2019–2020 · Scrambler · Buyer's Guide
Style That Earns Its Dirt
The DC03 Street Scrambler is Triumph's modern-classic recipe aimed at the dirt-road look. It's powered by a liquid-cooled 900 cc parallel twin making 64 hp at 7,500 rpm and 59 lb-ft at just 3,200 rpm. Those figures put the weight on low-rev pull, not on top-end drama. The engine sits in a steel double-cradle frame, with a 19-inch front and a 17-inch rear wheel. ABS, traction control and ride modes come standard. The styling is the real draw, though. It's one of the most convincing scrambler shapes in its class, and it gives you a strong base to personalize. Style with substance!
On paper, this hardware is built for the street first. Suspension travel is 4.7 in (120 mm) front and rear, and ground clearance is 5.9 in (150 mm). Only the rear shock adjusts, and only for preload. That points to pavement and gravel roads, not real trails. In return you get an approachable package: a 31.1 in (790 mm) seat, an upright riding position, a five-speed gearbox and a 3.2 gal (12 L) tank. Shopping used? Check that the wiring harness recall (NHTSA SRAN 584) has been done. This bike is for you if you want character and style without a steep learning curve. Street first, and honest about it.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 64 hp (48 kW) @ 7,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 59 lb-ft (80 Nm) @ 3,200 rpm |
| Displacement | 900 cc |
| Engine | Parallel twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 5-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 310 mm |
| Front tire | 100/90-19 |
| Rear tire | 150/70-17 |
| Wheelbase | 56.9 in (1445 mm) |
| Ground clearance | 5.9 in (150 mm) |
| Front travel | 4.7 in (120 mm) |
| Rear travel | 4.7 in (120 mm) |
| Seat height | 31.1 in (790 mm) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.2 gal (12 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Safety
The verdicts on this page come from Nils' own seat time. This section does not. It is what has come back over the years from riders themselves: paddock conversations, owner chatter at rallies and coffee stops, long message threads, and the mail that lands in his inbox after every Triumph video. On the Street Scrambler the pattern is unusually consistent. People buy it for what it looks like and stay for how easy it is to live with, and the complaints cluster in a small, predictable set of places.
The single loudest thing owners say is that the bike looks right. Spoked wheels, the high pipe, nothing extra on the bodywork, and a shape that pulls people over in parking lots and pushes owners toward parts catalogs. After that it is how little the bike asks of you. Riders of very different sizes report the same thing about the seat and bar position, and short commutes and Sunday backroads get the same praise. The twin gets credit for its middle, not its top: usable torque low down, which owners describe as effortless in traffic and enough on open roads. Even those who note the fork and shocks have no adjustment call the bike light on its feet and easy to trust.
Off pavement, owners set their own limits fast. The consensus is gravel and graded dirt, nothing rougher, and most say the looks promise more than the chassis delivers. A second thread is quality: wiring harness recalls come up regularly, along with scattered reports of parts that do not feel up to the rest of the machine. Highway speeds draw the last recurring gripe. With nothing in front of you, riders say long stints at pace wear thin.
Wiring harness misrouting recall (NHTSA SRAN 584)
Misrouted harness wiring may contact the lower lug on the main frame headstock when the handlebars are turned, causing damage and potential engine stall, increasing crash risk. Triumph issued a recall to install a VIN plate protector and reroute the harness.
Handlebar left control wiring chafing
On some bikes, the wiring from the left-hand control can be pinched and cut by the metal clamp when turning right, potentially causing electrical failures or a loss of lights.
Where this Triumph Street Scrambler pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Street Scrambler is actually built for.
Your best fit here: classic scrambler looks, an easygoing 900 cc twin with its torque low in the revs, and an upright stance for unhurried history routes. The 3.2 gal tank means shorter stints.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
A solid match if your weekends mean relaxed back-road loops and long lunch stops. 64 hp is honest rather than sporty, but low-down torque and easy handling suit those roads well.
Made for Austin / Texas Hill Country · Texas Hill Country BDR-X · Twisted Sisters
A partial fit. You get Triumph identity and real retro style, but this is an upright scrambler, not a cruiser. It suits the ride to the rally more than the full bagger lifestyle.
Made for Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2017–2018
Scrambler Soul, Street Manners
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Triumph Street Scrambler. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
