[fallen celt]

I had my test ride today and I have to say I was very impressed with the Scrambler. I have been riding my current bike (BMW F800s) for nine years now and was half expecting despite all the excellent reviews that it might be a let down. There are two excellent test ride reports on the forum so I will try and come at this from a different point of view and maybe mention some negatives and some observations /opinions.
First off I am 173cms / 5ft 8 ins and the riding position is excellent, the wide handlebars make cutting through traffic easy and the peg position seemed very natural compared to my current bike. Now for the negative, the seat is hard, I rode for about 80 mins solid and I was starting to become very aware of the seat at this time, will it break in I dont know but its not a deal breaker to be fair.
I decide I wanted try the bike over different type of roads and traffic. So I set off in fast moving city traffic and here came the first surprise this bike is a lot faster than you might think, its marketed as new to bikes, well the beginners might get a wee bit of shock if they are coming from a car. The acceleration is frisky and the throttle does need a bit of a light hand but I have to say it put a big smile on my face. At this point I entered Dublin city center, slow moving gridlock. How did the bike do, great, between the handlebars and the riding position its a doddle through traffic. I then headed out of the city through a large park which has a couple of twisty/bumpy roads. I should say at this stage what the weather was like, it was between 5/6 degrees and as I hit the park there was torrential rain. The next big positive was the tyres, I am very dubious of semi knobbly tyres as I currently have PR3s on my current bike and I a have to say the grip was excellent and I was going a lot faster than I would of expected. The only issue I had was the suspension on the front which is to my mind too hard and gets very unsettled over potholes. In saying that its an easy fix or something you would get used to. I then headed back to the dealer in the rain on the motorway and here I was surprised again,I had no issue sitting at 120kms on the motorway and I am coming from sports tourer.

Covering the others items, did I miss two discs up front not in the slightest. The gearbox was spot on with no issues with false neutrals or finding neutral for that matter.
The exhaust tone is actually quite good on the stock item although its not the best looking compared to the others on offer.

I am looking at using this bike for commuting and Sunday morning spins and it would be perfect for that, if you are looking for a long distance tourer look again. The one thing that kept coming back to me about this bike is thats its pure simple fun and that its sum adds up to more than its parts.
PS
If you like your bike to be always squeaky clean dont ride this bike in the rain its get a bit mucky

 

[albie]

Yes that sums it up for my ride too. I prefer the lighter clutch coming from numerous open ducati clutches, Didn't miss the chang chang clatter at all. I had no missed gears but dithered finding neutral a few times. The biggest change for me was the switchgear being slightly smaller but was ok tbh. I thought the exhaust may have interfered with the heel but was ok too. I never really had an issue with comfort but maybe at some point I would customize a seat and give the front part more width and my height at 6' 1" was ok which may have been a deal breaker.
Your right about the briskness and was impressed that it didn't lack there and coming from an 1100s monster was again a relief I wouldn't be missing acceleration.

Glad you enjoyed it as I did.

 

[TC3]

Cheers for the review and just adds to my excitement

 

[greer]

Thanks for the review!


Sarah

 

[Hedonism]

ty for yr review

 

[Thornton]

Hi fallen celt,

What was it about the Scrambler that made you feel it is unsuitable for long distance touring? Was it the hardness of the seat, or another factor.

I've toured on a Vespa, 700+ kms in a day, 3000+kms in a trip, and people have told me it wasn't suitable either. But we managed 17000 kms one year. So much to see, so many places to go.

 

[STupac85]

Hi fallen celt,

What was it about the Scrambler that made you feel it is unsuitable for long distance touring? Was it the hardness of the seat, or another factor.

I've toured on a Vespa, 700+ kms in a day, 3000+kms in a trip, and people have told me it wasn't suitable either. But we managed 17000 kms one year. So much to see, so many places to go.

I think every bike can be used for touring. The only difference is the comfort and the way you make it.

 

[Jerry Winder]

I think every bike can be used for touring. The only difference is the comfort and the way you make it.

I couldn't agree more. I toured a Street Triple once and it rained continuously the whole holiday. My wife was all nicely tucked up behind her fairing with her luggage on her Sprint while I spent two weeks wet with soft luggage strapped to everything and while I rode I was thinking about what I was getting next that wouldn't make touring such a pain in the backside next time


Jerry

 

[fallen celt]

Technically I suppose you could tour on it, but there are better bikes than the Scrambler for touring. The seat, lack of fuel range limited weather protection and luggage options are the main negatives. If this was your only bike and you wanted to go touring on it but use it for commuting and weekend blasts fair enough, but if you are looking for a bike mostly for touring I would look at something else.