Experiencing firsthand frustration with the Ancel MT500 diagnostic scanner, it’s crucial to share a cautionary tale for fellow Indian motorcycle owners. Marketed with the broad appeal of supporting “every Indian Motorcycle,” the reality is starkly different, riddled with deceptive advertising. Purchased with the expectation of comprehensive diagnostics for 2014 and onwards Indian models—Chief, FTR, Roadmaster, and Scout—the scanner fell significantly short, particularly for newer models.
Initial setup involved the standard firmware and software updates, only to reveal the scanner’s limited compatibility: 2014-2021 for Chief, FTR, Roadmaster, and Scout, and a mere 2022 coverage for Chief and FTR. This glaring discrepancy immediately excludes several bikes, notably my 2022 Scout, despite advertising suggesting otherwise. Attempts to bypass this limitation by selecting a similar, yet incompatible, model like the 2021 Scout were futile; the device explicitly rejected the vehicle, highlighting its rigid and misleading vehicle list.
Functionally, the Ancel MT500 defaults to a generic OBDII scanner, mirroring the capabilities of far cheaper, universal scanners. While it boasts advanced features like reading extended codes, ABS diagnostics, interacting with options, and performing maintenance procedures—including ABS functionalities—these promises remain unfulfilled for many models and years, including my own. The advertised deep-dive diagnostics simply didn’t materialize for my 2022 Scout, rendering the advanced features inaccessible and the purchase largely pointless beyond basic OBDII scans.
Therefore, based on this experience, a strong recommendation is to avoid the Ancel MT500, especially if you own a newer Indian motorcycle or a model outside the narrowly defined compatibility list. While it might function adequately for owners of specific 2014-2021 Chief, Chieftain, FTR, Roadmaster, Challenger, or Springfield models, and some 2022 Chief and FTR variants, the sub-model variations and restrictive vehicle recognition system introduce significant uncertainty. Prospective buyers risk encountering the same issue: a scanner that refuses to function due to model incompatibility, despite misleading advertising suggesting broad Indian motorcycle support.
