| | | | ROAD TEST:Triumph Scrambler 900 – Surfing with the Scrambler |  Written: 27/02/2006 : 12:56. Read 16798 times (20/day). | | The integrality of this filed article is for Premium Members. | How can you prepare for a test of the Scrambler without giving old Steve McQueen a thought? On any Sunday, The great escape… “I live for myself and I answer to nobody” McQueen said. Scrambler 900 is all about lifestyle, a lazy sun-drenched surfin’ California lifestyle.
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The Bonnie Scrambler feels right straight away. I can almost feel the salty warm sea air flowing through my hair through my full-faced helmet. But I’m not in California; I’m in old foggy Blighty. So how come I get this calming sensation I’m on my way to the beach to do a bit of off-road riding and watch the surfers? It’s because I’m surfing with the Scrambler. The big parallel twin does nothing but thumping out smooth torque below me and the handlebars are just as wide as I like it. Stress relief is all it’s about and the Scrambler is damn good at it. From looking at the sturdy tubular frame, with some rust on the VIN number, and the two stretched high mounted exhaust pipes in the morning to watching the sunset between the handlebars in the evening. Wakey, wakey, who am I fooling? I’m in the moistest place north of the rain-forest and its cold as hell. Still the Scrambler does this sort of thing to you-simply the great escape.
Triumph Scrambler 900 is the natural follow up to 2004’s Thruxton 900. Compared to Thruxton the Scrambler is very docile and laid back. There’s not as much horsepower on tap and the riding position is much more relaxed. The seat height is low, slightly too low for me since the seat is so soft. My legs would have felt much more comfortable if I could just sit slightly higher on the super soft seat. But who cares, I’m Steve McQueen and I can stand up and eat barbed wire if I wish. The tyres are not as knobbly as the one’s on McQueen’s 1964 “278” Enduro bike, but they do look the part. They are Bridgestone Trail Wings on spoked wheels and can handle some gravel if need be. But the bike is more a statement than anything else. Ride it because you like to remember those days rather than trying to act them out. You are better off with a Honda CRF or something if you like to jump. The weight is felt immediately when off the hard tarmac. The double rear suspension has not got enough travel and you don’t want that mud under the nice rear mudguard anyway. Scrambler 900 works best when cruising in the country side or commuting to town. For cruising around the country side the gentle 900cc parallel twin makes you relax much ...
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