Triumph Scrambler long term report

A Very Different Road

OVERVIEW
Triumph's Scrambler has been with us a couple of years now and, despite the off-road-inspired styling and name, is really an easy-going mid-range twin-cylinder road bike with classic styling.

REVIEW
It wasn't quite a tearful farewell when we took the Scrambler back to its rightful owner - Triumph Australia - but was definitely tinged with regret. We've 'owned' the machine for several months now and have thrown an interesting variety of riders on it, including both genders, varying in height from 160 to 190cm and experience from 18 months to over 30 years. No-one disliked it.

 Sure there were a couple of minor whinges along the way, but nothing that you'd have to regard as being a serious flaw.

As for reliability, it was as you'd expect for Triumph these days - get it serviced on time, and then keep an eye on the fluids. Otherwise, it's a matter of stab the button and enjoy.

There are two versions of the 865cc engine at the heart of this bike: one with a 360 degree crank (in the Bonneville) and the other a gentler version with a broader torque spread with a 270 degree crank. That's what is in the Scrambler. In some ways I'd prefer the Bonnie engine, but am probably being greedy for horsepower. As it stands the Scrambler is content to let you short shift all the way to top and basically leave it there for the rest of the journey - certainly the tuning makes it a very easy-going motorcycle.

 Fuel consumption, once the bike was past the initial run-in period, was hovering around the 16km/lt mark. We were getting around 220-230km before reserve, with a 16.6lt total capacity suggesting the range should be around 260km. That's quite enough to manage with, and frankly you're getting over the seat by that stage anyway.

Since we've mentioned the seat, we might as well get on to comfort. The rider perch is adequate rather than luxurious, while the suspension does a respectable job of smoothing out the ride. What really works for the bike in this area is the seating position, which is a very traditional upright stance that's neutral, flexible, and offers good control. We rolled the handlebars back in their mounts as far as reasonably possible, to get a slight downward droop on the ends, which was very comfortable.

The only other alteration for the wide variety of riders was to raise or lower the rear shock absorber preload according to inside leg measurement. That's a simple process, taking a minute.

Suspension performance is middle of the road - adequate for average to brisk riding, though it can struggle if you really push on. Eventually you will overwhelm both the springing and damping, if you try hard enough. However if you're looking for serious sporting prowess, Triumph has that well covered with other models.

Our touring on the bike tended to be day trips and it works fine in that environment. It is also an excellent commuter and a lot of fun in the twisties so long as you aren't trying to break any lap records. In the latter environment, its broad power spread and easy steering manners make the whole experience very enjoyable.

 Something we would change is the tyres. The stockers are a dual-sport pattern from Bridgestone which make a bit of road noise and don't provide the feedback you get from road-dedicated rubber. In fact we tried another Scrambler fitted with Avon Roadrunners and liked them a lot better.

Naturally we raided the accessory range while we had the bike. The first priority was a tacho, which sits 'south' of the speedo on the rider's side of the handlebar clamp. An odd placement, but we quite like it. The instrument really isn't necessary, but it helps to finish off the machine visually.

On the same theme of visuals, we also added a flyscreen, colour co-ordinated with the front mudguard. I like the way this gives the bike a bit more presence up front and it happens to break up the wind-stream enough to be useful.

 Last was the competition mufflers, about which I have mixed feelings. They certainly free up the breathing and seem to sharpen up the throttle response. This is usually the first port of call if you're intending to hot up the machine, but I must confess I struggle with the raucous note on full throttle. Something just a tad more civil would suit me better.

Overall the Scrambler is a thoroughly enjoyable companion. A good sign with ours was, despite the fact we have several other options on any day, it very rarely sat idle in the back yard. In fact, I miss it...