River Indie road test, review

The design invites you to be enamoured by its lovely details and clean aesthetic. The Indie looks like a minion, and I must admit this design Gru on me. Puns aside, the rounded edges, curvaceous profile and streamlined appearance make the Indie look like a perfect blend of retro and modern. The front rails and pannier mounts give it a more utilitarian feel, while the large dimensions make it feel more significant than most scooters.

The Indie is equipped to be quite versatile should you accessorise it well, but even without the added optional storage, there is a lot the Indie can stomach in its colossal 43-litre boot and additional 12 litres of storage found in the glove box. River also offers panniers and a top box as accessories that will further increase storage by 40 litres and 25 litres, respectively.

The Indie has the ergonomics to suit most riders across a range of heights. There is no fancy TFT wizardry or any gimmicks on display, just good old-fashioned practicality. The headlamp design is unique; one can’t mistake the Indie for any other scooter. 

The Indie feels built to last and purposeful. That being said, certain areas can be improved and be more intuitive. For instance, accessing the charging port involves too many steps and one must open both the glove box (to access the port) and boot (to remove the large charger) to charge the scooter. 

Secondly, the charging flap feels flimsy, and a sturdier option would age better. Once you look past these little niggles, the scooter feels solid and built to last. On the bright side, the dual-headlamp setup offers good illumination, and it only falls short on the highway where the high beam is either poorly adjusted on our scooter or underwhelming in how it performs.

There are two USB charging ports, one in the glove box and one under the handlebar. River says an eSIM option will be available if you wish to use the River app. Next to the LCD screen are buttons to engage ‘park’ in reverse mode, which is helpful in tight parking spots or on inclines.