S C R A M B L E R C O M P A R I S O N T E S T
P46
SHOOTOUT
Lumpy power from
the cruiser engine
was a good fit for
twisty mountain
passes.
a concern.
For reasons other than what
we know, Yamaha refused to
move the side cylinder-mounted
air cleaner when designing the
SCR. That means your right leg
is always hitting it and makes for
a pretty uncomfortable ride.
On the plus side, the SCR's
942cc engine has plenty of
smooth, unintimidating torque in
that true cruiser fashion, and the
lack of any electronics makes
for good times on the dirt (just
watch out you don't snap the belt
final drive!). The SCR sits pretty
low, so it makes for a stable bike
on the dirt, easy to slide around
although not the fastest-steering
on the road. It's the least expen-
sive bike here, and that's a good
thing, especially when there are
so many areas one with even a
small custom bone in his body
could make some improvements
on.
Aesthetically, the Yamaha
looks pretty spot-on. Yamaha's
styling department got the look
but sadly we couldn't rate it any
higher than fourth.
Those big bars give good leverage
but hurt highway comfort.
