"Say, that's a pretty nice rig. The low saddle and the way the v-twin is framed- beautiful. But i'm not sure it's really a cruiser . . . "
Those words, uttered by a rider ogling the rubenesque victory vision at a show last month, brought to mind a debate i'd had with a colleague over what defines a cruiser. There's a school of thought that says cruisers must possess certain styling characteristics: wide bars, a stepped seat, a fairly long wheelbase and a relaxed fork angle. (note that engine configuration doesn't seem to matter. V-twins, v-4s, singles, sixes and triples are all ok.) On the face of it the vision meets all those criteria, but apparently even that's not enough.
The definition of cruiser has been bandied about since the term was coined, but the discussion's become heated now that some designs combine characteristics from other bike classes. Touring rigs have grown more bodywork, streetfighters have sprouted high bars, boulevardiers roll with sportbike components, and so on.
So rather than defining a machine by a set of styling characteristics, why not consider its intent? I know that's a tough sell-tradition dies hard, and tradition sells. Retro repackaging, for instance, works like a charm for everything from mini coopers to harley road kings and honda shadows. More recently triumph's bonneville and ducati's gt1000 have joined that expanding group.
Never mind that neither has a narrow v-angle or fits into the "traditional" cruiser-styling niche; there's no question they're made for cruising. Not for shredding tarmac and not for the long haul-just for trolling about on a ribbon of asphalt in pursuit of a grin (don't know about you, but it's why i started riding in the first place). Both recall an earlier era, yet both incorporate modern tech to enhance ride quality. Call them classics or souped-up standards, but the defining element is still their fun factor.
Mcqueen For A Day
Like the standard bonneville, the scrambler 900 traces its lineage to triumph's classic '60s models-in this case the do-it-all tr6c. You might remember it as the bike steve mcqueen's character jumped over a barbed-wire fence in the film the great escape. Mcqueen and the guy who actually did the stunt, bud ekins, have since shuffled off the planet, but the tr6 legend lives on in the form of the scrambler.
It's a pretty faithful rendition, too, with its fork gaiters, tank guards, twin high pipes and classic two-tone paint scheme. True to the era, the scrambler rolls on wire-spoke wheels shod with chunky bridgestones, a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear, the same sizes as on the standard bonneville's pavement-only rubber.
With its twin carbs, five-speed tranny and chain final drive, the scrambler shares its basic architecture with the rest of the bonnevilles, though there are functional differences.
The scrambler's 865cc, eight-valve, air-cooled vertical-twin, for example, has been revamped for a lower torque curve and switched from a 360- to a 270-degree crankshaft (also used in the america and speedmaster). The scrambler's engine pumps out 56 hp at 7000 rpm compared with the bonnie's 66 bhp at 7200 rpm. Suspension has been raised so the seat height is now 32.5 inches, and the chassis has been tweaked, too.
Once aboard the scrambler you sit on the tallish seat. It isn't intimidating for my 5-foot-7-inch frame, and the flat, long shape provides plenty of real estate, but that saddle isn't particularly comfortable for longer stints. Still, the neutral handlebar bend and standard upright riding position suit me well.
Pull the choke, press the starter and the engine fires, idling with a slightly different cadence from the 360-cranked versions. Unfortunately the engine note sounds about as menacing as a sewing machine. Might be a good idea here to swap in a triumph accessory silencer ("closed circuit competition only") for "enhanced tonal quality" (triumph's words).
At the first corner it becomes apparent that the scrambler steers lightly; in fact it feels almost flighty, and the bike has a tendency to fall into turns at low speeds. But you get used to the response, and on secondary roads handling is composed. Nastier midcorner bumps will instill some jitters, however.