Taking the Scenic Route

BY NOW I’M SURE YOU ARE ALL familiar with the history of the scrambler motorcycle — 1960s, Steve McQueen, lightweight, minimal, dual-purpose, yadda yadda. You get the picture. Of late scramblers have made a comeback and quite an impact here in India too. The smaller 800-900-cc bikes have been decent performers and absolutely oozing in pose value and hipster appeal. However, the enthusiasts wanted a little bit more in terms of performance — both on the tarmac and off it. Hence the more recent spate of higher-capacity scramblers, the latest of which is this, the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC, elder sibling to the 900-cc Street Scrambler. We spent a day riding around on this latest offering from the British brand, starting from Chandigarh and making a run for the hills and Shimla. Triumph Motorcycles India were keen to take us through the