I have just about a hundred miles on my Scrambler now. Enough to be through the engine heat/cool cycles recommended for break-in, but nowhere near enough to be complacent (if one can ever be truly complacent on two wheels) on the newest resident of our garage. Still, I have some general impressions.
Throttle – some folks say it’s twitchy. I think it’s not so different from my old Monster. It only takes a little to get a lot. Took me a ride or two to get comfortable with it and now I’ve got it down pretty well. I love that it gets up to speed fast, but it’s smooth too. And easy to go fast 🙂
Ergonomics – Just as I suspected the first time I gave it a test sit, this bike is a much better fit for me than my Monster was. The upright seating position and the wide bars put me in a good, controlling position and the ride is pretty effortless. It’s not so terribly different from my BMW, just shorter.
Wind – It’s my first truly naked bike, and that’s been the biggest adjustment for me. Feeling the wind hit me in the chest has taken a little adjustment, and I may add a small windscreen at some point to divert the wind blast up and over my head. Might.
Looks – I wasn’t going to comment on this, but I’ve noticed that I get a lot more double-takes and stares when I ride my Scrambler than when I ride my BMW. I get a lot more ‘nice bike!’ comments from other riders as well. It’s attention-getting, and it’s kind of cool, although it makes me a bit self-conscious. I don’t want to be the one who drops their bike spectacularly while a bunch of people are checking it out.
I’m looking forward to many more happy and fun miles!