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"Everything old becomes new again" or so the saying goes. That quote can best describe Triumph’s 2009 Scrambler 900. The Scrambler brings back the days of when teenagers wanted to mimic Steve McQueen’s coolness or Marlon Brando’s rebellious antics of riding a motorcycle through his high school hallway. Now if that doesn’t make you want to own a Scrambler then nothing will.

Having been around since 1902, Triumph is the world's longest continuous production motorcycle manufacturer. They’ve seen many achievements like when they won the Isle of Man from 1971-1975 but also hardship when in 2002 a fire caused massive destruction to their factory. Through it all Triumph has never wavered on their ability to build quality motorcycles and the Scrambler is no exception.

Let’s get one thing out of the way shall we? The Scrambler’s not for everyone. If you’re looking for the latest and greatest motorcycle on the market look elsewhere because the Scrambler doesn’t have insane HP, monobloc brakes, bright bold graphics or digital-this and digital-that. If that’s what you need then you’re missing the whole point of the Scrambler. That said, if you’ve always wanted a retro-looking 60’s inspired, British on and off road motorcycle then you’re in luck as the Scrambler fits the bill.

Walking up to the Scrambler you can’t help but notice all the styling cues of yesteryear. The high-level exhaust pipes, one piece seat, single headlight, retro-style turn signals, round mirrors and chrome spoke rims make you want to break out your bell bottoms and start listening to a Doors record. The dash has a single speedometer gauge with old school type indicator lights for oil pressure, high beams, neutral and turn signals. What’s that you say? You want a digital dash showing gear position, rpm and data logger? Pfft, that’s for boys, the Scrambler is for manly men (3 days of beard growth and a pack of Lucky Strikes are optional).

Once under way the 475 lbs. (full of fluids) seems to disappear as the Scrambler is quite agile. With a wheelbase of 59.1 in. and a rake of 27° and trail set at 3.15 in. cutting through traffic shouldn’t be a problem. The rubber pads on the sides of the fuel tank help you grip the Scrambler if you decide to venture out of rush hour traffic and into some of your favorite winding roads.

I found the seating position rather comfortable and the handlebar to peg ratio was perfect for my 6' tall plus frame. Seems all too often I find myself feeling like I’m on a torture rack in order to go riding. It was great not to worry about a stiff neck or having to take two Advil for an aching back after being out on a bike (in this case the Scrambler) for a full days worth of riding.