Got my first "adventure bike!"

[Martinjmpr]

Well, she's not at home yet (roads are too icy right now) but on Saturday I bought a "leftover/service loaner" 2008 Triumph Scrambler. I've never owned a dual sport before (and I understand this is a very mild dual sport) but I've taken my big heavy bikes onto dirt roads, so this should be a little nicer for that kind of travel.

Here she is in the showroom:

This will be my second Triumph (I had a 2001 Thunderbird for about 2 1/2 years and put over 25,000 miles on it in that time.) I love the look and feel of Triumphs and they are exceptionally well made (not like in the old days of leaky cases and Lucas electricals.)

I'm looking forward to exploring some mild trails and dirt/forest service roads in this come Summertime! Right now my plans don't include excessive farkles - I've got a GPS mount that came off my old Kawasaki and I'll likely add a center stand and windshield. Tires will remain stock until and unless they prove themselves to be inadequate (I don't see a point in replacing perfectly good tires) and I don't plan on upgrading the suspension or seat again, until and unless my riding determines that I need to do so.

Will also be doing a lot of riding with the wife this year, but she has a road bike (Suzuki Intruder 800) so we will be on paved surfaces for that.

 

[slooowr6]

that's one nice looking bike. Does Scrambler have some feature specific for dual sport use?

 

[IH8RDS]

I really need to get out of the house more. Thats a neat looking bike.

 

[Martinjmpr]

that's one nice looking bike. Does Scrambler have some feature specific for dual sport use?

Besides the obvious high pipes it's got a bit more suspension travel and semi-knobby tires (Bridgestone Trailwings, I think.) Like the BMW GS, the V-Strom and other adventure bikes there are a number of aftermarket "farkles" that can be added. I'm not a hardcore off-roader so mine will at least initially be limited to the C-stand and probably some engine guards/crash bars. The bike will spend ~ 90% of its time on paved surfaces but the ability to easily zip up a well-graded forest service or fire road will come in handy here in Colorado.

 

[slooowr6]

I see. The more I look at it the prettier it gets! happy riding.

 

[Hltoppr]

I've always loved the look of the new Scramblers! Nice!

btw...you gotta see Mr. Hanson's restored Triumph Twin! :drool:

-H-

 

[1speed]

I REALLY like the Scrambler. They are coming out with a flat Green color that looks great. If you have not been to ADV Rider yet here is a link http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141616 230 plus pages of Scrambler stuff. Also a good article on a modified Scrambler in Motorcyclist magazine within the last month or two. Have fun with it!:roost:

 

[teotwaki]

........ (not like in the old days of leaky cases and Lucas electricals.) ..........

That is why Mr. Joseph Lucas was known as "The Prince Of Darkness" !

The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."

Lucas--inventor of the first intermittent wiper.

Lucas--inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.

The three-position Lucas switch--DIM, FLICKER and OFF.

The other three switch settings--SMOKE, SMOLDER and IGNITE.

The original anti-theft devices--Lucas Electric products.

"I've had a Lucas pacemaker for years and have never experienced any prob...

If Lucas made guns, wars would not start either.

Did you hear about the Lucas powered torpedo? It sank.

Did you hear the one about the guy that peeked into a Land Rover and asked the owner "How can you tell one switch from another at night, since they all look the same?" "He replied, it doesn't matter which one you use, nothing happens!"

Back in the '70s Lucas decided to diversify its product line and began manufacturing vacuum cleaners. It was the only product they offered which didn't suck.

Why do the English drink warm beer? Lucas made the refrigerators, too.

Alexander Graham Bell invented the Telephone.
Thomas Edison invented the Light Bulb.
Joseph Lucas invented the Short Circuit.

Recommended procedure before taking on a repair of Lucas equipment: check the position of the stars, kill a chicken and walk three times sunwise around your car chanting: "Oh mighty Prince of Darkness protect your unworthy servant."

Lucas systems actually uses AC current; it just has a random frequency.

Recently, Lucas won out over Bosch to supply the electrical for the new Volkswagens. So, now the cars from the Black Forest will come with electrics supplied by the Prince of Darkness -- how appropriate!

Lucas is an acronym for Loose Unsoldered Connections and Splices.

 

[teotwaki]

Beautiful bike!!!

 

[grahamfitter]

Totally gorgeous English retro!

I'm not sure how one would put panniers (or passengers) over those hot looking exhausts though.

Cheers,
Graham

 

[Martinjmpr]

Totally gorgeous English retro!

I'm not sure how one would put panniers (or passengers) over those hot looking exhausts though.

Cheers,
Graham

The exhausts are actually pretty well shielded - double tubing on most of the pipe behind the header and triple tubing in a couple of places.

For reasons that are easy to understand, these things seem very popular in Australia. Over on ADVRider.com, there's an Ozzie who's put steel saddlebag "hoops" on his Scrambler, that position the inside edge of the saddlebags about 1" away from the pipe, which is probably enough to keep it cool (these are soft nylon bags.) While it would make the bike a bit wide, it would still be narrower than a fully kitted BMW GS bike or KTM Adventurer.

The other trick I've heard is to simply order the Triumph "competition" number plates that bolt on to the exhaust and use them to keep the bags off the pipe.

My last 5 bikes have all had saddlebags but for this one I think I'll stick to luggage carried on the back of the rear seat, at least initially (nice thing is my wife has her own bike so I don't have to worry about riding 2 up.)

 

[Sleeping Dog]

Scrambler

There are many riding adventure tourers that would sniff at the Scrambler as being the real thing, but Ted Simon did a RTW in the 70's on a Trumpy that didn't even have high pipes.

The biggest impediment of the Scrambler in being a great long distance bike is the small gas tank.

Sweet bike, good luck with it.

Jim

 

[MontanaBBQ]

Great Bike!

I too own a new Scrambler (and '98 Tiger). I bought it at Foothills BMW/Triumph last Spring. 11,000 miles so far, including a trip to the Yukon and a decent finish in the LOE1000 (an Iron Butt rally in New Mexico). It's a fun bike that's fully capable of some adventure touring.

I have made a few changes to increase comfort and mileage between stops: Mayer solo saddle, Works suspension, Ortlieb bags on custom mounts, Tour Tank fuel cell, Hella lights, and more. Atached is a photo along the Cassiar Highway in BC.

Enjoy the new ride!
Doug B.

 

[WhereTheHellIsJames?]

Regardless of weather that bike is a 'true' dual-sport or not- it's gotta be a blast to ride! Congrats on a VERY sweet machine!

 

[MuddyMudskipper]

Sweet Bike

The ghost of Steve McQueen is smiling on you.