The Scrambler Icon, first appearing in 2015, uses an 803cc air-cooled L-Twin motor that puts out plenty enough torque to have fun sliding around fire roads all day long. For starters though, let’s just focus on the “base” platform, the Scrambler Icon which retails for $9,595. Straight out of the Land of Joy, Ducati’s sub-brand Scrambler has more than a few flavors of scramblers for folks to choose from – six to be exact.
The BMW R nineT Scrambler rings in at $12,995 for the base model sans dozens of accessory options and is available in three colors for 2020. We’d probably confine BMW’s Scrambler to mostly pavement duty, but we never shy away from a dirt road no matter what we’re riding. The R nineT Scrambler is a fantastic motorcycle with loads of factory options to build it out just the way you want. Suspension travel front and rear is 4.9 and 5.5 inches respectively, and the base model comes with cast wheels, though cross-spoked hoops are a ($500) factory option. It’s when you start to have a closer look at the BMW R nineT Scrambler that you start to realize this is more of a styling exercise than a motorcycle meant for much off-roading. From its brown seat and high-pipes to its raised handlebar and larger front wheel, the R nineT Scrambler looks every bit the part.Ģ017 BMW R NineT Scrambler First Ride Review The Scrambler submodel of BMW’s R nineT uses the same engine with additional scrambler styling and characteristics. The R nineT’s air/oil-cooled 1170cc boxer-Twin is the star of the show with gobs of low-end grunt that makes the engine an absolute blast to fire out of tight hairpins in the canyons or simply light to light around town. If you haven’t had the chance to take a spin on BMW’s R nineT roadster, we’d highly recommend it. These bikes run the gamut of what modern scramblers have to offer.
We put together a list of what we consider the best scramblers on the market. We say it all the time, “It’s a great time for motorcyclists,” and as we boil it down to categories, it’s a great time to be interested in a bike that can look and perform wherever you want it to. Us lucky motorcyclists riding in 2020 now have scramblers that do both: look good on the strip and function surprisingly well off-road. In this most recent modern era of scramblers, we’ve gone through the same trends seeing “scrambler” styling with little intention of actual off-road use, and just like in the ‘60’s, we are now seeing manufacturers offering these machines with real off-road chops. The original scramblers, of course, weren’t off-road machines at all, but rather small street bikes chopped down to the essentials for weight savings and altered for better off-road performance. I’ve always been a fan of the retro off-road vibe these types of bikes are centered around. Scramblers are one of my favorite genres of motorcycles these days.