[YrfuneralMytrial]

Hello all, I just bought a new '09 Scrambler last Thursday. I'm 600 miles in so I thought I'd post some thoughts etc... This is my 5th Hinckley Triumph (2 '98 TBirds, '96 Trident 900 and '99 Speed Triple). I sold my '75 BMW R75/6 and '04 Wee-Strom to buy the Scram. I was looking for a good combination of both of those bikes and I think I hit it. It's brand new with TORs, centerstand and solo seat/rack installed.

Anyway, here goes:

Negatives:
Too much plastic (pretty chintzy w/ the badges).
Instrument cluster lights are nearly useless in sunlight (need tinted flyscreen).
Still using "baboon's butt" size tail lights.
Air injection - causes lots of exhaust popping (less as miles added though)
Sluggish to go from dead stop (but good by 2nd gear)

Positives:
Looks great in stock form...but can't wait to do "slight mods" (new bars, mirrors, lights)
TORs sound GREAT. These ARE louder than any other TORs I've heard. A "good" loud.
Gearbox shifts like butter.
Handles GREAT. Yes, after a very spirited weekend (Ozarks), I can say this baby handles surprisingly well. A very planted ride.
Good braking.
Starts easy / runs good.
Will hit 100mph+
Blast to ride.
Chicks dig it (okay, my wife).

Buying experience:
I talked to six different dealers (none "local" to me) and El Dorado Cycle (El Dorado Springs, MO) was by far the most genuine, best priced and fair all-around. His price w/ add-ons was still much cheaper than some of the guys I talked to selling leftover '08s. He was the only one who didn't treat me as if I were a target or "mark". Definitely recommend them.

So, there is my brief overview. Happy riding, yrfuneralmytrial

 

[JimVonBaden]

Congrats on the new Scrambler!

I am about the same mileage into my new, to me, 07 with about 2800 miles on it. I come from an R1200GS, so this is quite a change.

I love the bike, with a few mods already, Predator exhaust I just traded off for the TORs, a fly screen, tach, gel seat (sucks) and progressive fork springs.

Great bikes! Good enough that I am selling my GS!

What mods do you think you will be adding?

Jim

 

[YrfuneralMytrial]

Congrats to you as well. Re planned mods:

New bars (I bought some Moose ATV Hi black bars online today - $16.95)
New mirrors (black bar end mirrors - CRG knockoffs - eBay $24)
New tail light and signals (something smaller).
Probably progressive fork springs at some point.
Maybe metal badges.
I might "switch" the pegs. If I move the left to right (and vice versa), they'll go down and back as opposed to up and forward. A little more legroom.
My only real complaint is my lower back starts hurting pretty quickly so I've got to figure out the right handlebar/footpeg combo.

*Also, the Triumph centerstand rests dangerously (seriously) close to the drive chain. As it wears, there's going to be grinding. So, I cut some thickish rubber and shoved it in the fold for now to use as a stopper or shim.

 

[rmak]

Congratulations on your new Scrambler. I agree with all your positives and negatives. Turn a few of those negatives around and wind up with a bike that, if you're like me, you will enjoy for years to come. I like mine more the longer I have it.

 

[ohiorider]

Congrats on the new Scrambler!

I am about the same mileage into my new, to me, 07 with about 2800 miles on it. I come from an R1200GS, so this is quite a change.

I love the bike, with a few mods already, Predator exhaust I just traded off for the TORs, a fly screen, tach, gel seat (sucks) and progressive fork springs.

Great bikes! Good enough that I am selling my GS!

What mods do you think you will be adding?

Jim

Hi, Jim - as a long-time Beemer owner/rider, I have to ask ..... what type of riding did you do with the R1200GS? They are honkin' huge animals for someone my size on dirt or gravel, but they do eat the miles quite well. I still maintain and ride my older and lighter airhead R100GS for the out-West rides, where I might want to hit Interstate and knock off 600-700 miles in a day, just to get to the good stuff in Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, etc. The GS just turned 116500 miles this month!

I've had both bikes (R100GS and T100) out West, the Beemer in '05, and the T100 in '06. Both were wonderful traveling machines. But at the end of a 400 mile day on my Triumph T100, I was somewhat beat. On the GS, I traveled nearly 700 miles on day one, and nearly duplicated that on day 2.

It has nothing to do with the engine ..... it's all in the suspension ... and the old Beemer with very long travel Marzocchi forks, and a quality Bilstein single shock on the rear, sucks up the bumps like they're non-existant in comparison to the Bonnie. I've worked with the T100, adding Progressive 440 shocks with (hopefully) the correct rate springs, and installed their 11-1126 progressive springs up front, but I'm just not there yet ..... mostly a front end issue.

I'm not bitchin' about the T100, since she's had 32,000 wonderful miles added since I purchased her used with slightly over 4k miles on the odometer. I'm simply commenting that they are two different styles of bike. I'll have to say that the Bonnie and R100GS Beemer fit me better than any other bikes I've owned. The biggest diff to me is ride quality.

I'd love to see Triumph do a deluxe version of the Scram, with premium suspension straight from the factory. Maybe just a touch higher seat height .... they could turn the Scram into an F800GS competitor, except for the weight! (and HP difference)

Bob

 

[ARRider]

Hey urfuneralmytrial I was at the El Dorado store last week. I also live in NWA. I wanted to ride the Scram and T100. He ony had a T100 so I rode it and loved it. Before I buy though I still want to ride the Scram. Did you ride the T100?

 

[JimVonBaden]

OhioRider,

My R1200GS is pretty sorted out, so of course I am selling it!

I have 55K miles on it in 3 years, and have done mostly street, and a bit of dirt and mild singletrack. It is most definitely a large bike, especially with my 28" inseam, but it eats miles like nothing else.

I did 7300 miles in two weeks last summer. From DC to Tillamook, OR, to Jasper, DC and the icefields, and over the great lakes back to DC.

I do multiple 5-700 mile days in a row in decent comfort, and I hope to do similar on the Scrambler. I just ordered a Corbin seat, crash bars, and luggage rack for it, and it already has a bunch of accessories on it.

Is it as good as the GS? Technically no, but it is more fun!

My GS

My Scrambler.

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

Hey urfuneralmytrial I was at the El Dorado store last week. I also live in NWA. I wanted to ride the Scram and T100. He ony had a T100 so I rode it and loved it. Before I buy though I still want to ride the Scram. Did you ride the T100?

The Scrambler has longer suspension, so is a bit more compliant, but the Bonnie has more power and apparently more refinement!

Jim

 

[YrfuneralMytrial]

@ ARRider, no I didn't ride the T100 (but I have in the past). I was looking to get back on a Triumph as well as find some weird mix between the R75 and Wee-Strom I sold.. So, I pretty much zeroed in on the Scram. To be honest, I think I could be perfectly happy with anything in the Bonnie platform. I just liked the looks & layout of the Scram best with the Thrux a close second. But, I realize I have a cafe heart and 45 yr old man's back. There's a small group of us Triumph guys in town. You may know some of 'em. I'll drop a line the next time we ride if you like.

 

[YrfuneralMytrial]

Hey Jim, nice bike (that B&W looks cool). Does that clear shield offer any better visibilty of the instrument lights?

 

[LuckyBonnie]

Metal Badges

Nice Black Scrambler....not sure but I beleive I read somewhere that the aftermarket (or '68 series badges) metal badges won't fit the new shaped tank?? or it might be due to the new tanks not having the screw holes anymore? like I said not sure, may be wrong.
Your Scramblers look fabulous guys.
Ted.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Hey Jim, nice bike (that B&W looks cool). Does that clear shield offer any better visibilty of the instrument lights?

Unfortunately the instrument lights are pretty much invisable unless you are at night or in dark shade. There are a couple mods that seem to work, though I have not tried them yet. Both include modification to the lights, one is LED mod, another is moving the bulb closer to the lens, and yet another is a lamp upgrade.

Enjoy the ride!

Jim

 

[ohiorider]

OhioRider,

My R1200GS is pretty sorted out, so of course I am selling it!

I have 55K miles on it in 3 years, and have done mostly street, and a bit of dirt and mild singletrack. It is most definitely a large bike, especially with my 28" inseam, but it eats miles like nothing else.

I did 7300 miles in two weeks last summer. From DC to Tillamook, OR, to Jasper, DC and the icefields, and over the great lakes back to DC.

I do multiple 5-700 mile days in a row in decent comfort, and I hope to do similar on the Scrambler. I just ordered a Corbin seat, crash bars, and luggage rack for it, and it already has a bunch of accessories on it.

Is it as good as the GS? Technically no, but it is more fun!

My Scrambler.

Jim

Sounds like you and I used the GS for the same type riding .... minimal gravel/dirt, maximum asphalt eater. I hope you continue to provide updates, especially as you begin piling on some long-distance miles on the new Scrambler. Since you spent lots of road time on your GS, you'll be able to provide good comparisons and contrasts.

After a short 17,000 miles, I sold a 2004 R1150R Rockster in 2005, pocketed some $$, took the remainder and bought my '03 T100 used, with more than enough bucks left over to accessorize and improve. For some reason, I was never able to really get into the Beemer Oilheads, although I had previously owned a 2005 R1100RS that I put approx 35k miles on. My next Beemer will probably be a good, low mileage airhead, maybe a late model R100RS. They have issues, but, to me, do have real character (or at least a quirkiness I've learned to love), and have been fun to ride.

Re Triumph, their retro twins truly emphasize that 'fun to ride' is much of what it's about, at least for me. My T100 provides that in spades!

Enjoy that Scrambler!

Bob

 

[86gn]

Traded my Scrambler today at Eldorado Cycle so he has an 07 to ride now. I enjoyed my time with the Scrambler but a Street Triple has been calling me for a while.

 

[bobbo]

So as the door opens on another T3 convert, it closes on another lured away by the triple. Nice move YFMT. You still got any of your T3s or just the Scrambler now?

Cheers
bob

 

[YrfuneralMytrial]

@ Lucky Bonnie: I'd love to find out 100% I read on another thread that the screw holes were there on the EFI tanks.

@ AARider: sounds like there's an '07 Scram waiting to be test ridden (Congrat 86gn)

@ Bobbo: Nope, I sold them all. The only bike I've ever regretted selling was my 2nd '98 TBird.