2019-06-01_Motorcycle_Mojo_Magazine

MAY 2019 MOTORCYCLE MOJO 21

Torque) guise, Wood decided to employ

the more powerful HP (High Power)

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then enhance it considerably for

dual-purpose use. “We’ve done quite

a lot of work on reducing both mass

and inertia in the HP engine,” he says.

“The mass reduction comes from a

lightweight magnesium cam cover,

plus a mass-optimized clutch cover,

and we also lightened the rotating

parts, including the alternator and the

crankshaft. This gives a lower rotating

weight and a reduced rotating mass,

so the engine picks up revs quicker.

It’s a comprehensive makeover, even

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as before.”

So, the HP Bonneville 1200 engine,

in dedicated Scrambler tune running

the same 11:1 compression ratio as in its

Thruxton format, now delivers 12.5 per

cent more power than the Bonneville

T120 and 38 per cent more than the

900 cc Street Scrambler, albeit seven per

cent less powerful than the Thruxton.

But Wood and his team have

delivered the best of both worlds

by massaging the engine’s torque

delivery to peak at 81 ft-lb at a low

3,950 rpm, less than halfway to the rev

limiter. That’s just 1.5 ft-lb less than

the Thruxton, but with a much wider

spread of grunt throughout the rev

range. This output comes with the aid

of the beautifully crafted stainless steel

headers and twin high-level, brushed

stainless steel silencers, and delivers

what Triumph describes as “a deep,

punchy scrambler sound.” Personally, I

thought it sounded great in delivering

the best of both worlds, with more of

what you need when you need it than

any other 1200 Bonneville variant.

Riding Modes

Just as on all the new-generation

Bonnevilles, the Scrambler 1200 duo’s

Keihin ECU features a ride-by-wire

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modes (Road, Rain, Off-Road, Sport and

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of which deliver the same peak power,

but with its delivery varied by adjusting

throttle response. The ECU also controls

ABS operation that was developed in

conjunction with Continental, and the

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The Scrambler 1200 XE also features

an Off-Road Pro mode, which switches

off ABS and traction control altogether,

TRIUMPH INVENTED

THE STREET-LEGAL

SCRAMBLER CATEGORY

BACK IN 1949 WITH

THE TR5 TROPHY

The Scrambler’s 16-litre

seamless fuel tank, that

features a Monza-style

¿ller cap and indented

stainless steel strap,

narrows at the seat

to allow those with

a shorter inseam an

easier reach to the

ground.