TANGERINE DREAM

In keeping with AJS’s off-road racing tradition, the British-based brand recently released its Tempest Scramber. We got our hands on the 125cc machine for a couple of weeks, taking the chance to put it through its paces on the daily commute across rural Lincolnshire.

The AJS Tempest Scrambler looks the business, doesn’t it? With its ‘Blazing Orange’ colour scheme it actually takes me back to the very first bike I bought way back in the mid 70s – a Suzuki TS185 – and as a result, I can completely understand the appeal of the lightweight offroader for new riders.

Don’t think of it as an out and out dirt devil though, it’s basically a learner-legal commuter with knobbly tyres and retro styling.

Built around AJS’s tried and tested Cadwell chassis (but with a longer swingarm), the Tempest Scrambler weighs in at a reasonably lightweight 124kg. Despite that, it’s bigger in the flesh than I thought it’d be, with a rugged, robust feel to it. It comes

with a big 18-inch spoked wheel with a black alloy rim at the front, and a slightly smaller 17-inch wheel at the rear, shod in knobbly, dual-sport rubber.

With its 37mm diameter front forks with rubber fork protector sleeves, twin rear shocks, number boards and an extended mudguard at the front, it really does have that look of a competitive classic scrambler. Oh, and it even has a headlight guard fitted, too. There’s a centre and side stand fitted as standard, and a choice of either electric or kickstart for firing it up, which is a nice touch.

Settling into the seat for the first time, everything fell to hand easily, and

I could get my feet flat on the floor with room to spare. I’m only 5’8” (173cm) so with its 780mm seat height, it’s a nice size for us shorties. I’m not so sure how anyone taller would get on, though. I think they might find themselves a little cramped. I did find the suspension system on the Tempest quite hard, even when dialled into its softest setting. It was a tad uncomfortable on my 27-mile commute into work, but you quickly get used to it.

The Scrambler’s OHC, air-cooled, single cylinder 125cc engine kicks out a maximum power of 9.9bhp at 9,000rpm, so this four-stroke is not going to set the world alight. But it is smooth and tractable, and will happily tootle along at 50mph all day long. It’s great for the tight twisties on the rural roads I ride to work. You’ve just got to work the gears and keep your momentum. AJS claim a top speed of 60mph, but I only managed to get up to 55mph on full throttle. It must be my 12 (and a bit) stone frame it doesn’t like. Oh, to be a skinny 17-year-old again. Braking is offered by a single disc at both the front and rear, with a combined braking system doing the work. They work perfectly well, but the CBS is a bit strange for someone who’s spent a few years on big bikes. You’ll soon get used to it, though.

The instrument cluster is clear and easy to read, with the

speedometer marked in both mph and kph. I did find that if the weather is slightly on the cold side, the speedo and rev counter dials seemed to mist up a bit. There’s a low fuel warning light too, but I’m not sure at what level this illuminates – I think it’s when there’s approximately 2.5 litres left in the tank, but it’s probably worth checking the user manual.

The indicator and light switches are easily reached with gloved hand, too. Its 16-litre (3.5 gallon) tank should offer some serious mileage, with AJS claiming 118mpg

under test conditions.

Now I’ll admit, this is the first time I’ve ridden a small capacity bike for a long, long time, so it’s been an experience to say the least. It’s hardly fair for me to compare the Scrambler to my old Yamaha FJR 1300, so instead I’ve been thinking back to my time learning the ropes on my Suzuki TS185. And there are more than a few similarities. When I was learning on the Suzuki TS, I used to love taking it off-road through local woods, or down at the beach. It’s great fun and is perfect for honing your rider skills as a novice.

The only negative I want to mention is its seat. Described on the AJS website as a ‘plush diamond pattern seat’, I’m sad to say that although it does have a diamond pattern, it certainly isn’t plush. Ok, so it was never going to be my FJR with a seat like an armchair, but come on AJS, some form of padding would be great. And it could be part of the reason

I feel the bike is a hard ride. Aside from that, there’s very little to whinge about. There is a fair bit of travel on the rear brake, but it’s easy enough to adjust, even for beginner bikers.

In short, the AJS Tempest Scrambler is an ideal bike for learners. The handling is light and direct, and you’re not going to be travelling at silly speeds. Plus, you can even take it for some light off-roading. Of course, it’s not a hardcore dirt machine, but it’ll potter down green lanes just fine. And it’ll look cool while doing it.