Triumphrat

GearHd6 · 12-10-2012, 08:40 AM

Hey everyone...,
I'm currently trying to convince my girlfriend into parting with her Honda Shadow and riding a Scrambler instead. The reason for this swap is, she doesn't really ride much, mostly due to weather and not much free time but.., she loves to ride. So.., the Shadow only sees about 1000 miles a year. The Shadow is just a small 600 so it's really not a fun bike for me to ride. I was thinking I could share the mileage between my Tiger 800 and the Scrambler. Her biggest gripe with the Shadow is the fact it's an older model which only has a 4 speed gearbox which in turn makes the 1st gear ratio very high.

My question is, is this going to be a bike she can ride any distance without being sore all over. Is the seating position comfortable for longer rides? Hows the seat? For the most part she likes the comfort of the Shadow so I'd hate to have her not be as comfortable on the Scrambler.

Also, are all year Scramblers considered equal? When did fuel injection come into play? Are there any years to avoid or any "must have" years?

I figure this time of year is a good time to buy. I'd wait until spring to sell a couple bikes in the stable to replace with this one.

Thanks for any info you can offer.

sillymike · 12-10-2012, 10:31 AM

Nothing wrong with Scrambler as a girl's bike... as long as she's comfortable with the seat height and extra weight.

The one girl I've met who was ridding a Scrambler, ha installed a Bonneville seat on it.

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Don't think there's any "bad" year...2006/2007 used carburetors.

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Just be warned, she might take a liking to it... and you won't get to ride it as much as you'd like

GearHd6 · 12-10-2012, 11:31 AM

Hmmm.., right, seat height. She is around 5'8" tall so not short but also not tall. She does like the sure footing of the Shadow but I think you could be 4' tall and still touch safely on the Shadow. I guess we'd have to swing into a dealer and have her see if the seat height is too much for her or not.

Either way, I wouldn't be heart broken if she wanted to ride the Scrambler more than the Shadow. She would never ride it to work so I'd at least have it for that.

bobbo · 12-10-2012, 01:09 PM

I'd take a bet that if she got the Scrambler she'd put more miles in. I found myself finding any excuse to throw a leg over and go for a ride, much more so than any other bike I've owned.

Olhogrider · 12-10-2012, 02:17 PM

If she fits, she will love it! The newer ones only come in flat matte colors. If you like shiny (most girls do) you will have to get an older one. She might like the T-100 better. It sits lower too.

MalteseFalcn · 12-10-2012, 04:02 PM

I'm 5'9 and I lowered my Scrambler about 2 inches with shorter shocks just to ease the stretch to the ground. It is top heavy so that exacerbates the issue.

Just a suggestion.

GearHd6 · 12-10-2012, 04:12 PM

It's sounding like the Scrambler might be a little to tall for her in stock trim. I don't think she'll feel comfortable unless shes got a little bend in the knees. We'll have to get to a dealer to check out some bikes. Maybe the T-100 would be a better fit but damn..., I like that Scrambler!

vzshadow · 12-10-2012, 05:53 PM

Get her out to sit on a few bikes at least, test ride if possible. My wife is a bit shorter than your girlfriend, and I couldn't get her interested in a Bonnie, not even an SE with a lower seat height, something like 29.1 inches. The Scramble would certainly be too much for her. As much as anything, the pegs were in her way the standard seating.

What did appeal to her was the America, Speedmaster was second. The seat is 27.?? inches and she found that the America came off the side stand with almost no effort. Much easier than her Shadow VLX. As you GF is accustomed to the cruiser style, I'll bet she'd like those two cruisers, and you probably would too.

One more thing, in 2011 they drastically changed the ergonomics of the cruisers. My petite wife hates the older models but really likes the newer ones with user friendly ergos.

We still haven't got anything, but she's seriously thinking about it.

echoraven · 12-11-2012, 11:57 AM

Dial back the selfishness a few notches.

It's ok to want her to trade in her Shadow for a bike that you can enjoy also is good, especially considering how few miles she rides. Wanting her to trade it in on a taller bike that she will (probably) not feel comfortable nor confident is not.

I think VZ is right on the money with either a Speedmaster or America. They are bigger, more powerful bikes and she should be able to flat foot and feel comfortable and confident. Both of them you'll be able to commute comfortably on.

I have both a Bonneville SE and a Rocket 3 Touring, on the Bonnie I can flat foot and on the Rocket I cannot. I far favor the Bonneville because I feel more comfortable and confident on that steed.

GearHd6 · 12-11-2012, 12:03 PM

I would never put her on something that she was uncomfortable on. I know that would just stop her from riding. I never realized how tall the Scrambler was until guys started mentioning seat height. I'm not selfish at all especially when it comes to safety on motorcycles. I don't see myself riding a Triumph cruiser much more than the Shadow we have now. So we'll probably just stick with what we've got. Maybe I'll hunt for a newer Shadow VLX with the 5 speed gearbox.