triumph scrambler? any thoughts

r3run33

Adventurer
Hello really interested in a Triumph Scrambler; its gotten a little popular lately but its what I want to use for maybe TAT drive and practice for a asian moto tour or a europe one. Any thoughts or recommendations??
 

DougC

Observer
I'm thinking about coming back to bikes after a LONG time away. My first bike was an XT350 followed by a CBR600...the dual purpose was way more fun than the crotch rocket. I now have a buddy at work that wants to go from San Antonio to Alaska. I'm kind of in the same boat you are.

I love the looks of the Scrambler, but, it seems like it it would be rough to ride long distances on (from what I have read). Have you considered the Tiger XC? Just a bit taller than the Scrambler, but, it gets really good marks for on and off road. The problem with my comments is that I haven't ridden either...yet!
 

jaxyaks

Adventurer
I rode one cross country solo for about a month, it's a pretty decent explore the US bike, not the best off road but it will get you down a dirt road, your gonna be in the wind all day, the screen helps a little, and the riding position gets old after a while, I stopped a good bit, and knew I had been on the bike at the end of the day. It's an awesome machine, fun and easy to ride. I probably would not choose it again for a cross country trip, but it was fun to say I did it. Also you have to get pretty creative with carrying your stuff the side pipes are kinda tough to work around
 

dirtysouth

Adventurer
This bike renewed my passion for riding and I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can. Although I am relatively young at 36, I enjoy the simplicity of the older bikes but I don't have the patience or know how to work on them, which is why I love the modern classics such as the Scrambler. You get the best of both worlds.

I use to want to go fast and go long distances. Now I just like to throw my helmet and gloves on and take off. I can still tour on this bike, maybe not as comfortably as I could on some of my previous bikes but I feel like I'm doing something and appreciate being on the bike more so than I use to. While the Scrambler doesn't set any records for power, it is surprisingly quick and nimble on the mountain twisties and I've embarrassed more than a few "squids" who have more bike than sense.

I have no problem running interstate speeds on the Scrambler with stock gearing, but I can leave it in first and tractor up a pig trail when off-road. I rode my last one from south Texas to the house (1184 miles), in 21 hours so it will tour if you need it to.


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Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
I owned one for 5 years, good bike but I never took mine off road. I just wasn't comfortable with the idea of dumping a $7,000 bike. After the factory knobbies wore out (around 4,000 miles IIRC) I put street tires on, Dunlop D404's front and rear and had those on the rest of the time.
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The Scrambler was a decent road bike but the gearing was low enough that I was constantly reaching for another gear when on the highway. A windshield is definitely a good buy as the riding position puts you square in the wind. Getting side cases on it was a PITA and probably the bike's biggest weakness. Overall it was a great bike but I realized after 4 years that I needed something a bit more "serious" and so I sold it in 2013 and bought a BMW R1150R, which I love.
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Best thing about a classic Triumph is the attention you get when stopping for gas or food. People come out of the woodwork and ask you "What year is that?" "Did you restore it yourself?" and usually end with some kind of story like "I had a Triumph back in ..." or "My dad/uncle/best friend had a Triumph back in..." It was kind of fun.
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Nobody does that when you're on a BMW but I'm OK with that, too. :elkgrin:
 

Cascade Wanderer

Adventurer
Had a Triumph Scrambler for three years & 12,000 miles. Spent a lot of time on back roads/unpaved roads with it and did a little light-touring as well. Longest trip was three or four days.





It was a really fun bike. Looked great, ran well. Not a ton of power. Mine had carbs, not fuel injection. Eventually I put some slip-on mufflers on it, and had the carbs tuned. Picked up a few HP according to the dyno, and the bike really felt much more responsive on the road. Sounded good too after the mods, maybe a little too loud for my taste.

Range was a little short, I had to switch to Reserve on the fuel pretty early, about 120 - 130 miles usually and ran out of gas at about 160 miles.

I liked the doggone flat ironing board seat. Was able to move around on it and stay comfortable for 300 - 400 mile days.

After the stock "knobbies" wore out, I switched to Metzler Tourance tires, and was much happier on and off road.

Really a neat bike. Enjoyed it. Am now on a Suzuki VStrom, which has nowhere near the class & character of the Triumph but is a better bike for me.
 

SheepnJeep

Active member
I love love love mine! I've had a lot of fun touring the countryside with it. It is sort of a drag for long distance slab riding without a windshield. Performance wise I would like to save up and buy two new chains and gear sets. One lower set for trails and one higher set for trips. First just isn't quite low enough for me offroad. Otherwise I have been doing things to clean up the look of the bike. They get a lot of comments. People on dirtbikes look surprised when you pull up to a scenic overlook. Its fun, it looks great, it sounds great. You have to at least ride one!



 

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