#scrambler

Dear MOby,

How many new Triumph Bonnevilles are we up to now anyway? The Street Twin came first, just about a year ago. We liked the sweet little runabout instantly, and it proceeded to come out on top of every comparison test we threw at it, usually by quite a lot. Wait, Maybe it was only this one:

Were he still alive, Barry Sheene would turn 67 in 2017. A British racing icon, he remained the last grand prix world champion until Danny Kent won the Moto3 title in 2015. Known for his bravado and hard-charging style, Sheene won over fans from around the world. Including France, where this story originates.

The R nineT has been a nice hit for BMW since it was introduced a little more than two years ago, appealing to both BMW traditionalists as well as those in younger demographics. And then came the R-nineT Scrambler we rode last month, which will surely carry the nineT’s momentum into the future. Oh, and there’s also the Pure and Racer concepts shown just weeks ago.

To no one’s surprise, Triumph has developed a Scrambler version of its enviable Bonneville platform, unveiled today at EICMA in Italy. It uses the 900cc parallel-Twin motor as previously seen in the Street Twin, Street Cup and Bonneville T100, not the 1200cc motor from the Thruxton and T120.

The minute we learned Triumph would be creating a new engine platform for its Bonneville extended family, we knew a Scrambler version would eventually materialize. And here it is, unveiled today in Milan, Italy, at the EICMA show.

In stark contrast to the all-asphalt Scrambler Cafe Racer introduced by Ducati today at EICMA 2016, comes this, the Scrambler Desert Sled. Taking its roots from the Scrambler Urban Enduro – which is discontinued for model year 2017 – the Desert Sled is perfect for those who wish they were Malcolm Smith and rate On Any Sunday as their favorite movie of all time.

With a pocketful of spy shots as proof, we sleuthy MOrons proudly scooped the news a few months ago that Ducati was planning to produce a new air-cooled Monster ( 2017 Ducati Monster 800 Spy Shots). Today at EICMA, Ducati presented the production version. The 2017 Monster 797 borrows the air-cooled 803cc L-Twin from Ducati’s Scrambler models and repackages it for use in its newest naked.

Just announced at EICMA 2016 is the 2017 Ducati Scrambler Cafe Racer, Bologna’s interpretation of the genre created by the British. Unlike the original Scrambler, the Cafe Racer is all about pavement pounding and racing from one coffee shop to the next, just as the Ton Up Boys would have done 50 years ago. With that in mind, the Cafe Racer ditches the 18-inch front wheel of its other Scrambler cousins and replaces it with a 17-inch hoop to match the rear. The Pirelli Scorpion tires are also tossed in favor of the road-oriented Diablo Rosso II – a 120/70-17 sits up front, and a 180/55-17 in the rear – for proper corner-carving abilities.

We’re just days away from the 2016 edition of EICMA, the world’s largest motorcycle show. As usual, Ducati opens up the EICMA festivities with a presentation the day before the official media day, and you can watch it streamed live right here on MO on Nov. 7 at 10:30 am EST (7:30 am PST).

Every new model product launch is chock full of information about the presenting company – most of which is not germane to the motorcycle itself. This information is oft ignored, or left on the editing room floor to make room for riding impressions and technical information regarding the motorcycle. With the First Ride Review of BMW’s new R NineT Scrambler in the books, we take a look at a few items of interest from BMW you may not know about the company and the the motorcycles it produces. With BMW celebrating its 100th Birthday, there’s a lot to choose from, but here’s five past and present factoids.

Within the past week, Ducati has published two videos on its YouTube page teasing two new Scrambler variants: the Cafe Racer and Desert Sled. The first video, published on October 11, teases the Cafe Racer model. The 14-second long video doesn’t reveal too much, obviously, other than a man in a dimly-lit garage standing next to the Cafe Racer, about to install its nicely-styled leather-wrapped seat onto the bike. Seeing as there’s hardly any light in the garage, it’s difficult to make out any features of the new Scrambler. However, the California Air Resources Board has already certified both the Cafe Racer and Desert Sled models, so we know both bikes are based on the standard 803cc Scrambler and not the smaller Sixty2. Given the Cafe Racer name, it’s reasonable to expect lower bars, possibly a solo seat with a cowl over the tail, and street-biased tires on 17-inch wheels instead of the knobs and 18-inch front wheel on the standard Scrambler.

Maybe it’s human nature, but motorcycle publications are constantly trying to determine which bike can lap the fastest, jump the highest, or travel the farthest. Competition is what feeds the beast. Motorcycle.com’s as guilty of it as anyone, and it’s easy to see why: motorcycling has become so segmented these days, with machines designed to satisfy one particular niche. They do it very well, too; sportbikes are insanely advanced, adventure bikes are capable of traversing nearly any terrain, and both cruisers and sport-tourers can pound out miles in two very different, yet also very satisfying, ways. And we haven’t even mentioned streetfighters, nakeds, and standards…

If you’re wanting to spend some quality time with your millennial hipster kid and think some shared motorcycle experiences are the way to do it, but you don’t want to relive your ownership of a Honda CB400, and have the means to afford a shiny new two-wheeler even the youthful bearded crowd will have a hard time pooh poohing, BMW’s new R NineT Scrambler might be for you.

Helen Musselman would never believe in her wildest dreams that Musselman’s Honda, one of the first Honda dealers in America in 1959, would still be around today. But the commitment she and her husband have to the brand – and the brand to them – is one of the reasons Musselman’s Honda is still going strong in its original Tucson, Arizona location.