The Best Scrambler Motorcycles [2024 Edition]

Why We Picked It:

The Royal Enfield Himalayan has been, for several years now, the small displacement ADV of choice for many adventurers. However, there have been some moans about it not having any real flair to it, just being a little tractor that climbs hills and goes off road competently.

Well, if the Himalayan is your average businessman, walking down the street in a suit and tie, the Scram 411 is its tracksuit wearing, pink haired punky brother. It's been lifted, had the windscreen yanked off, had the rear suspension reworked, and has a naughtier, louder exhaust that burbles out its single cylinder song.

That 411cc four stroke single is good for 24 HP, but the important bit is that it also provides a meaty 23 lbs-ft of torque. It is definitely one of the scramblers that is meant to go off-road after riding to the dirt trail, and with all that grunt in the low to mid-range, it's a perfect little beast to have a ton of fun on.

Why We Picked It:

The Moto Guzzi V85 TT can safely be described as a scrambler. It can also safely be called an ADV, as there are at least three trims that fall solidly into that category. However, the model we are focusing on is the one without any trim name after the TT, or, if you will, the "Base model."

Looking at the picture above, it has all the right things: An engine bash plate, upswept exhaust tucked up and near the tail, wire spoke wheels, and off-road capable suspension. If you can forgive the tiny windscreen, which is more of a wind deflector if anything, it is about as pure a definition as you can get.

It's also no slouch, with it's 853cc transversely mounted V-twin pumping out 76 HP and 62 lbs-ft of torque. Despite having high suspension, the seat is comfortably at 32 inches, and the bike weights about 500 lbs fully wet.

It is definitely more set up for the road, however Moto Guzzi has done some magic in that it is just as competent off road. It's not as rough and tumble as some other bikes on this list, but if it's a dirt road, a gravel road, or a dried riverbed, you can be sure the V85 TT would love to give it a scramble.

Why We Picked It:

You know a bike is definitely aiming for the neo-retro crowd when it is advertised as being part of BMW's "Heritage Collection." Originally built as a sport-standard motorcycle to celebrate BMW's 90th anniversary, hence the Nine T in the name, it proved to be so popular that it spawned a family of variants.

One of those is the R Nine T Scrambler, which looks tiny but has more than enough punch to make you pay attention. It has a 19 inch front wheel, trail-style handlebars, and an exhaust that never ventures even close to the ground. It has a small but easy to read dash, and the requisite bash plate is under the engine.

It is also a feisty litle guy, with a stonking 110 HP on tap from it's 1,170cc air cooled boxer. It also has a meaty 85 lbs-ft of torque, and transmits all that power through a shaft drive to the rear wheel. The only thing that makes this one of the not-quite-a-scrambler scramblers is that it is set up exclusively for on-road use. However, our criteria for this list states it only has to look like a scrambler, not actually be one, to count, so it's in!

Why We Picked It:

The smaller of the scrambler options from Ducati, the Scrambler Icon is what you might label as the "base model" of the whole lineup. That, however, is not a bad thing, as scramblers are supposed to be raw, direct, fun little machines, no?

Entering its second generation in 2023, the Scrambler Icon Mk II if you will, it has had a fresh set of upgrades applied to keep it looking distinctively retro, but also bringing forth all of the Italian marques technical advancements to the fore. You get a lovely TFT dash with tons of settings to personalize to your riding style, it has a clutch that reviewers rate as "telepathic and light," and it has more than enough grunt to get you into some trouble around town.

Speaking of power, that arrives from a 803cc V-twin, and churns out 73 HP and 48 lbs-ft of torque. With the Scrambler Icon weighing in at 375 lbs, you can see how if you lose yourself in the fun you're having flicking it around town, you really shouldn't be surprised if a photo-radar ticket arrives in the mail a week later!

Why We Picked It:

When it comes to neo-retro bikes, there are two companies in the world that are competing for top spot. One of them is Royal Enfield, and the other is Triumph, who's entire lineup save for one or two bikes are all retro-styled. They also make a very capable ADV in the Tiger lineup of bikes, but the surprise with the Scrambler 900 is that it isn't based on those.

Instead, this beautiful scrambler is based off of the 900cc Street Twin, a very capable retro sport naked. It has the exhausts tucked up and tight to the frame, it has the wire spoke wheels, and it has a massive bash plate under the engine. Unlike some of the more on-road focused scramblers, the Scrambler 900 is meant for use pretty much anywhere.

This is evidenced in the fact that it has very easily disabled rear ABS, variable traction control settings including switching it completely off, and strong pegs borrowed from the Tiger family that can handle being stood on all day long. We think that it's a bit too beautiful to get too dirty, but sometimes a little mud brings out the best of a bike's character!

Why We Picked It:

When you think of Indian, you think of distance cruisers, power cruisers, or continent crushers with big, rumbling V-twins. What you don't think of are racing bikes, yet Indian Motorcycles in the pre-War years made some of the best race bikes in the world. One of the most popular types of racing back then was flat track racing, which is why this bike is called the Flat Track Racer (FTR).

While it is not strictly a scrambler, it has more than enough style, guts, and off-road capability to at least get an honorary title. It uses a tuned, higher revving version of the V-twin from the Scout, producing 120 HP from 1,203ccs. It also fires out 87 lbs-ft of torque, with almost all of it located below 5,000 RPM. That's good, because this V-twin will go up to 9,500!

It is also astonishingly agile, and comes as standard with knobby tires. It's not meant to go where an ADV might, pathfinding through the fields, but get it on a dirt or gravel road, and you'll immediately understand why we have included it as a scrambler. It's just so capable on those surfaces, and a hell of a lot of fun to ride.

Why We Picked It:

Honda already has the Rebel 500, the CB500F, the CB500X, and the CBR500R, all great bikes for beginners and veterans alike, based around a 471cc parallel twin engine that would survive a nuclear war unscathed, it is so bulletproof. Yet, Honda looked at their lineup and went "Hmmm, we should have five 500s!"

And thus was born the fifth: The all-new 2023 Honda SCL500. The first thing we have to say is that this thing looks damned cool, in that it has the right feel of a scrambler. That winding but tucked exhaust with the heat guard over the last foot of it. The raked, long travel front forks with a 19 inch spoked wheel. The simple but sturdy swingarm at the rear with a 17 inch wheel. The high and pulled back bars and the aggressively tilted tank.

Those with an eagle eye will spot a shape similarity to the Rebel 500's profile, but raised much higher up and absolutely ready to go off-road. Just looking at the accessories list is evidence enough, with one of the first things listed being handguards, or as the ADV community knows them as, barkbusters. There are saddlebags, more aggressive pegs for use with adventure boots, and the like.

In short, Honda has probably just secured itself a whole new flood of sales, because there is now an entry-level, beginner-friendly scrambler on the market!

Why We Picked It:

Okay, this one we might get some stick about. The 2023 Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 has been labelled as a neo-retro, a sport naked, and a scrambler, and all within the same sentence. For this one, we're going with what Husqvarna themselves think, and that is that this bike is an edgy, modern scrambler.

If you look at the bike, it does have the right traits. It has a (tiny) engine bash plate, it has the spoked wheels, it has its exhaust upswept but not really tucked up high, and it has the simplistic design to give you a raw, sporty experience riding it.

Powered by a 373cc four-stroke single that is the definition of the term "thumper," it rocks out 44 HP and 27 lbs-ft of torque. A lot of that torque is available in the mid-range, perfect for trail riding and off-roading, but it also has exceptional road manners, being agile and comfortable. It also helps that it is a featherweight at just 335 lbs!