S C R A M B L E R C O M P A R I S O N T E S T
P54
SHOOTOUT
encountered at the launch.
The engine is brilliant, the
gearbox too, but the Beemer
won more votes for its styling
than anything else. The design-
ers had plenty of inspiration
to draw on when creating the
bike because air-cooled boxers
have been getting chopped into
scramblers for years, and the
men from Munich really did hit
the aesthetic nail on the head.
The BMW also has more
electronics than everything else
(ABS, ASC, heated grips, no
surprises there) and is probably
the least likely to get chopped
up/customized, simply because
most of it is already done for you.
The BMW R nineT Scrambler
is an excellent bike, but also
a fair bit pricier than the rest.
Here it lost points, and only just
missed the overall win because
the actual scrambling experi-
ence was better served on the
Ducati.
The combination of
excellent ergonomics
and that engine made
the BMW a popular
pick despite the much
higher price tag.
