Which scrambler?

[Ovlovs Dog]

Getting right into it: I’d like a modern classic scrambler. I could give genuine rationale behind my choice for this; I’m 6’3” with a 34” inseam and have found that the modern breed of scramblers are tall enough to get comfortable on; I spend a lot of time on roads in rural Ireland, which are as smooth and refined as a nervous teenager unhooking his first bra, and so the height/suspension travel would make for a more pleasant riding experience than something a bit stiffer; I want to take it green-laning and goof around the family farm; I plan to commute on it and like the low-down torque that they offer; blah blah blah ad nauseum. Reality is, I’m a fully-paid-up hipster knob'ead and I think scramblers are as cool as a penguin's slippers.

I’ve narrowed it down to two, a “head” choice and a “heart” choice (although really, when is a motorcycle ever a “head” choice?!), and have identified pros and cons with each:

Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC

Pros:
- nice torquey engine, perfect for bumbling around at low revs
- the TFT screen/Bluetooth module seems compelling for phone/sat-nav connectivity, plus I’m a sucker for slick-looking tech. That, coupled with heated grips, backlit switchgear, cruise control etc. makes it seem like it’d be ideal for longer rides.
- owner reviews suggest it’s robust in terms of engine reliability and overall build quality
- Steve McQueen

Cons:
- expensive point of entry (comfortably over £12k new once you add things like a rear luggage rack, fly screen and so on)
- I’m still a relative novice (<2 years riding), so it might be “too much” bike for me right now, in terms of weight and power.

Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled

Pros:
- it’s a Ducati
- cheaper point of entry (a good 2 grand less than the Triumph)
- the 803cc with 75hp and being about 50-60lbs lighter might be more appropriate for someone of my experience level

Cons:
- it’s a Ducati
- servicing and maintenance, in terms of both cost and frequency (to borrow a phrase from a recent PH article, it'll see more bills than a promiscuous heron).

Any and all advice, opinions, abuse and belittling welcome.

[squirdan]

i sold my Scrambler 1200 recently. It was an excellent bike

stuff to think about...

- the weight disappears when riding but its a big old beast to maneouvre
- you are right re the torque. quite a lazy engine though. 90bhp ish, not that quick
- hardly makes any noise as standard and the arrow cans are a waste of money.
- very hot on the right leg in hot weather or traffic. Cat removal and X pipe solves for this and noise !
- the fully adjustable suspension can be set pillow soft...v comfy bike. And who doesnt like a bit of gold bling
- it handles great but I never quite got my head round the narrowness of the front tyre....probably I'm not a very good B road blaster but it affected my cornering confidence as just doesnt look much of a footprint
- quite exposed unless you add the mini headlight cowl / screen
- std indicators are minging...LED worth having

[nunpuncher]

Had a shot on the Triumph when my dad had his. I've probably spent more time off road on bikes than on road and I thought it felt horrendously heavy. Not an issue if you have no notions of ever going off road but I certainly wouldn't have been confident to take it anywhere near a slippery rutted surface. He traded it in on a Bobber which seemed to suit the lazy, torquey nature of the engine much better. It also rides much better with the centre of gravity that much lower.

Only experience of the desert sled was sitting on one a few years ago in the dealers. I'm 6ft with a 34" inseam. I remember it being much higher than the Triumph.

[thepawbroon]

Hi,

did you think about a Triumph Street Scrambler at all?

I would think it's more comparable to the Ducati? I am always half thinking about buying another bike and something "traditional" is on the cards. So your thread is helpful!

cheers,
Duncan

[Ovlovs Dog]

thepawbroon said:

did you think about a Triumph Street Scrambler at all?

I did, and thought "no". It's got a seat height of 79.2cm, which isn't too far off my Honda Cub (78cm) and I feel this'd be too low for me for graduating to a 'big' bike. The Triumph at 84cm and the Desert Sled at 86cm seem to be a much better fit; I've not sat on a Sled, but I sat on a Triumph about a week ago and felt much more comfortable, both in terms of leg and in terms of riding position being that much higher and more 'commanding', if you get me.

There's also the fact that the Triumph makes only 64hp to the Desert Sled's 73hp, whilst weighing the same and having a 100cc advantage. Point of entry's no cheaper either, there's about 600 quid in it and that's before you start with things like heated grips, luggage racks, fly screens and so on. It's a cracking looking bike, in fairness, though in my view it pales in comparison to both the Desert Sled and its own bigger brother, the 1200.

squirdan said:

i sold my Scrambler 1200 recently. It was an excellent bike

stuff to think about...

- the weight disappears when riding but its a big old beast to maneouvre
- you are right re the torque. quite a lazy engine though. 90bhp ish, not that quick
- hardly makes any noise as standard and the arrow cans are a waste of money.
- very hot on the right leg in hot weather or traffic. Cat removal and X pipe solves for this and noise !
- the fully adjustable suspension can be set pillow soft...v comfy bike. And who doesnt like a bit of gold bling
- it handles great but I never quite got my head round the narrowness of the front tyre....probably I'm not a very good B road blaster but it affected my cornering confidence as just doesnt look much of a footprint
- quite exposed unless you add the mini headlight cowl / screen
- std indicators are minging...LED worth having

Interesting to hear from an owner's perspective! Any reason you decided to move on from it? Your comment about gold suspension suggests you might've had an XE, the more off-road focussed one - any real-life difference to note between it and the XC?

Edited by Ovlovs Dog on Friday 7th May 17:08

[smifffymoto]

With the title I thought this thread was going to be about twin shock Maicos.

[GG33]

Had a test ride on the triumph last week (I ride a Multistrada 1260 Enduro) the Triumph felt small in comparison. Very easy to ride,and loved the engine. lots of torque everywhere. What would stop me from buying one is the heat soak on the inside top of my left leg from the exhaust and it wasn't a hot day. It was more than noticeable and I had to keep moving on the seat to try to stop it.

Felt more like a road bike in fancy dress than a scrambler...

I would suggest a good test ride to see how you feel about it.

[Krikkit]

Why not the Ducati 1100 Scrambler?

Just as a point about their bills - yes the regular maintenance (i.e. doing belts every 2 years) is a bit rich, but otherwise imho they're incredible well built and need very little. Simple bikes with robust engines and quality components.

[Krikkit]

If it's 5 years then that makes it way easier!

[CoolHands]

Triumph will weigh 3 tonnes. Buy a Ducati

[Kawasicki]

Rode the desert sled a couple of months back, a fun bike!

[Krikkit]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Just checking the part numbers, the whole timing system is the same part numbers from my 2011 Monster to the 2017 800 Scrambler (it is the same engine, but they've not even revised it!)

Maybe I should do it at 5 years after all.

That said, a set of belts is 60-70 quid so hardly breaks the bank if you DIY.

[horsemeatscandal]

Street Scrambler is definitely more comparable to the Ducati.

Head would say Triumph, heart would say Ducati. Think I'd go with my heart on this one.

This is the style of bike I'm most into, and as tragic as is it to suggest your own bike in this type of thread, I just bought a Husqvarna Svartpilen 701. You get the same semi-off road looks, great spec as standard (dash aside), with more power, more torque and *significantly* less weight than both of the above. And £1.3/2k cheaper.

The looks are a bit marmite, and are a touch more on the more modern end of modern retro style, but horses for courses.

EDIT: sorry, less torque than the Triumph.

[Ovlovs Dog]

Krikkit said:

Why not the Ducati 1100 Scrambler?

I was under the impression that the Ducati 1100 Scrambler compared unfavourably to both the Triumph 1200 and the 'smaller' Ducati 803 - that it wasn't quite as good at the big bruiser-y stuff of the Triumph and that it lost the edge in terms of weight/finesse to it's smaller brother 800. That said...

I'll happily admit that all this is academic (read: I'm probably spouting off unfounded bullst based on reading a few online reviews) without comprehensive test rides of all the machines concerned. I'll have to clear a few weekends to get down to my Triumph and Ducati merchants and get a go on all of the above - who knows, I could come away wanting a Street Scrambler or a 1100 after all!

Krikkit said:

Just as a point about their bills - yes the regular maintenance (i.e. doing belts every 2 years) is a bit rich, but otherwise imho they're incredible well built and need very little. Simple bikes with robust engines and quality components.

The main thing I'd heard about Ducatis in regards to maintenance was the 7500-mile valve job intervals; wasn't even aware of the belt intervals, although a few commenters since have noted that it's actually a 5 year interval, which is a bit more palatable. Either way, it still seems like the Triumph would be a less fragile prospect (again, see comment above about unfounded bullst)

horsemeatscandal said:

Street Scrambler is definitely more comparable to the Ducati.

Head would say Triumph, heart would say Ducati. Think I'd go with my heart on this one..

Nail on t'head with your head/heart synopsis. While I agree that the more road-focussed members of the Scrambler 800 line would be closer to the Street Scrambler in terms of weight, ride height and so on, what draws me to the Desert Sled is that added ride height and the comfort/capability that it brings. Plus, even the 'normal' Scramblers would run rings around the Street Scrambler, from what I can tell (more unfounded bullst, probably)

horsemeatscandal said:

This is the style of bike I'm most into, and as tragic as is it to suggest your own bike in this type of thread, I just bought a Husqvarna Svartpilen 701. You get the same semi-off road looks, great spec as standard (dash aside), with more power, more torque and *significantly* less weight than both of the above. And £1.3/2k cheaper.

Funnily enough, I do like the idea of a Husky! For me it'd be a 401, even lighter again and highly chuckable. However, I view one as being a 3rd (or greater) bike in the sort-of-distant future, once I have the experience to fully exploit said chuckability (and the stones to suggest to my wife about buying *another* motorcycle...)

[Kawasicki]

Having ridden and driven a lot in Ireland, I would think the 800 Desert Sled would be perfect.

[TimmyWimmyWoo]

I’ve ridden both the Scrambler XE and Desert Sled for a fortnight each. I’m sitting here desperately trying to remember which I preferred, and I’m struggling. They’re both fab bikes… probably buy the one you like the look of best.