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I had a chance to throw a leg over the bike before its<br />
fateful jump and can say these changes do push the<br />
bike further toward something I’d willingly tear through<br />
the desert on. Power from that air-cooled mill still feels<br />
relatively soft, but the user-friendly delivery means<br />
you can break the rear loose with better control and<br />
confidence. The bike doesn’t clatter, clank, or bottom out<br />
over washouts and feels more than willing to tear down<br />
moder ately technical single-track.<br />
You’ll have to be careful you don’t confuse it for a fullon<br />
dirt bike, as the weight (207 kilos) and wide front tyre<br />
still catch you out in tricky, loose sections. It doesn’t feel<br />
like you’re doing something you’re not supposed to be<br />
though. And that’s the point.<br />
I hint that this is an interesting evolution, but de Angeli<br />
says, “I think if you look back at the first desert bikes,<br />
it’s the same.” They got better in the dirt because riders<br />
demanded more, he hints, and this is how those bikes<br />
migrated away from a real “street” pretense.<br />
I don’t know how far riders will be willing to push the<br />
Desert Sled. But as I stand back and watch McElroy<br />
launch off this berm-turned-impromptu-jump and square<br />
into a sand wash, then circle back for “one more shot,” I<br />
realize that they’ll have a lot more fun finding these new<br />
limits. The Scrambler has evolved, and we can’t wait to<br />
get our hands on one.<br />
DIRT & TRAIL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2017 73
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