Now that I've freed up a bit of cash by selling the smile-a-mile '91 Yamaha XT, and getting interest in my Daytona (from a months old ad I had forgotten about!) I can start thinking about what I'm going to buy next.... I've searched the forum for info before posting thisso bear with me. Bearing in mind that I'm still like a kiddie in a sweet shop when it comes to bikes, the 865 Scrambler is definitely on my short short list. I'm happy to do a bit of tinkering (unless it has a Morini tank badge - don't ask!), and can follow workshop manuals, youtube instructions, etc. I have a couple of questions for current and former owners of the carb version of the Scrambler - are 'performance' mods straightforward, and is the standard suspension as rubbish as quite a lot of reviews say? If the latter is true presumably a few hundred quid thrown at the suspension would be worthwhile?? I know the Scrambler is not a lightweight and will never rival a KTM Duke but that's not what I'm looking for. I just want something with character, low down torque and half decent sussies I can enjoy on potholed B and small A roads for a couple of hours at a time. And of course I like the look of the earlier Scramblers. What do you reckon??
However good the standard scrambler suspension was when it was new the carb version is now at least 15 years old and would benefit from an upgrade. In fact the standard Bonneville suspension wasn't very good from new and I would have no reason to think that the Scrambler was any better! There are many aftermarket suspensions around, I fitted Hagons to my Carb T100 and found a considerable improvement. From what you describe a scrambler should be ideal for a couple of hours around the Devon lanes.
Andy57 Talk to Hagon shocks they build the shocks around the rider and bike in question. Used them for many years and have never been disappointed yet. Joe
Straight forward performance mods for all variants of early Bonnie 790/865's , disconnect the Sai ! It's as simple as putting a ball bearing or marble in the air tube to the Sai controller or remove it all and put sump plugs in the cylinder head ports !
