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Might interest some of you (or then again, maybe not! :-D ). I had a test ride on the Scrambler today, for the first time.
Impressions? The engine only had 500 miles on it, so is bound to be a bit tight, but it feels very different to the standard Bonnie. Acceleration feels slower, but there's noticeably more torque.
For a shortar*e like me, with a 30 inch inside leg, the extra seat height makes it a little bit more tricky at the lights, but it's still perfectly manageable, and within five minutes I felt perfectly at home on it. The handlebars are also slightly wider. They don't look it, but as soon as I opened up on one of the boulevards round Lisbon airport, I felt like a shirt hung out to dry compared to my own bike, which is hardly noted for its aerodynamic qualities!! The single seat is comfy too, although a 20-minute ride hardly gave me time to judge.
The other main difference of note was the pipes, of course. I've got to say they sounded great to me, even with the standard silencers. And as for the heat shields, all I can say is that for my short legs, my right thigh was pushed hard against the shield every time I put my foot down. Without it I'd have burnt right through to the bone. So as good as those clean pipes on the Mission Impossible bike look, for someone of my size they're just out of the question.
I asked the blokes at the dealer about that strange master cylinder, and none of them could say why Triumph has made it that way. But (I hadn't noticed this before) it's exactly the same as the one on the Speed Triple.
Overall, I liked the bike, and would be happy to own one. But already owning a Bonneville, it's far too similar to be worth trading in, or even adding it as a second bike.
I hope these impressions might be a little bit of use to one or two of you, until you get a chance to drop into a dealer and try it for yourself.
Ody
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Oddball (Kelly's Heroes): Man, I only ride 'em - I don't know what makes 'em work.
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