One of the motorcycle’s best qualities is its ability to trigger your mind to build a pleasing image around the machine. For this pair of Scramblers, one from Ducati and one from Triumph, the image is idyllically rustic, backlit with hazy-warm golden light complete with lens flares. Much like the cozy cross-generational visions you’re looking at on these pages now. These are images evocative of times and feelings that may or may not have actually existed, though if you ask a riding enthusiast who lived and loved through the scrambler heyday of the ’60s and ’70s, there’s no doubt it was real.
And there is no doubt it is real right now, on the highways and dirt roads of America. Good times, accessible motorcycles, and decent pricing are what fueled the boom times first time around, and both of these Scramblers offer a lot of bike for the money.
Step one to good times was sending our pair of pro-racer photo models for a real scramble in the California desert near Pioneer Town, not far from Joshua Tree National Park in California. Ryan Dudek’s skills are well documented in these pages, and he was joined by AMA Pro SuperSport East champ Hayden Gillim. That’s Hayden on the Ducati (above photo), dragging a footpeg while dirt-tracking on a dry lake bed. It was totally impractical and all about fun, but if you happen to be a pro-level rider and want to slide one of these bikes on dirt, both of our guys picked the agile, light, and quick Ducati.
But back to reality.
Triumph came to this retro-scrambler land first, way back in 2005 (if you don’t count pre-unit and unit-construction scramblers it made during the company’s first life). If you missed it, the Scrambler is based on the love-object Bonneville, which I first rode on its introduction in England in 2001, when the weather forecast was so bad that the lady on the telly said, “Don’t leave your homes!” Could have used the Scramblers’ Bridgestone Trail Wings on that ride back then.
Come into Pete's Cycle, we carry all the Scrambler models. We are Baltimore's number one dealer for all types of motorcycles, watercraft, ATVs, and generators. We have 3 stores stocked full of accessories and repair technicians all trained and ready to help you. In addition to the most knowledgeable sales reps, we have been the recipient of the Maryland Kawasaki Top Silver Dealer Award for the past 8 years.
