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Street Scrambler has arrived.

18K views 64 replies 24 participants last post by  peterka 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi all,
the Street Scrambler has arrived. I posted some pix.
The rave reviews are really justified (Revzilla, Captain); this bike is truly something.
After test riding the bike, I just had to have it earlier than Tuesday, and did not wait until the accessories arrive;
I picked it up yesterday, and since then, I have been looking for excuses to go fetch something to be riding it. I was up at 6 am this morning to put it to its paces.

I'll try to give some articulate feedback: the whole package is superb in quality and in looks - the combination of black, matt green, seat exhaust, simply works.

The exhaust makes a very nice, throaty yet not obnoxious; the exhaust sound of my beemer used to irritate me after 10-15 mn of use.It is still cold out here, so was not disturbed by the heat; let's see how it feels in the summer, when the temperature reach 35C and 80% humidity level.

The commodos are well placed, and you don't have to look away from the road to find them (it was a bit of a recurrent problem on the BMW);

The seat is super comfy yet firm; initially I wanted to keep the passenger seat, but to open the main seat, one has first to remove the pillion seat; if I do it using the small tool provided in the side cache, it would become tedious sooner than later. I decided I would go for the luggage rack; I think it works better in terms of looks; one thing though, the rack has a sticker which mentions a tolerance of the rack at 3 kg (6.6 poounds); not sure what to make of this.

The passenger footrests are removable, so, this will go next.

Then, the riding experience: just brilliant! The engine is torkey and can deliver soft or arm stretching acceleration; at no time does one feel power is lacking. Plenty of torque on each gear up to the 4th; I say 4th because I did not have a chance to take it to the highway yet, and did not feel the need to be on the 5th gear. I used the rev counter to check if I was using the gear efficiently; but again, the bike simply zipps through town with a great engine purr and throaty exhaust: what a symphony!

At no time did I feel that the bike did not have enough power to carry me; at no time did I feel the bike was too small for me; at no time did I feel overwhelmed by the bike as it happened a couple of times with the beemer, and only once with the T120 (and this was more related to the weight of the bike). I felt I could maneuver the bike without a problem; the engine is s-m-o-o-t-h!!! The gearbox is butter smooth; the engine keeps purring like a bike cat. Switching gears on the beemer could be tricky; going from 1st to 2nd, it was not rare for the gear to end up on neutral; or finding neutral required 2 or sometimes 3 attempts. I must have spent 3 hours today on the bike going places in town (so regular traffic condition) and did not miss a gear once. Will do so again tomorrow;

Then, winter is beautiful in Tokyo as it is usually blue sky, sunny but crisp; next week-end is a 3 days week-end; I am planning to hit the road and go to mount Fuji; nice twisty roads between the 5 lakes, and some gravel roads; to that effect, I ordered the heated grip kit, the mudguard extension (hoping it will help with the projections and help keep the radiator safe), the engine protection kit, the headlight grill, and the center stand as well.

I received comments on the bike, on the sound of the exhaust, even on me on the bike! I have been smiling like a daft boy since yesterday. My wife who did not approve of me owning a bike, especially when she saw the BMW, really felt relieved and reassured by the SC. Seeing me with a suit on and on it, she also thought it makes sense to commute.

In conclusion, this is really a great bike. I am not trashing the beemer; but with this SC, I feel I have the possibility to actually have fun with the bike! the Beemer was simply too much of a big bike in the Tokyo city traffic; I liked it as a bike, but did not enjoy it much; The T120 was great, but could be a bit heavy, and I am not a small guy nor am I without my share of muscles. I truly lke the classic looks of Triumph's t120/t100 and SC. I intend to have some fun with it, and let's see what Triumph comes up with next -a bigger scrambler maybe?

That's it guys! I hope those of you who have ordered theirs will receive it soon, and will add to this post; this is really a great bike and I am sure you will have tons of fun!

Well, I feel the need to go to the other side of town... gone riding ;-)
Best- Raft
 

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#8 ·
Hey Raft, I'm curious about the pillion pegs and removabiliity. Capt Rambunctious' review said they are removable at the site of the peg, not necessarily at the frame. Can you confirm this? Seems odd they wouldn't allow you to remove them at the frame, and the pic online of the accessorized Scrambler appears to have them removed altogether.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Hi there,
@ all of you: Thank you for your messages; I have been zig and zagging around town all day today. Nothing new to report except to confirm what I wrote already and my day-long smile. My wife and kids complained that I have ignored them this WE; that is how much this bike is great!

@Bonnie Black07: they are removeable at the frame. 2 bolts hold each one of them to the frame. I will have them removed next Tuesday when they will be installing the options I ordered.

On the following video you can see @ 1.48 the holes where the pegs attach to the frame (and are off on this bike)



I have 2 questions for the community:

Do you have a tail bag option to recommend which would fit on the rack in the back? looking for a capacity for 2 days trip (a change of clothes, and few necessities)?

Do you think upgrading the rear schock to the Fox option in the accessorties section makes sense?

Thanks again, and I hope those waiting for delivery will receive theirs soon.

Best- Raft
 
#12 ·
Do you have a tail bag option to recommend which would fit on the rack in the back? looking for a capacity for 2 days trip (a change of clothes, and few necessities)?

Do you think upgrading the rear schock to the Fox option in the accessorties section makes sense?

Best- Raft
I know you were asking about a bag to go on the rack, but, you can uses a pannier on the other side from the exhaust. I have the same and can live out of one for a couple of days...this is what it would look like...



As for the shocks, let them bed in for a few hundred km's or more and see how you like them
 
#11 ·
Congratulations on your gorgeous new bike! And thanks for posting a nice review.

-Dan
 
#13 ·
Hi - glad you are loving the bike.

I went to the launch in the UK a couple of weeks and liked the look of the bike, even more than from the pictures I've seen.

Unfortunately for me at 6'1" I found it a little small and so was disappointed. The riding position is OK and roomy enough but I found it too low to the ground. Didn't really feel any taller than the other Bonnies.

Doesn't help having a Tiger 1050 and CCM 644ds in the stable with the latter being pretty high!

I shall probably have a test ride but despite being a Triumph nut I'm increasingly being drawn to the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled particularly as I venture down the minor lanes etc. a bit still. The front mudguard on the SS could quite easily be damaged by stones stuck to the tyres by mud and the ground clearance isn't great.

Pity really as I would have liked to get another Triumph, but there you go.

Keep enjoying yours.

I shall probably
 
#15 ·
Hey BonnieBlack, I ordered some accessories already, but I haven't heard if there is any delay in getting them yet. Not that it matters as I am also still unaware of any ETA on the bike. If I hear something about the parts, I'll let you know.
 
#17 ·
Hi Tigelorange,

I am 6 feet, and the bike does not strike me as small; granted climbing down from the BMW, it took a few moments to get use to the size difference. I attached some pics of me on the beemer and me on the SC at the dealer's for a comparison. I understand Spurg of Revzilla is 6.3 or 6.4 (he mentions his height in the video) and he mentioned with the SC he did not felt cramped or the bike being small. You should try it a bit more and see.

Hi Bonnieblack, in my case, we checked whether the accesories were in stock, and they were. I ordered them on Saturday, and they arrived today;

Still loving mine more and more by the day; today was rainy day, and when I usually would have taken a cab, I just went to work riding the SC under the rain... that's how much I like the little SC!

A quick question: does anyone know whether there is a running in period for the engine and a limit on the rev range during that period? could not find anything in the owner's manual; the T120 had a sticker on the tank to that effect, so wondering why/whether similar would apply to the SC.

Best- Raft
 

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#21 ·
A quick question: does anyone know whether there is a running in period for the engine and a limit on the rev range during that period? could not find anything in the owner's manual; the T120 had a sticker on the tank to that effect, so wondering why/whether similar would apply to the SC.

Best- Raft
I was told by my dealer that the break-in period is still a "thing" but he suggested it is somewhat less important than with the air-cooled bikes. Couldn't give a lot of rationalization for this so that could be bullsh*t. However, in preparation I've been reading on this forum that varying the speed of the engine revs (e.g. varying speeds on the highway, accelerating and decelerating regularly via upshifting and downshifting), more so than limiting the revs to a certain RPM level, is the approach many have taken to break in their new liquid-cooled bikes. If you do a search, there are threads devoted to this, including some pretty informative links to those that argue for a *hard break in period (especially in the first 50 miles or so), which is purported to be better for seating the pistons than what has traditionally been recommended.

I have not done this and used the more traditional break in approach with my last bike. Nevertheless, I'm sure that you can find a multitude of opinions and information if you search.
 
#18 ·
Thanks Raft - yes, from your photo the Scrambler suits you well.

I was with a friend at the launch and he said it looks as though the seat needs to be higher - I have a 33" inseam.

The high wide bars make that part of the position comfortable though.

As said, I will give it a test ride though.
 
#19 ·
Thanks Raft - yes, from your photo the Scrambler suits you well.

I was with a friend at the launch and he said it looks as though the seat needs to be higher - I have a 33" inseam.

The high wide bars make that part of the position comfortable though.

As said, I will give it a test ride before I decide but I do fancy the Duc.

I won't feel too guilty as it will be replacing the CCM, though that is a British bike, well apart from the engine etc!
 
#22 ·
I like the dry-bag look as well but would be worried about it shifting mid-ride and melting on the top of the exhaust. I was thinking about buying something smaller (perhaps 20-30L) and mounting it sideways on the frame (similar to the Triumph pannier). Kinda like that it evens out the back of the bike as well.
 
#24 ·
Raft: Two questions.

Can the baffles be removed from the stock exhaust ? Usually there is a screw securing them in, along with a tiny tack weld that can be easily ground off.

I've heard mentioned in some videos that there is a tachometer read out as one of the settings in the dash. Is that true ?

Thanks and best of luck with your beautiful Scram. I'm so jealous.
 
#25 ·
Hi Meloman,
Thanks for your message; yes it is a beautiful Scram; brings a smile to my face each time I see her ;-)
I could not see whether the baffles can be removed. did not find any screw; But there is a tachometer; I use it everyday to monitor the rpm during the breaking in of the engine.
Cheers- Raft
 
#34 · (Edited)
To be honest I've never had a bike this new before; I'm coming from a cafe'd 1990 CB450 and previous to that a cg125. So all the things that people have said are a bit washy like the suspension and brakes etc I'm blown aw ay by. I think it looks pretty good stock, and the exhaust, although nothing compared to the slashed pipes on my old CB, is a nice throaty purr. I had the heated grips installed at purchase too.

I'll probably wait for the after market to catch up a bit as have pushed the boat out financially on the bike itself. Maybe some bar end mirrors, and a headlight grille. If money were no object id get some tubeless wheels with a 5inch rear rim, that 6inch dirt suspension from Works/Canyon motorcycles would also be very cool. This front mudguard if they do a an updated version:

https://tamaritmotorcycles.com/products/triumph-front-fender-grand-bastard

For the back end, I haven't really seen a tail tidy that I love yet, i'd quite like to keep the mudguard as they're useful in rainy england! The british customs tail pan is cool but no indicator mounts on it which would mean using there shock mounted ones, but that negates using a pannier.


That said, I'm definitely going to have a centre stand put on at first service & am thinking about the engine bars as well, but may wait for some aftermarket ones that protect the exhaust as well. I think a dart screen will happen in the not too distant future and looking into some luggage racks etc will be priority too so I can go on longer trips. The rack that comes with it is only rated to 3kg :/.

Sorry, rambling on there, can you tell i've been daydreaming about it whilst waiting for it to arrive ha.
 
#33 ·
Thanks BonnieBlack. The only thing my dealer told me last was that they would get the bike in ten days or less once the VIN was issued. They hadn't heard anything yet as of last Thursday. I hate being in the dark, so the wait is killing me. I wish Triumph was more communicative about estimated delivery for preorders.
 
#36 ·
Review: the first 100 km with the new Street Scrambler

Hi Guys!
Yes, it was love at first sight..... ordered on February 23 (speedy decision) a Street Scrambler that was still on his way to Germany.... received it on March 11.
After the first 100 km I have to say: Triumph has learned again to build nice and solid bikes. From the first moment on the bikes fits to me. Seat, handle bar, shifter.... great. Good breaks, solid frameworks, exact gearshift, easy working clutch.... It is a really nice package. The small windshield works fine. It´s the only extra accessory. Maybe some other will follow.... Triumph offers more than 100 on his website.

To all who have to wait: It is really worth to wait for it!! :wink2:
 

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#38 ·
Hi Guys!
Yes, it was love at first sight..... ordered on February 23 (speedy decision) a Street Scrambler that was still on his way to Germany.... received it on March 11.
After the first 100 km I have to say: Triumph has learned again to build nice and solid bikes. From the first moment on the bikes fits to me. Seat, handle bar, shifter.... great. Good breaks, solid frameworks, exact gearshift, easy working clutch.... It is a really nice package. The small windshield works fine. It´s the only extra accessory. Maybe some other will follow.... Triumph offers more than 100 on his website.

To all who have to wait: It is really worth to wait for it!! :wink2:
Awesome Gerryz! Guess it pays to be in Europe! Enjoy the bike, and thanks for keeping the anticipation up for me. I can only imagine I'll be laughing all the way home from the dealer when the day comes.
 
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