Both models of Scrambler 1200 shine no matter where you point the front wheel.
The Triumph Scrambler 1200 is in a class of its own. It’s a big street bike that has some serious off-road capability. On that description alone, it could classify as an adventure bike — but it’s not. Despite its affinity for both dirt and asphalt, it’s not a big dual sport either. Its styling harks back to the Brit bikes of the 1960s and ’70s, but it’s so much more than a retro bike. Its name suggests it’s a scrambler, but when compared to any other factory scrambler, it has much taller suspension and a 21-inch front wheel, making it a much more serious off-roader, even when compared to its smaller sibling, the Scrambler 900. Triumph has made some welcome changes to the 1200 Scrambler for 2024, including a change rarely seen these days in any industry: A drop in price.
The Scrambler 1200 was introduced in 2019 and was based around the latest-generation Triumph Bonneville. Its 1,200-cc liquid-cooled, 270-degree parallel twin remains unchanged internally for 2024, though it now breathes through a larger throttle body (50 mm from 45), and has a new, oval header collector in place of the twin pipes on the previous models. These new parts haven’t changed the peak output, which remains at 89 hp and 81 lb-ft of torque, though there is now more torque available at lower revs.
Aside from a few special editions, two models have been available since the Scrambler 1200’s introduction: The XC, and the higher-spec XE. Triumph has nixed the 1200 XC for 2024, replacing it with the 1200 X, which has been made more street-friendly, more affordable, and more accessible. Previously, the XC and XE were pretty close in specification, the latter gaining upgraded electronics and taller suspension. Aside from those upgrades, both bikes shared instruments, brakes, and most hardware. The gap between the base X model and the XE is now wider.
Bigger Differences
