Triumph’s arrival here in our market was somewhat marred by COVID-19. Right after Autohub introduced the new motorcycle marque, the pandemic hit. That appeared to have been just a small bump in the road for the British brand, though, because it has been steadily making waves in our market since.
Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen an increasing number of Triumph bikes out on the street. Recently, I was given a chance to try out one of those classic bikes: the Street Scrambler 900. I would’ve been a fool to turn the opportunity down. I spent the weekend that followed putting this bike to the test, and I’m here to share what I’ve learned about it.
Take note, however, that at the time of testing, I was riding the Street Scrambler 900. Triumph has since dropped the ‘Street’ monikers in its lineup, so this particular bike is now being sold as the Scrambler 900. Nevertheless, there are no mechanical changes, so the old nameplate shouldn’t be an issue.
Styling
Triumph’s classic bikes have always been quite the lookers, and the Scrambler is no different. For me, it looks good. Really good.
A round headlamp and a single round cluster keep the front end looking clean and retro. I particularly like the triangular frame on which the headlight is mounted—it adds a nice accent and gives more bulk to the front clip.
The long fuel tank with the Matte Khaki colorway looks dashing, especially with the two stripes. I believe Triumph may have dropped said stripes on the new Scrambler 900, though, but the solid color option stays. Overall, the bike still has a good mix of colors, especially with the silver and chrome highlights on the bike’s otherwise blacked-out bottom end.
Arguably what’s most noticeable about the design here is the placement of the exhaust. It’s placed a bit high, and it’s really hard to miss. While it can be a bit of a problem for the rider and the pillion—more on that later—it does work well for the scrambler-type look.
The saddle
If you’re the one piloting the Scrambler 900, you wouldn’t have any complaints about the seat. It’s soft and provides good cushioning, and the placement of the footpegs also makes for an easy riding position. The fact that it looks pretty good is just a nice bonus. If you’re the pillion, however, it’s a completely different story.
The pillion seat here just seems like an afterthought, and it’s one of my biggest complaints about the bike. It’s narrow and borderline hard. If you’re always going to ride solo, then no problem. But if you usually have a backride like I do, then good luck with that.
As for the seat height, it wasn’t really an issue here. While the listed 790mm may seem a bit high for some riders—my 5’5” self was far from flat-footing it myself—the bike’s slender frame makes it easy to sit on.
Engine performance
Powering the Street Scrambler 900 is a 900cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine that generates 64.1hp at 7,250rpm and 80Nm of torque at 3,250rpm and is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. This is a setup that the Scrambler shares with the Bonneville T100. The engine has a nice, thumping sound to it. The exhaust note is just right as well—enough for other road users to hear you coming, but probably not enough to wake up the neighbors during cold starts in the morning.
The engine’s performance is arguably more than enough by my standards, but I reckon other riders may have some complaints about it. The low-end torque gives you powerful acceleration, and hitting highway speeds from a standstill is no sweat. With the fifth gear engaged, it’ll cruise between 90-100kph at right around 3,500rpm, which is impressive. Beyond it, however, the engine starts to feel a bit sluggish.
It’ll still cruise north of 100kph with ease, but acceleration will start to slow down noticeably. Personally, I don’t really need that kind of oomph, but it’s just that some riders may want or at least look for more power in a large-displacement power unit such as this.
In any case, speed isn’t really what the Scrambler is all about. What this bike wants to do is to wear chunky tires and get down and dirty. That type of power delivery plus the dedicated off-road ride mode? I reckon it’ll be a joy to take to the trails—unfortunately, it wasn’t something I could do given the time I had with the bike.
In terms of fuel consumption, I got around 19-20km/L, which is what I expected given the displacement. You could say it’s a bit thirsty, but at least you’ll still get a few hundred kilometers of range when you fill up the bike’s 12-liter fuel tank.
Ride and handling
For a 900cc motorcycle, the Scrambler is surprisingly light on its feet. I had an easier time pushing this bike around the dealership parking lot than the smaller 400cc bike I originally had with me. It’s still 223kg, mind you, but the balanced weight distribution makes it feel lighter than it is. That also makes it a breeze to maneuver in traffic even without me flat-footing it.
The suspension setup isn’t bad, but it’s nothing to rave about either. Well, at least that’s what riders might say. Circling back to the pillion-seat issue, the uncomfortable seat makes the suspension feel even stiffer than it should for the backride.
All that being said, it’s still impressive how agile the Street Scrambler 900 is. As I mentioned earlier, this is more of a trail-oriented bike, but it can also hold its own through long, winding roads. Once you get a hang of the bike, you’ll be able to lean it comfortably through tight corners.
The Brembo brake caliper with the 310mm floating disc up front paired with the 255mm disc with a Nissin caliper at the rear also handle stopping power well. I could easily hard-brake without any worries and doubts, especially with ABS equipped in the front wheel.
The biggest gripe I have with this bike, however, has to be that exhaust placement I previously noted. I got stuck in gridlock right after I picked this bike up from the Triumph showroom on Ortigas Avenue, and boy did those exhaust pipes get real hot real quick. I had to turn the engine off at standstills. It was that bad. Consider that food for thought if you’re one who rides through heavy traffic often.
Extra features
Here’s the thing with classic bikes—manufacturers like to keep ’em bare. At the very least, the Scrambler gets a little more than the minimum in this department.
The bike gets a small instrument cluster that houses the analog speedometer and the small LCD display. Said display has a proper fuel gauge, a fuel-consumption meter, a range indicator, and trip meters. It also shows which ride mode is engaged.
Speaking of ride modes, there are three: road, rain, and the aforementioned off-road. The latter of the three disengages the ABS and the traction control for when you want to kick up some dirt.
There are adjustable levers equipped in the unit I tested, which is always a nice add-on. There’s also a USB charging port underneath the seat, though I wasn’t able to try that one out.
Verdict
Let me get this straight—this isn’t something you’d call a value-for-money offering. While it is one of the relatively more affordable bikes in the Triumph stable at just P795,000, it still lacks some of the modern tech you’d look for in this price range. The way I see it, though, is that it doesn’t matter.
Triumph caters to the people who care little about the toys that come with the hefty price tag, because all they want are style and performance. This bike can give you that. It has all the basics covered, too, and that’s exactly what most people need.
Now, if this bike interests you but you’re looking for a just bit more pizzazz from it, you can opt for the Street Scrambler 900 Gold Line Edition instead. That one stickers a bit higher at P835,000 but that gets classy gold accents. We’ve been told there are only a few units of this remaining as of this writing, so take note.
SPECS: Triumph Street Scrambler 900 2022
Price: P795,000
Engine: 900cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Power: 64.1hp @ 7,250rpm
Torque: 80Nm@ 3,250rpm
Seat height: 790mm (31 inches)
Score: 17/20
