Living with a scrambler

[Furbo]

Next spring I may well buy another bike. It's been fifteen years since my last (I rode trail bikes). I've not been a proper road biker for a long time.

It would be for going from the country into the city for appointments, posing and the occasional longer run.

My thinking started out sensibly - a big scooter. But my head is being turned by the scramblers. Something like this maybe:



Has anyone experience? Is a scrambler a good idea, or should I be looking elsewhere?

TIA

[Decky_Q]

I found a knobbly front tyre was more prone to locking up under braking, after a few spills I changed to bikes with thicker road tyres. My mates didn't seem to have a problem on their knobbly tyres so could be me being ham fisted when panicked.

[Discombobulate]

It was the hard seat that did for me on mine (KX250). Bloody uncomfortable for a commute.

[Furbo]

Discombobulate said:

It was the hard seat that did for me on mine (KX250). Bloody uncomfortable for a commute.

That will have been an MX bike. A bit hardcore, unless your work is at the end of 2 miles of jumps and berms.

[Omaruk]

I have a Ducati Scrambler - great fun, nimble and fast in the city. In this weather it’s tucked away and I’m on my GS

[PT1984]

Any excuse.

[quigonjay]

Ducati Scrambler 1100 Special would be my pick, good reviews and a gorgeous bike

[Furbo]

quigonjay said:

Ducati Scrambler 1100 Special would be my pick, good reviews and a gorgeous bike

Nice. But over twice the displacement and 40kg heavier than the Fantic.

I read last night that the Fantic has now got a Motori Minarelli engine, as from 2025. That is not a name I have heard since the 1970s when their mopeds were fast but unreliable. Are they any good now?

[hiccy18]

No idea, but the reviews are good and it seems a step forward over using a generic Chinese engine. I'm quite impressed with the approach of Fantic and that bike would tick a lot of boxes for me.

[carinaman]

I'd not seen that green before. It reminds me of Aston Martin's Californian Sage Green. I scrolled through the photos on their website.

It looks cooler to me than the Triumph Scrambler even with the Bond links and the Guy Martin Great Escape programme.

It looks good, but I just end up considering what else I could get for the money or a grand more.

[MesoForm]

Decky_Q said:

I found a knobbly front tyre was more prone to locking up under braking, after a few spills I changed to bikes with thicker road tyres. My mates didn't seem to have a problem on their knobbly tyres so could be me being ham fisted when panicked.

I don't have any experience with scramblers, can you just put normal road tyres on them if the bike is never going to see mud?

[gareth_r]

MesoForm said:

I don't have any experience with scramblers, can you just put normal road tyres on them if the bike is never going to see mud?

Yes. Only possible problem is the limited choice in road tyres if it has 21 inch front/18 inch rear wheels.

They should be called "street scramblers" anyway.

[Alex9]

MesoForm said:

Decky_Q said:

I found a knobbly front tyre was more prone to locking up under braking, after a few spills I changed to bikes with thicker road tyres. My mates didn't seem to have a problem on their knobbly tyres so could be me being ham fisted when panicked.

I don't have any experience with scramblers, can you just put normal road tyres on them if the bike is never going to see mud?

Those Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR are more of a knobbly-looking road tyre to be fair, I've had them on my Africa Twin for a few thousand miles and I've never found them insufficient on the road.

[airsafari87]

Furbo said:

Next spring I may well buy another bike. It's been fifteen years since my last (I rode trail bikes). I've not been a proper road biker for a long time.

It would be for going from the country into the city for appointments, posing and the occasional longer run.

My thinking started out sensibly - a big scooter. But my head is being turned by the scramblers. Something like this maybe:



Has anyone experience? Is a scrambler a good idea, or should I be looking elsewhere?

TIA

Impeccable taste. Those Fantics are great looking bikes and really well regarded too.

For your city appointments and posing it’s perfect. Dependent on what your longer runs are it may not be the best Scrambler style bike for that thing, but would also be capable of them with a couple of compromises.

Don’t worry about the tyres. As someone else already said, they are more of an off road looking road tyre but would still be capable of some light off road if you ever ventured off the tarmac.

[Furbo]

airsafari87 said:

Furbo said:

Next spring I may well buy another bike. It's been fifteen years since my last (I rode trail bikes). I've not been a proper road biker for a long time.

It would be for going from the country into the city for appointments, posing and the occasional longer run.

My thinking started out sensibly - a big scooter. But my head is being turned by the scramblers. Something like this maybe:



Has anyone experience? Is a scrambler a good idea, or should I be looking elsewhere?

TIA

Impeccable taste. Those Fantics are great looking bikes and really well regarded too.

For your city appointments and posing it s perfect. Dependent on what your longer runs are it may not be the best Scrambler style bike for that thing, but would also be capable of them with a couple of compromises.

Don t worry about the tyres. As someone else already said, they are more of an off road looking road tyre but would still be capable of some light off road if you ever ventured off the tarmac.

Thanks. Think I am better saving up for a 2025 one with the later engine?

I’d be interested to know whether the engine has been used in anything else, or whether it is new new.

[Furbo]

To answer my own question, I’ve just called a dealer and apparently the 2025 engine is new for that bike. Maybe waiting till the ‘26 bikes are out would be the way to go?

[looksfast]

I love the honesty in the brief "posing". I think we all have that running through our bike brief like a watermark!

[mobile chicane22]

I have the triumph 400 scrambler, only 39 ish HP but quite fun and not to bad on gentle lanes, I've done 130 mile group road rides on it with no issues as well.

for proper off road I have a very battered crf 250l

[MrWideFit]

I don’t intend to dilute the point of the thread but i would also recommend something in the triumph bonneville family, they do a scrambler also, i have a street twin 900 which is plenty torquey for around town and with most of the weight down low it becomes negligible over some lighter stuff,

Bonus is they look the bks

[PT1984]

hiccy18 said:

No idea, but the reviews are good and it seems a step forward over using a generic Chinese engine. I'm quite impressed with the approach of Fantic and that bike would tick a lot of boxes for me.

I thought these used the Yamaha CP2?