Riders whose bikes won’t trigger a change in a traffic light to green would welcome more of these activation buttons that have been installed at some intersections for cyclists.
It seems cyclists get everything they want from governments. Even their own roads!
In this case, their strong lobbying for these buttons may also help motorcyclists.
They are located on poles close to the road so riders can push them and trigger a change in the traffic lights.
These have been installed because many modern bicycles are made of carbon fibre which will not trigger traffic light sensors.
There are varying types of sensors used around the world but the most common is called an inductor loop. It consists of a wire loop placed in the asphalt leaving a telltale rectangular cutting in the road surface to detect the metal in the engine block.
Motorcycle Council of NSW chairman Steve Pearce says they have discussed the issue with Roads and Maritime Services.
“So far we have not received a reply except that they are looking into it,” he says.
“Our suggestion was actually a pressure pad at the front of the lane which would be triggered by a motorcycle.
“As the weight of a motorcycle is less than a vehicle, it would need to be a bespoke item.”
Report traffic light problems
RACQ safety and technical manager Steve Spalding says they have also raised the issue of motorcycles not triggering traffic lights with Transport and Main Roads “a couple of times”.
Steve Spalding and his Bandit
“Their advice is to report the lights to the relevant road authority for attention,” he says.
“They told me they can adjust the sensitivity but if they adjust too much it can then pick up traffic passing in an adjacent lane.”
Rider advice
Steve advises riders to correctly position their motorcycle over the cut lines in the road where the loop sensors are placed.
“Don’t stop in between them,” he says.
“You can also try moving forward to allow a car to position over them if they won’t trigger.
“From a safety perspective I’d suggest a rider not stop over the cut line closest to the adjacent through-lane but position themselves over one of the other lines (there are usually three running parallel to the lane).
“This gives them a bit more of a safe space if a passing car runs too close, or drifts into, the turning lane where they are sitting waiting for a turn light.”
Satnav and mapping expert Peter (World Mapman) Davis provides some interesting background information for those riders who would like to understand how to better use their satnav unit.
There are two forms of Global Positioning System (GPS) satnav (satellite navigation): moving maps and guidance navigation.
Moving maps
This satnav is basically a “raster” or computer graphics image of an actual map.
It is geo-referenced which means the map is embedded in the satnav device and knows where its latitudes and longitudes (or lats and longs as we call them) are on the map.
These are all used in apps for phones or computer programs on desktop or laptop computers.
It shows you where you are. Your position is an overlay on the map and as you move, the map moves with you.
It’s my preferred nav in a remote area because you see details such as water holes, tanks and gradients of roads.
These systems don’t supply turn-by-turn navigation, but you can still use them to plan a route.
Guidance navigation
This is turn-by-turn navigation as used in GPS satnav units from companies such as TomTom, Navman, Garmin, etc.
They use raw data collected by driving the roads, photographing them, mapping them and from satellite images.
The only map data collectors in the world are Navtecm, Teleatlas and Google. They also field-check maps and sell their data to the end users.
They collect the geographic location (lats and longs) and geo-reference images and features.
All of that data is then embedded in proprietary software that can be used on the GPS unit.
Teleatlas was bought by TomTom about 15 years ago and is not sold to any other user.
TomTom is the largest single GPS manufacturer in the world, closely followed by Garmin. But they do not have the majority of the market as there are so many models available.
Their software is set up like moving maps with similar designs for roads, rivers, and even the little position arrow.
The Hema Navigator and Mudmap are the only GPS units that include both turn-by-turn guidance and a moving map option.
Smartphone satnav
Smartphones have a built-in GPS device that allows you to use moving maps via a mapping app. Just make sure you have turned on “location services”.
These don’t need a mobile signal or wifi to work, although they will provide more accurate positioning.
You can be riding in the middle of the Simpson Desert and still use your GPS to access an app with relevant maps downloaded.
Even if you are riding overseas and do not have a mobile plan for that country, the program will work.
The best and easiest to use mapping apps are Hema, Mudmap and Avenza.
Mud Map and Hema Explorer apps for iOS and Android cost $99.99 and $49.95 respectively and come with some maps.
Avenza is free, but you have to buy the maps. They get 10% commission.
Some maps are free and some start at just a few dollars.
Once you buy them, you own them, they are on your device and the GPS will place you on those maps.
By the way, other smartphone apps that use maps such as Uber and Find My Friends won’t work unless you have mobile signal or wifi.
Smartphone maps
Smartphones also have either a proprietary map (like Apple Maps) and/or Google Maps that use mobile signal and/or wifi.
Apple started collecting its own data and bought some data, but didn’t do any field checking.
They introduced the service too soon and relied too much on free crowd-source data, so it was riddled with errors. They have since just bought known data, so it is now more reliable.
You can use both of these to plan a route, find where you are and source nearby points of interest.
In fact, this is how they get their funding as companies pay to be included on their maps.
Next in the series we will talk about how to plan your route.
Las Vegas motorcycle auctions seem to attract the biggest bids and January’s Bonham’s sale is set to do the same with some famous bikes including a Triumph 5T Speed Twin once owned by Steve McQueen.
It was the most expensive bike sold at auction until Australia Day this year when a 1951 Vincent Black Lightning on which Jack Ehret set an Australian speed record was bought at the Bonham’s annual Las Vegas motorcycle auction for a record $US929,000 ($A1,155,000, €748,500) by an unknown collector who is returning the bike to Australia.
McQueen’s 1938 Triumph 5T Speed Twin 500 is estimated to fetch up to $US65,000 (about $A92,000).
The Hollywood star had a long association with Triumph having ridden a TR6 in The Great Escape and the 1964 International Six Day Trial, representing the USA.
This bike was restored for McQueen by friend and fellow ISDT team member Bud Ekins in the mid to late 1970s.
Rare Ducati
Another highlight of the auction is a 1993 Ducati 550cc Supermono tipped to fetch up to $125,000 (about $A177,000).
It is one of only 67 design by Pierre Terblanche and built specifically for the Sound of Singles race.
“The Supermono was regarded as a resounding triumph,” says Bonhams motorcycle specialist Craig Mallery.
“It’s a very curvaceous design. There’s very little that’s angular about it. It’s a beautiful bike, very compact.”
Harley Model F
Another interesting item is a 1916 Harley-Davidson Model F that sat untouched for many decades and still includes a period front tyre.
It was parked indoors many years ago in indoor storage and was recently discovered by American TV car restorer Wayne Carini, host of the Chasing Classic Cars TV series which featured the Harley in one episode.
It is expected to fetch bids up to $100,000 (about $A140,000).
Motorcycles are about action, yet we rarely see any motorbikes in motion in Facebook photos.
I’m getting a bit tired of the same old photos of motorcycles in car parks or parked outside cafes.
Typical Facebook carpark photo
The proliferation of these is probably because we are too busy riding and having fun to stop and think about taking some photos of our mates riding past.
But let’s do our Facebook friends a big favour these Christmas holidays and make a pledge to get more action in our shots. Your mates will appreciate your efforts.
You don’t have to be a photographer or use an SLR camera to take good shots, either.
I started out as a photographic journalist and have for years carried around expensive SLR cameras and lenses.
However, they are too big, expensive and fragile to cart around on a motorcycle. I’ve broken several over the years from vibration and bumps on the bike.
These days I just use an action camera or a phone. Most take fantastic idiot-proof shots.
Here are a few quick iPhone tips to snap some interesting motorcycle action photos on your next ride with friends. (Android phones should have similar functions.)
Panning shots
Action in a photo is best shown by having some blur. This is easy.
When you next stop for a coffee/toilet break, tell your mates you will leave a couple of minutes early to station yourself on a corner or scenic outlook where you will photograph them as they go past.
Park safely off the side of the road and set yourself up somewhere with the sun behind you and a good clear shot of the road as the riders go past.
Hold the phone out about 30cm from your face so you can see the live action at the same time as what’s on your screen. This will help you follow the action.
As each rider comes into view, hit and hold the “shoot” button, careful to keep the rider in the centre of the shot as you follow them around the corner.
This will create a “burst” of photos that focus on the rider and blur the background.
When you check the photos, you will see the word “Select…” at the bottom of the screen.
The main photo may be blurry and not well framed, but if you click on Select, you will see all the photos from your panning shoot.
Select the best to show your mates. They will look like MotoGP starts even if they are riding slowly!
Or you can blur the bike to show speed with a nice panorama in the background.
Simply hold the phone still as the riders go past and hold down the shoot button.
Blurred riders look fast
Scenic photos
A beautiful landscape photo looks even better with a bike in the foreground.
And it doubles the attraction if you also have a moving bike in the frame.
In this shot, I’ve positioned my bike in the foreground with a mountain in the background and a fellow rider going past.
Low-down action
You can also make an action shot more dramatic if you get down low to shoot the bike.
Too many people hold the camera at eye level while standing.
Low-down action
Bikes only stand a bit over a metre tall, so at eye height, most of the bike is in the bottom half of the photo.
Get down low and you will fill the frame with motorbike.
And if you can jump an adventure bike even a few inches off the ground, it looks like a whole lot more!
Ducati Australia has recalled 263 Panigale V4, V4 S and V4 S Speciale bikes over a possible engine oil to leak from one of the hydraulic tensioners on each of the cylinder heads.
The official notice issued through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says the engine oil “may leak on to the engine sump and on to the tyre, increasing the risk of a crash”.
“This may cause serious injury to riders and other road users,” it says.
The vehicle identification numbers of affected bikes are listed at the end of this article.
Ducati Australia say they will contact owners of recalled bikes by mail.
They will be requested to contact their nearest authorised Ducati Dealer to arrange an appointment.
Apparently it is easily fixed by dealers tightening the two hydraulic tensioners to specification, free of charge.
Recalled again
Ducati’s new Panigale V4 has been recalled four times in its first year of production. However, only recalls two have affected bikes imported into Australia.
Even though manufacturers and importers contact owners when a recall is issued, the bike may have been sold privately to a rider unknown to the company.
Therefore, Motorbike Writer publishes all motorcycle recalls as a service to all riders.
If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites:
Laing gazes across a salt field on the ancient bed of the Great Salt Lake, Utah.
Hamilton Mack Laing’s way was rutted.
Clay mud lined with the tracks made by car and wagon wheels had dried, hindering the passage of his Harley-Davidson. “We rode the combs till we fell into the ruts,” he wrote, “and when we got wedged there we heaved out and started again.” He had found his nemesis on Nebraska roads. The mud he encountered either consisted of dried ruts where “the machine stuck fast on the combs and the engine raced helplessly” which meant pushing out by hand, or of a “soupy liquid” where “the wheels would not grip; each wheel insisted on picking its own route.”
Canadian writer and naturalist Hamilton Mack Laing was not an average two-wheeled traveler. Although George Wyman had become the first to cross the U.S. on a motorcycle back in 1903, Laing was an early adopter of the motorcycle as the ideal way to connect with the places he traveled through, and he specifically enjoyed how it could immerse him in the natural world he loved so much. He was midway across the United States on his new 1915 Harley-Davidson 11F when he encountered those poor road conditions. He had begun his adventure at St. James Place, Brooklyn, and pointed his handlebar at the World’s Fair in San Francisco.
A travel companion, Smith Johnson, negotiating the dry landscape of Utah.
Negotiating dried mud would be a low point in the road conditions during Laing’s 1915 adventure, which he described in his written account as “a six-weeks perambulation on two wheels.” His motorcycle was an air-cooled, four-stroke, 11-horsepower, 988cc V-twin-engined steed with a top speed of about 65 mph. He named her Barking Betsy, and he would test her to the full.
Laing’s journey west took him through 12 states. He insisted on giving cities a wide berth, for which he apologized: “It is not that I love them less but rather that I love the country more.” What Laing called “the joy of the road” he believed was not found in the major centers, but on secondary roads, small towns and in nature. Laing called himself a “motorcycle-naturalist.” When he switched off his engine after crossing into Pennsylvania, “there were meadowlarks in the field piping jubilantly and two or three vesper sparrows that even now at noontide were singing as though in competition.” Laing was a gypsy gentleman.
But he was also a pioneer of motorcycle travel, choosing to camp whenever possible. “The first meal in camp,” he quipped, “or the first on a gipsying (sic) expedition is doubly pleasing.” He believed getting out into nature on two wheels was good for the constitution: “It is a good thing for a man’s soul to feel that way once in a year at least.”
Laing in 1917, riding east from Princeton, British Columbia, on his third Harley.
In the suburbs of Cleveland he was overtaken by two other motorcyclists riding Harley-Davidsons. They offered their help thinking he might have lost his way. It was the first bit of camaraderie of the road he experienced with other motorcycle travelers. “Fraternalism of the right sort truly,” he wrote, indicating that the connection between two-wheeled travelers was alive even in those early days of “transcontinentaling.” They guided him on the right road to Elyria.
Later on he slept in the hayloft of an obliging farmer and once again noted the bird life around him. “Bob-white was calling from a grain-field and a meadowlark was in tune.”
Today’s motorcycle traveler might be surprised to discover what Laing put in his panniers. Somehow, packed away in the heavy canvas satchels, was “an eating kit, a sleeping kit, a tarpaulin and ground sheet.” He also had to shoehorn in “a mending kit and shaving kit as well as the necessities in the way of extras for the machine and a big Kodak and its accessories.” He wore a cap, an army shirt and “riding trousers and leggings,” stressing that the “shirt and trousers ought to be made of wool.”
Even with all his preparedness, many tried to discourage Laing before departure, saying, “that if I traveled alone and slept out of doors ‘just anywhere’ rattle-snakes (sic) would bite me and I would be held up and robbed, also that I would lose my way.” As well intentioned as these harbingers of doom might have been, Laing was having none of it. “As to losing my way,” Laing quipped, “I had a road map, also a tongue in my head that was at least half Scotch.”
Crane hunting in Ebor, Saskatchewan, in 1914, Laing stands on his first Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a 10F.
In the hills of Pennsylvania, Laing encountered a rattlesnake, but not in the way he anticipated. He found a dead rattler on the road, one that had been recently run over and, always the naturalist, was curious about it. He decided to dissect it and see what it had eaten recently. What he found inside impressed him to no end as “the wretch had swallowed a full grown grey squirrel!”
Any other fears he might have had about pressing on in search of adventure and glory he tempered with philosophy. “How similar to a road is our entire spin through life,” Laing waxed. “We may see the path clearly enough to the turn, but beyond it, the future must reveal.”
“But the lure of the unending road,” he emphasized, “is a call that will not be denied.” So he and Betsy pushed on. As an early moto-traveler Laing was quick to discover the advantages of riding a motorcycle over driving a car. “We take to the Road for experiences and we get them,” he wrote. “Riders on two wheels get more of them I think, and get them in shorter compass than drivers of four wheels do.”
Laing and Smith Johnson enjoy a shave, shampoo and personal maintenance by a puddle at Sulphur Hot Springs, Nevada.
Laing had many other new experiences along his route. He used wooden planks to cross rails in Ohio, rode over mud “as untrustworthy as a greased pig” and, in Iowa, Barking Betsy sputtered to a standstill on a hillside. Laing then set to work pretending to know something of motorcycle mechanics. “I tried to look as wise as 40 long-eared owls,” he confessed. Luckily for Laing the foreman of a nearby construction site was more mechanically inclined than he and not only gave Laing sound advice (he had taken in bad fuel) and assistance, Laing also got a bed and breakfast out of the bargain. To this Laing professed of the benevolence to be found while traveling. “Blessed indeed is the man who shows genuine kindness to a stranger, to one he has never seen nor will ever seen again.”
In Nebraska he met up and rode with his brother Jim, who had ridden south from his home province of Manitoba. “Frat,” as Laing called him, traveled with him into California. He also met other Harley riders, found a brotherhood amongst them when he needed company and rode with them for some of his journey.
In Omaha he ate at a lunch counter and marveled at the simple pleasures of chatting with locals where he found “life is considerably simplified; there is a fraternity of Dirt…a better democracy.”
Laing and his brother Jim ride a dry lake bed in Nevada with throttles wide open.
He doffed his cap at many an impressive vista, from the slow power of the Mississippi to the heights of Berthoud Pass. But all through it, the highs of meeting people, rumbling along pleasant country roads and stopping to witness beautiful landscapes, and the lows of mud roads and waiting out a rainstorm under a tarp, there was the love and respect for nature and the open road. Even in Nebraska, when a meal consisted of some bread begged from a farmhouse, Laing chose to see things on the bright side. “The most pleasant thing I can recall of that meal and the place,” he wrote, “was that an Arkansas kingbird had a nest in the upper frame of the wind-mill.”
From Colorado on, the roads would dry and battling road conditions would fade into the distance. As Laing put it, “to sit up loose and easy and open the throttle a little meant quite a new joy of the road.”
Laing in 1914 beside his first Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
On August 8th, 1915, Laing rumbled into San Francisco after riding 3,842 miles, but not before having to fight through alkali poisoning picked up from drinking well water and a seemingly endless series of tire punctures. In retrospect he would term his transcontinental journey as “a mighty film, a four-thousand mile reel of wonderland, the like of which may never be seen within four walls.”
Trevor Marc Hughes is a writer and motorcyclist in Vancouver, Canada. He is currently working on publishing Hamilton Mack Laing’s account of his 1915 transcontinental journey on a Harley-Davidson. He anticipates a release of the book in the spring of 2019.
Here at MO, we love electric motorcycles. So, imagine our excitement when this press release slipped over the transom this morning. Perhaps, with this increase in production, we can arrange for a full test, instead of a brief but speedy ride, of the Lightning Motorcycles LS-218. Fingers crossed…
Begin Press Release:
Lightning Motorcycles Expands Into New Corporate Headquarters To Support Increased LS-218 Production
Lightning’s New Corporate Headquarters in San Jose
Lightning Motorcycles, manufacturer of the fully electric LS-218 Superbike – the fastest production motorcycle in the world, is announcing today its first phase of expansion into its new Corporate Headquarters and Production Facility located in San Jose, California.
The new San Jose based facility offers five times the square footage when compared to Lightning’s previous San Carlos location. This larger building provides Lightning with the ability to dramatically expand production of the LS-218 Superbike, as well as an in-house design studio for designing future Lightning products, increased research and development capabilities and additional office space to accommodate the expanding Lightning team.
LS-218 and Beyond
The fully electric Lightning LS-218 represents a halo bike in every sense of the word. Developed by Lightning from the ground up, it utilizes the most technologically advanced electric motorcycle powertrain in existence to deliver a 218 mph top speed, over 200 horsepower at the rear wheel and twice the torque of a MotoGP race bike. This powertrain not only makes the LS-218 the fastest production motorcycle in the world, but is also vastly more efficient than its gasoline powered counterparts. The LS-218’s technology has been validated in numerous racing victories including setting multiple land speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats as well as taking First Place Overall in the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb, beating the second place finisher by over 20 seconds.
While Lightning will continue to push the boundaries of performance, in-line with the mission to create two-wheel electric transportation with superior efficiency, performance and affordability than current gasoline alternatives, Lightning is leveraging its technology to expand its product lineup into multiple motorcycle segments targeting mainstream riders. Announcements of new Lightning products will begin in the coming months.
About Lightning Motorcycles
Lightning Motorcycles manufactures the highest performing and most advanced electric motorcycles in the world. Our halo product, LS-218, pushes the boundaries of what is possible for an electric superbike.
Lightning was founded in 2009 to offer consumers the highest performance, best quality and value in each product segment. Lightning is dedicated to developing exciting new products that will attract new motorcycle riders based on ease of operation, superior user experience, and accessible performance.
For any press related inquiries, please reach out to Matt Schulwitz, VP Communications at [email protected]
For one thing, they’ve just added some new Africa Twins to the fleet, for another Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental and Tours have just released a new self-guided, 10-day, all paved motorcycle adventure tour, the Backroads of Ecuador Self-Guided Tour. This ride is designed to take you on Ecuador’s best paved roads and to enjoy the most unique and luxurious lodging available in the country – explorating the three distinct “worlds” of continental Ecuador: the Andes, the Amazon and the Pacific Coast. “Excellent for two-up riding and for groups of friends looking for great riding and very comfortable accommodations,” says Freedom, “you can ride it with any of our motorcycles or 4×4.” They’ve got tons of other options.
* The doldrums are due to the Coriolis effect. The key to the Coriolis effect lies in the Earth’s rotation. Specifically, the Earth rotates faster at the Equator than it does at the poles. Earth is wider at the Equator, so to make a rotation in one 24-hour period, equatorial regions race nearly 1,674 kilometers per hour (1,040 miles per hour). Near the poles, the Earth rotates at just .00008 kph (.00005 mph).
Let’s pretend you’re standing in Quito and you want to throw a ball to your friend in Des Moines, Iowa. If you throw the ball in a straight line, it will appear to land to the right of your friend because he’s moving slower and has not caught up.
Fluids traveling across large areas, such as air currents, are like the path of the ball. They appear to bend to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. The Coriolis effect behaves the opposite way in the Southern Hemisphere, where currents to bend to the left. Hurricanes and tornadoes in the northern hemisphere spin counter-clockwise while cyclones in the southern hemisphere spin clockwise.
So, in the middle – the tropical convergence zone – they cancel each other out. It is why it is scientifically impossible to have tornadoes or hurricanes in Ecuador.
The 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE is a fully off-road-capable motorcycle with classic retro styling. (Photos by Kingdom Creative)
Scramblers are hot right now, with well over a dozen models available from five different manufacturers. With rough-and-ready retro styling, the appeal of scramblers–that freewheeling, desert-racing spirit of the ’60s, embodied by the King of Cool himself, Steve McQueen–is hard to deny. Most modern scramblers, however, are street-oriented models that talk the talk more than they walk the walk of off-road capability.
Triumph’s Hinckley-era, Bonneville-based scramblers, starting with the air-cooled, 865cc Scrambler produced from 2006-2016 and continuing with the liquid-cooled, 900cc Street Scrambler, are more suited to pavement than dirt. But that changes with the introduction of the Scrambler 1200. Rather than just a styling exercise built around the larger 1,200cc parallel twin, Triumph created a full-on adventure bike with classic minimalist styling. No windscreen, no bodywork, just a steel tank, a wide handlebar and a round headlight.
The 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE has the classic scrambler look, with swept-back high pipes, a skid plate, spoked wheels and a round headlight.
I’ll admit, when it was announced last October, I was skeptical that the Scrambler 1200 would be truly capable off-road. Sure, it has some impressive specs–tubeless spoked wheels with a 21-inch front, nearly 10 inches of suspension travel on the higher-spec XE model, fully adjustable Öhlins rear shocks and an Off-Road ride mode–but I expected it to be a handful in the dirt. On the first day of the press launch, hosted at Wim Motors Academy, an off-road training facility in rural southwestern Portugal, we were told to “warm up” with a few laps on a dirt oval cut into sloping field–under the watchful eyes of a photographer and a videographer. No pressure.
They won’t be fitting me for a steel shoe anytime soon, but turning laps on a dirt oval gave me confidence in the 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE’s off-road ability.
Doing my best impression of a flat track racer, I scooted forward on the seat, weighted the outside peg, stuck out my left leg and went for it. After the first tentative lap, I used the throttle more assertively, spinning the rear wheel and letting the bike rotate beneath me. Plenty of torque was on tap, and in Off-Road mode it was easy to manage and the traction control–which is programmed to allow more rear-wheel spin when hard on the gas–allowed the tail to kick out for power slides without going too far. By the third lap, I was hooked!
Gravel, dirt, sand, mud–the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE takes it all in stride. Even at a fast pace, it felt planted, stable and confident off-road.
My veins pumping with confidence and adrenaline, our five-bike group took off on a loop ride on unpaved roads between farms and through forests. I was amazed at how easy it was to ride the Scrambler 1200 XE off-road, how planted it felt on uneven terrain and how forgiving it was of ham-fisted inputs and the abuse that comes from hammering rough roads at a fast pace. The Scrambler’s lack of a windscreen and bodywork reduced the sense of visual mass from the cockpit, making the bike seem smaller than it actually is. Its weight–a claimed 465 pounds dry; probably around 500 pounds ready to ride–felt nicely balanced, and the well-padded, vinyl-covered bench seat made it easy to move around. Gravel, hard pack, sand, mud–we blitzed through it all, got filthy dirty and had fun in a way that only carefree motorcycling can provide.
Two versions of the 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 are available, the higher-spec, more off-road-capable XE (left) and the base-model XC (right).
Knowing that adventure riders segment themselves into two groups–those who ride primarily on the street but enjoy occasional off-roading, and those who prefer to ride off-road as much as possible–Triumph created two versions of the Scrambler 1200. Aimed at the first group, the base-model XC has 7.9 inches of suspension travel, a lower 33.1-inch seat height, a narrower handlebar, a shorter wheelbase, tighter steering geometry, five riding modes (Sport, Road, Rain, Off-Road and Rider customizable) and switchable ABS and traction control. Aimed at serious off-roaders, the XE has 9.8 inches of suspension travel, a 34.25-inch seat, a wide adjustable-height handlebar, multi-mode cornering ABS and traction control, a sixth riding mode (Off-Road Pro), hand guards and heated grips.
For the Scrambler 1200, the liquid-cooled, 1,200cc parallel twin shared among the big Bonnevilles got a high-power tune and other upgrades. Claimed output is 90 horsepower and 81 lb-ft of torque.
Both are powered by a revised version of the liquid-cooled, 1,200cc, SOHC, 8-valve parallel twin shared across most of the Bonneville family. The Scrambler 1200s get a “high power” version of the engine with a dedicated scrambler tune that generates a claimed 90 horsepower at 7,400 rpm and 81 lb-ft of torque at just 3,950 rpm. Other engine tweaks include lightweight balance shafts, engine covers and cam cover, a low-inertia crankshaft, a lighter alternator and a revised clutch assembly, and it is held in place by a dedicated tubular-steel frame with aluminum cradles. To keep the Scrambler’s high pipes tucked in Triumph used a single throttle body assembly, and the pipes curve inward above the footpegs for a narrow profile between the knees when standing up. Thanks to the high-performance tune and 270-degree crank, the brushed stainless-steel twin pipes emit a throaty bark. However, even with their heat shields, the pipes get very hot after spirited riding due to the integrated catalytic converter.
The Scrambler 1200’s full-color TFT instrumentation has two themes (Cronos, shown, and Quartz), high- and low-contrast options and customizable displays. Oddly, though, it doesn’t provide ambient temperature.
The Scrambler 1200 may have classic curb appeal, but it’s modern through and through, with throttle-by-wire, a full electronics package, cruise control, an assist-and-slipper clutch, a customizable TFT display, full LED lighting, keyless ignition, a USB charging port and an optional tire-pressure monitoring system. An accessory Bluetooth module provides turn-by-turn navigation, phone and music functions, and GoPro integration, allowing a paired camera (sold separately) to be operated using the bike’s switchgear.
Standard fitment on the Triumph Scrambler 1200 are Metzeler Tourance 90/10 adventure tires, but it’s also approved for Pirelli Scorpion Rally knobbies.
Fitted with Pirelli Scorpion Rally knobbies for the off-road test, I kept the XE in Off-Road mode, which adjusts throttle response, traction control and ABS (turning it off at the rear wheel). Off-Road Pro mode turns ABS and TC off completely, but I’m not a pro so I prefer the peace of mind of an electronic safety net, especially with superbike-spec Brembo M50 Monobloc 4-piston radial front calipers pinching 320mm discs. With a radial master cylinder and Brembo MCS front lever, the front brakes were easy to modulate and provided good feedback, but I still wanted insurance against tucking the front due should my enthusiasm outrun my skills. One of the XE’s greatest strengths is suspension performance. With a fully adjustable, upside-down Showa cartridge fork and a pair of fully adjustable Öhlins piggyback shocks, the bike soaked up hard hits from rocks, ruts, dips and even jumps on a motocross track at the training camp, keeping the chassis stable and wheels planted.
The Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE has throttle-by-wire and six ride modes (Sport, Road, Rain, Off-Road, Off-Road Pro and Rider customizable) that adjust throttle response, traction control and ABS.
Heading out on day two’s street ride, a light drizzle gave way to a steady downpour, giving me a chance to test Rain mode. With throttle response dialed back, cornering ABS and TC cranked up, and Metzeler Tourance 90/10 adventure tires providing good grip, the XE exhibited no untoward behavior. With mostly dry streets after lunch, I switched over to Road and Sport modes and wicked it up. With its 21-inch front wheel and chassis geometry favoring stability over nimbleness, the XE wasn’t exactly flickable, but its wide handlebar provided good leverage and the bike behaved with confidence and certainty. And with a generous amount of torque spread throughout the rev range, I never felt like I was in the wrong gear.
Riding in a steady downpour gave me a chance to test Rain mode and the bike’s manners in less-than-ideal road conditions. It behaved in a consistent, predictable manner.
In my review of the 2017 Street Triple RS, written after nearly a decade of riding and testing nearly every model produced by Triumph, I made the claim that the British manufacturer’s “greatest unsung virtue is the baked-in user-friendliness that characterizes many bikes in its lineup.” At the Scrambler 1200 launch, I reiterated my opinion to Stuart Wood, Triumph’s Chief Engineer. He smiled and told me that Triumph puts considerable effort into making its motorcycles accessible and predictable, from throttle response to steering behavior, gear changes, braking and so on. They don’t dumb them down to the point of being boring; quite the contrary–most Triumphs are full of character and vitality. Rather they design and engineer motorcycles to respond to inputs in a consistent manner, freeing the rider to be more engaged with the experience than with concerns about what might happen next.
The Triumph Scrambler 1200 has a comfortable, upright seating position. On the XE, the handlebar and foot controls are adjustable.
At the end of the all-day street ride, even though I was cold and wet and tired, I didn’t want it to end. To me, that’s a measure of a great motorcycle, one that goes beyond being a machine or vehicle and becomes a companion, a time capsule, an object of desire. I’m glad I was wrong. I’m glad the Scrambler 1200 XE wiped the smug look of skepticism of my face and replaced with a big, mud-splattered smile.
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