FIRST LOOK: 2017 YAMAHA SCR950
Rennie Scaysbrook | June 9, 2016
Does Yamaha have the chops to take on the incredibly successful Ducati Scrambler? If the SCR950 goes as good as it looks, Ducati might have a fight on its hands!
Yamaha’s V-twin Bolt has been a roaring success for the brand. A clean sheet of paper representing an endless array of possibilities for tuners and customizers around the globe, the Bolt’s easy-going, stripped back nature lends itself to a those with a creative mind and the odd skill with a welder.
So why let all the customers have all the fun? Yamaha thinks it too has a few ideas up its sleeve, and after sponsoring numerous biker build-offs with the Bolt has decided to turn it into a scrambler, calling it the SCR950.
Using much of the same components as the Bolt, thus keeping development costs down, the SCR950 is powered by a 942cc, air- cooled, 60° V-twin, fuel-injected engine with four valves per cylinder nestled inside a double-cradle steel frame. The SCR950 goes old school with some wide and tall handlebars, retro-racing number-plate-styled side covers, fork gaiters, wire-spoked aluminum rims, 2-into-1 exhaust pipe with upswept muffler, and long low-profile seat.
On the new school side, there’s an LCD speedometer, LED taillight, flangeless fuel tank, powerful brakes with wave-type rotors, and low-maintenance carbon-fiber-core belt final drive.
The 2017 SCR950 will have a suggested retail price of $8,699 and will be available in Yamaha dealerships beginning in July in Charcoal Silver and Rapid Red color schemes.
