1959 Triumph TR6 Trophy
(Page 5 of 5)
July/August 2006
By Roland Brown
The Scrambler engine doesn’t burst with character, but it is seriously torquey, pulling so effortlessly that there was rarely any need to drop down a cog in the reasonably slick-shifting five-speed box. The Triumph managed an indicated 105mph sitting-up. That’s no faster than a 650cc twin would have gone decades ago, but the Scrambler’s minimal vibration allowed me to maintain that cruising speed with surprisingly little effort. Of course this motor always started instantly, idled impeccably and held its oil.
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The fairly upright riding position gave plenty of room in combination with the flat dual-seat and reasonably low footrests. But at speed the wind-blown riding position put too much force through the handlebars for the twin-downtube frame and simple suspension to deal with, resulting in some gentle twitching through the bars. There was little to complain about regarding the single-disc, twin-piston caliper front brake, which slowed the bike efficiently with the help of the sharper rear disc.
So the Scrambler looks good; and for urban use, gentle cruising and even fairly-spirited main-road riding, it makes plenty of sense. It’s competitively priced, too, although you’ll have to pay extra for accessories including a headlamp grille, bashplate, rev-counter and even competition-style oval plates featuring the number 278, as used by Steve McQueen in the 1964 International Six Day Trial.
Adding some of those would increase the style quotient still further. But anyone considering the Scrambler should be aware that this gentle modern roadster is about as far away from a lean, mean, stripped-down desert sled as a machine looking so similar to the original TR6 Trophy could get. Provided you bear that in mind, the Scrambler won’t disappoint.
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