marde wrote:I'm seriously considering getting one next Spring. Just have two concerns regarding touring on it: Heat from the high pipes, (which must build up over the hours), and chain maintenance, (I got spoiled with a belt drive, after figuring out its adjustment quirks). What have been your experiences?
Chain maintenance has never been an issue for me -- just lube it regularly with a good chain lube. I use the Dupont Teflon Chain Saver stuff, which is so good I typically get around 30,000 miles out of the original chain.
As for heat from the high pipes, it's nowhere near as bad as you might think. It gets a little toasty sitting in traffic on a hot day, but as long as you're moving it's not noticeable at all. The heat shield Triumph installs on there works really well.
I took my Scrambler on my annual pre-BTB trip this year and was really surprised at how well it handled touring. It's a very comfortable bike and handles superbly, and it's easy to ride long distances (helps to have a small windscreen of course). I packed light for that trip -- just the left-side Triumph pannier, a DrySpec D38 tail bag, and a small tank bag; pic below. I really enjoyed cutting things down to a minimalist setup.
September of next year I'm riding cross-country, and planning to do it on the Scrambler with a similarly minimal setup. I'll probably use my Wolfman Rocky Mountain panniers instead of the Triumph one so I also have a pannier on the right side; I will need a little more packing space in order to bring cooking gear and a few more clothes for a month-long trip.
--mark