Written by Mark Hawwa
?THIS IS NOT A SCRAMBLER!? is what I shout to myself on repeat as I hit the first few corners of the famous Great Ocean Road in Australia’s south-east. Not a car in sight, my right wrist is only just warming up. Luckily, my hands are already comfortable thanks to the bike’s heated grips. From corner to corner, the 2019 Triumph Scrambler XE consistently proves that it was not only made to conquer the dirt, but the bitumen too.
The gold forks mean that this is the serious one. There’s more suspension travel, too
The word ?Scrambler? became a industry phrase in the 50?s and 60?s for motorcycles that had both off and on-road capabilities. But in more recent times this really hasn?t been the case. It’s been turned into a fashionable term, falsely giving people the hope of adventure and promising that dreaded motorcycle misnomer, ?freedom?. However, the tide has turned and Triumph recently decided to put a 21 inch wheel on a modern classic. It?s so large, I was immediately concerned that maybe Triumph have now focused on the bike’s off-road capabilities at the expense of the on-road.
However from the first corner in to the last corner out, this bike blew me away. The Showa front end with its 250mm wheel travel, coupled with the twin spring Ohlins adjustable rear suspension gives the Scrambler smooth and seamless movement from corner to corner. A little unexpected, huh" It gives you the stability and the confidence to push...