Triumph Scrambler, 1980 Suzuki GT200 X5

If You have a beard, turn-ups and wallet on a chain then best not read much further. Scrambler style machinery rules the custom scene, keen hipsters fitting high-level pipes, wide bars and fat knobbly tyres to anything. However, I’ve taken the chunky rubber off our Triumph because, well... it’s rubbish.

Despite ample weight and geometry as sharp as a sponge, Triumph’s ‘modern classics’ aren’t overly stable. Overbanding causes shimmies and they wander in the wet, despite Triumph trying hard to find tyres that keep them composed. The Bonneville T100 comes with a radial rear and bias belt front, as this gives the greatest stability, and it’s a similar tale with the Scrambler: the front Bridgestone Trail Wing TW101 is meant to be paired with a rear TW152. But Triumph have chosen to fit a TW42, a tyre from a different sub-section.

Even resorting to a mismatch doesn't keep the twin composed. In the dry you get used to the slightly squidgy ride and constant drone from the blocky dual-purpose rubber, but it’s awful in the wet. The muck-ready rubber doesn’t suit a road bike on wet tarmac it squirms, gives no sensation of grip and feels on a knife edge in every corner, like it will topple immediately if you breath, blink or unclench buttocks.

However, there’s been a lot of tyre improvement since Triumph homologated the John Mockett styled, Bonnie based retro way back in 2006, especially for the adventure market. So we fit some Continental Trail Attack 2. The difference is remarkable. On dry roads the Scrambler has more grip than it can ever use and far greater steering accuracy, with vastly improved feedback and road holding. Better still it is stable, composed and more accurate on sopping roads, rolling smoothly and securely through turns. It’s not about going faster (although you can); it’s about feeling relaxed and confident.

Yes, the Scrambler is about style. But I firmly suggest you bugger any obedience to looks and fit modern road-biased tyres. It’s unlikely you’ll ever make a more cost-effective modification to a motorcycle in your life. And you can begin to enjoy winter rides, not dread them. Grip is good.