Triumph Scrambler: That retro feeling made better
Superb to ride and it reminds everyone of The Great Escape. A winning combo.
With upswept bars and high exhaust pipes, it is visually reminiscent of the bike Steve McQueen rode, or the desert bikes of the 1960s. Around since 2006 (with an update in 2008), the Scrambler is currently en vogue with other manufacturers launching variants. We took out a 2015 example, currently serving as a courtesy bike.
Give me some spec
A 270-degree version of the tried-andtested 865cc twin from the Bonneville is used, putting out 44.1Kw/59bhp at 6800rpm and 68Nm/50.9 ft-lb of torque at 4750rpm, housed in a steel tube double-cradle frame. Braking comes from a single 310mm disc up front and a 255mm rear, both with two-piston floating callipers.
So what’s it like to ride?
The wide saddle splays your legs, so despite a not-towering 825mm seat height it took a little effort to get both feet on the floor. And those upswept bars feel alien to begin with, although ER-6 owners will feel at home.
Start up (engage choke for the briefest moment) and you are rewarded with a lovely burbling from the 865cc twin; every stop at the lights brought a smile.
Out on the road you sit upright, knees resting gently on the rubber tank protectors and insteps slot into place on the round, rubberised pegs. The engine does its best work in the midrange. At around 4500rpm there was enough urgency to the ride, with more power to hand for overtakes.
In the corners when pushing on, move the balls of your feet onto the pegs, lean into the bike, push the bars and the Scrambler comes over easily. You can lean it a long way with masses of ground clearance available. For more laid-back riding, just roll with it and it’ll take you round without fuss.
There is enough in the brakes to stop the Scrambler, but they don’t give much information. The rear brake gives fine control though.
Suspension is soft; I deliberately took the Scrambler over the rougher parts of the road and nothing upset it. Allied to that ground clearance I’d think some gentle green lane excursions would be possible; the block-treaded Bridgestones worked well on the road, and I’d hope they’d take a little off-road work under their belt.
My big issue was with the pipes. At 5ft 10in with short legs, whenever we stopped and I put my feet down, my leg rested directly on a heat shield, or in the space between! I think the target audience for the Scrambler is taller and leggier than me. As I returned to the dealer, another Scrambler pulled in. The owner? Six-foot plus, slim and leggy!
What nick is it in?
As you would imagine from such a low-mileage example, it is faultless.
What’s it worth?
The dealer wants £7299 (so £900 off list price) for a bike nicely run-in with 968 miles on the clock. A dealer search showed this is a good price, alternatives ranging from a 2013 bike with 21,895 miles logged at £5295 to a 2015 example up for £7399 with 1000 miles recorded.