T
AKE THE EXCELLENT
7ULXPSK6WUHHW7ZLQSODWIRUP
and throw a bit of ‘dirtiness’ at it
DQGZROODK<RX·YHJRWWKHQHZ6WUHHW
6FUDPEOHU7KHLGHDRID ́VFUDPEOHUμLV
of a lightweight motorcycle equipped
with rugged tyres and suspension
designed for riding cross country or over
unpaved ground. This is pretty much
ZKDW\RXJHWZLWKWKH6WUHHW6FUDPEOHU
there’s even the sexy look with high twin
pipes and a lightweight bash plate. You
PLJKWUHPHPEHUWKHSUHYLRXV6FUDPEOHU
which was really no more than a dressed
up Bonnie, but that’s not so anymore.
Our test involved mainly bitumen
riding, but I also took off onto a
maintained trail that just happened to be
wet and sandy with a layer of wet clay
underneath... just for ‘fun’!
7KH6FUDPEOHUKDQGOHGWKHGLUW\ZRUN
very well, in fact I’d be quite happy to
have it as an adventure bike with a mix
RIURDGWRRIIURDGULGLQJ7KH
RQHELJERQXV,VHHZLWKWKH6FUDPEOHU
is its weight distribution. Most adventure
bikes have a bit of top heavy feeling
DERXWWKHPZKHUHDVWKH6FUDPEOHU
feels light and the weight is down low,
GHVSLWHLWEHLQJNJ GU\ ZKLFKZLOOEH
around 230kg or a just a touch less when
wet. When you spell it out like that, the
6FUDPEOHULVQ·WDOOWKDWPXFKOLJKWHUWKDQ
a number of the big bore adventure
bikes, but it feels much lighter.
7ULXPSK¶VFUDPEOHULVHG·WKH6FUDPEOHU
E\ÀWWLQJORQJHUUHDUVKRFNVD
inch front wheel with trusty Metzeler
Tourance tyres, a wide handlebar,
adventure style front pegs and a low seat.
This delivers real capability and control
on every type of road I encountered.
The suspension travel will limit what you
can do with this bike, but then again it’s
not a full on adventure bike, is it?
The parallel twin engine is not overly
powerful as such (not like the 1200)
but it is a torquey engine and in the
dirt that is great. Limiting your travels
will be the 12 litre fuel tank. With
some big distances between fuel stops
when getting off the beaten track, and
despite the quite good fuel economy,
\RX·OOEHORRNLQJWRUHÀOOEHIRUHWKH
248km range we achieved.
Braking is adequate enough with the
single disc up front; the good thing,
WKRXJKLVWKDWWKH$%6FDQEHVZLWFKHG
RII,ÀQGWKLVWREHHVVHQWLDOLQWKHGLUW
To round off the electronics there’s
DÁ\E\ZLUHWKURWWOHDQGVZLWFKDEOH
traction control – which again, needs to
be turned off in the dirt to maximise the
XVHDELOLW\RIWKH6FUDPEOHUThe riding position is your typical
VLWXSDQGEHJDUUDQJHPHQWZKLFKLV
great for long distances, and the seat
is quite comfy. The pillion seat can be
interchanged with an aluminium rack. I
really like the idea of this, making it easy
WRDWWDFKDVHDWRUUROOEDJ<RXFDQDOVR
remove the pillion pegs and hangers if
they’re not needed. My only concern
LVZLWKWKRVHKLJKSLSHV ÀWWLQJVRPH
WKURZRYHUSDQQLHUVFRXOGEHDSDLQ
A single dial instrument cluster
holds quite a lot of info contained
LQWKH/&'VFUHHQ
Accessories seem to be endless with
over 150 items to browse through, so
PDNLQJ\RXU6FUDPEOHU¶\RXUV·LVDJUHDW
option to have.
7KH7ULXPSK6WUHHW6FUDPEOHUKDV
been designed to deliver a purposeful
and beautiful style, with unique features
and detailing. I reckon Triumph has
cornered the scrambler market just
perfectly. This bike does what it’s
intended to do. DAttention to detail is high- Oh no! It’s getting dirty!
- Pillion seat can be interchanged
for an aluminium rack
BIKE TEST