Triumph Scrambler

Those are interesting, but I'm not as confident in the look as the others. But they are cheap enough to try I suppose.

Well I know my trip is a ways off but I'm too excited to hold it in so here goes. I have had the ever increasing need to wander for awhile now due to life circumstances, amongst them is an upcoming 6 month deployment. I've talked to my wife who luckily is very supportive and knows what riding does for my psyche. So while most think it would be crazy to return from a long deployment and suddenly leave their wife and child behind for another month to explore the country seems irresponsible and selfish, I have decided to do just that. I'll be looping the US from NJ to the west coast and back in the span of a month starting in July '14. I will be posting a ride report for all to see and for fellow scram owners to take notes. I have been very inspired by RicoAJP's video to say the least so thanks for that! I plan to stick to rural routes and stealth camp as often as possible. I had contemplated taking my speed triple but I think the scram will give me more of an emotional journey which is what I'm after rather than watch the country go by in a blur...so, fellow long distance scram riders, I'm asking your help for suggestions on what has worked well for luggage, gear, bike setup etc...thanks for any input and I look forward to hearing your ideas!

First off 2T2, THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE! I have one son out after 4 years and one son in still so I understand to some degree your need for the trip. It also sounds like a great way for you to have a plan to look forward to besides the obvious reunion with your family. The time spent on the bike will certainly help you sort things out after your deployment. The Scram is an excellent choive and I can't offer any words of advice because so far I've only done day trips on mine. Mext year on plan on taking my Scram instead of 800 XC on my two long trips because I know it will do it and it will be at least as much fun if not more. Good luck and be safe!

Sounds like a great trip, I'm jealous! I've used a Ventura rack with their 50 L. I added a 1 gallon rotopax and tied a 30 L dry bag with my camping gear in it on the rack. That's worked well for weeklong trips. That being said, I'll be getting a happy trails setup in the near future. I like the convenience of not having to tied down everything and being able to lock them.

Pics from a week in eastern Canada and New England this past summer:

Thanks Bugchewer, I thank your sons for their service as well. You are exactly right, planning this trip will help give me something to look forward to and help this deployment go by quicker. Every chance I get to use the Internet over there will be used to buy gear and send it to my house in the states waiting for my return :) Great call in taking the scram on your next trip, sure the tiger is better suited, as was my Sprint 1050 that I sold but the scram is IMO the essence of motorcycling and lets you get back to the basics and feel the world around you. Enjoy!

I can help here. I've seen the USA from a'top my '06 Scram and have shared all the little tricks I picked up along the way on triumphrat.net's trip report section. I use the same name on that forum - Skidplate865.

You can do alot on a Scram:

The Triumph Scrambler thread might sound like a strange place to post an electric bike review, but it will all make sense in a second.

For two or three years now I've been leisurely shopping for a replacement for my '06 Scram. I've put 63,000 miles on her and have no desire to sell, but eventually the clock will run out and I'll need a new bike. So I've been looking.

I figure you guys will understand how hard it is to replace a Scrambler so this is the group I will share some of the findings over the next few month, years, whatever...

This afternoon, I test rode a Zero DS (dual sport) motorcycle.



http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-ds/

Very cool, very different, very expensive for what you get. That last part may be where most people jump ship. The salesman made it clear that the bike would be $14,000 and change after the government subsidy or rebate or whatever. So, OTD your in the $15,000 neighborhood and that's a pretty crowded neighborhood (the new BMW R Nine T should be moving in any day now.) But that is pretty much the upper end of my price range so I'm still interested at this point.

The bike itself feels great. Comfortable, even for a fat guy like me. Good suspension, nice ride over the broken blacktop of Brooklyn. Brakes work O.K., but you can hear them groan and screech when applied. Unpleasant sound that is not drowned out by the motor, because electric motors are super quiet.

Speaking of sound, there was an high pitch siren sound coming from some part of the bike during most of my ride. Honestly, I thought the cops were chasing me. The sound went away when I stopped, and came back when I cracked the throttle so I figured the PO-PO weren't after me.

THE COOL PART:
Throttle response was different than any other bike I've ridden. From a dead stop, it's a little underwhelming. Even jumping off a "slow" bike like the Scram, the ZERO's take off was weak in comparison. From 30 mph to 90 mph, the little electric bike is scary fast. Smooth throttle too. No herky jerky snap. It was like butta.

The bike weighs about a hundred pounds less (395lbs) but can only carry 360 pounds. A Scram's GVWR is 440lbs, so the Zero loses if you carry 2 up (which I do) or if you like to pack up and travel (which I also do - see below):



And I guess this is where I jump ship, because you can't go on a road trip on an electric bike. It would do 90% of what I need, but no road trips, no thank you! The search for a replacement goes on.

Very cool Skidplate, so far I've learned that on my trip I can carry a Christmas tree, fire wood and beer! Perfect! I shall put my truck up for sale tomorrow haha. I'll be sure to check out your threads on the rat site. One question, how did the carbs do at altitude? I have mine jetted for TOR pipes so hopefully they'll be ok. Thanks man!

Beautiful day, nice ride:

The Ventura rack/pack works real well for me. Have also carried a duffle, and a tent. Pretty simple. Pack light. Have the stuff you need regularly in a tank bag.





Going on longish trips, I find it hard to leave my fly rod behind...

Regards, Guy

I have used the Ventura bag on my summer trips. I think it's Great. Only negative is the weigth of the brackets. I have made replacement for the y-bracket.

Hey, I'm so glad the video had that effect on you! I can understand why you want to take the trip, one of my reasons was I had just finished a two year stint in the police in a bad part of town. Dealing with negative people in negative situations everyday took its toll on myself and my relationships. The roadtrip and the people I met really helped restore my spirit. On that note, thank you for your service, I can only imagine the sacrifices you have made and pray for your safety during your deployment.

With regards to advice, make sure your bike has some form of windscreen. Initially I was going to go without it, but a fellow inmate and scrambler rider (Rayman) advised against it and i'm so thankful he persisted. It made the ride so much more comfortable. As for luggage, I borrowed a ventura rack from a friend and used a bunch of Kriega luggage -R30, US30, and a US20 acting as a tank bag. It was a pretty good setup, definitely proved to be waterproof which i'm thankful for. My US30 straps snapped during the trip for reasons unknown, however the service I received from Kriega was A*. They offered to find the nearest dealer on my route and get a 1-1 replacement, or even mail it to a hotel I had planned to stay at in Vegas. In the end I made due with extra straps and got it replaced in Toronto. The only negative thing I have to say is they get kind of tedious to pack and unpack everyday. If money is no issue i'd go for a pannier set up -at the time happy trails had not released their scrambler set up and all that was available was the metal mule system. And most importantly, take your time. The bike is a real joy to ride, and it attracts so much attention you end up spending so much time talking to people who walk up to admire it. I can't begin to tell you how many great conversations i've had with people who walk up to take a look -lots of them old souls who used to own 69' bonnies, they have the best stories.

Writing this is really making me wish I was still out on the road.. Well I hope that helps, i'm looking forward to your future ride report!

I've had pretty good luck with an Ortlieb dry bag I got from Touratech several years ago. I just looked at them on that site and it looks like they've changed them a little. I've got caught in more than a couple rain storms and no water gets in. With that bag, the side cases that came with my GS and a tank bag, I can carry pretty much what I need. I used ROK straps to tie the bag down. Good luck on your trip.

Well after two months of going through this thread in my free time I finally made it to "today". It was very frustrating to see a cool picture or want to comment on some of your post only to realize that happened 18 months ago. Hope to join in the discussion a little more now. Thanks already for the help with the flyscreen-ordered and received. And the gear shift yet to be ordered. I will have some usual questions on shocks and wheels as i get a little farther along, but for now a picture from yesterdays little test ride with the new pivot pegz.

Turbospence, that is a spectacular picture -- Lovely bike, and that tree is amazing.

Thanks for your Service -- Enjoy your trip -- you've earned it !!! And hats off to your understanding wife too!!

Autumn in Tuscany

Fall Scrambling.
(Front signals are back ordered)

Wife and I have been two up a lot on my 06. Today was the first time she rode since I changed the exhaust from stock high pipes to a Zard low cross. She didn't say a word, so eventually I asked her what she thought and she hadn't even noticed :huh

She's not prone to complaining though