here the Scout’s softer suspension and stretchedout ergonomics quickly lead to tranquil cruising. The 1,133cc Vtwin pulls steady and strong, smooth and predictable. No traction control, power modes, or even a fuel gauge mean the riding experience is simple and direct. A welltuned throttle and excellent clutch feel mean that ride modes are never missed. Engine character walks the line between highrevving sportbike engines and a more traditional cruiser torque bomb. Nearpeak torque is available immediately from the first crack of the throttle, but the engine revs up nicely to 8,000 rpm with no flat spots, redlining at 8,260. As our group entered town and hit traffic lights, the Scout’s poppoppop at idle let bystanders know that this was the most traditional cruiser of the bunch.

Honda’s Rebel 1100 is so predictable and easy to ride that it can almost feel like cheating. Use of a dualclutch automatic transmission (DCT) eliminates the need for a clutch lever or shift pedal, but the throttle provides a direct and connected feel through the ridebywire system and allows a high level of control even as the bike shifts automatically during acceleration. Three programmed modes alter power delivery, enginebraking, traction control, and DCT shift points; riders can program their own mode if preferred. But even with so much technology between right hand and rear wheel, riding the Rebel is uncomplicated and pure. Twist the throttle and it goes; focus on what’s ahead, not what it takes to get there.

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