Quick Ride

QUICK RIDE

BOXER 654 SCRAMBLER Hello, Italy? France calling

LOOKING FOR A BIKE THAT oozes motorcycle DNA out its pores? Check out the Boxer 654 Scrambler. On it, you can play street squirrel, dirt demon, Captain Sensible or Joe Average. It just depends on which side of the bed you get up, and where your riding takes you.

Given that 90 percent of dual-purpose bikes never get their tires muddy-call it the Range Rover Syndrome-it makes sense to capitalize on their slim, lightweight design to create a true tarmac allrounder that’s at home anywhere. Thus, builder Thierry Henriette-who runs Road Masters, a huge multi-line dealership in Toulouse, France-set

out to build such a bike. Starting with an Aprilia Pegaso and a design by British artist Glynn Kerr, Henriette retained the Italian bike’s five-valve singlecylinder engine and oil-carrying central frame backbone. He then fabricated a chromed chromoly-steel chassis cradle, retaining the Pegaso’s standard steering geometry but reducing the wheelbase .8-inch by shortening the standard 41mm Marzocchi inverted fork. A fully adjustable Fournales air shock mates with the stock Aprilia swingarm and linkages in the rear. A pair of 18-inch Akront rims are laced to hubs carrying a single 12.6-inch disc in front and an 8.7-inch disc in back, with Michelin Macadam street tires mounted up.

It’s no secret that good things come in lightweight packages, and the Boxer is both good and light. It tips the scales at 357 pounds dry, compared to the stock Pegaso’s 390 pounds. Swing a leg over the French bike-its seat height is 2.75 inches lower than the Pegaso’s— thumb the starter and revel in the Thumper thunder issuing from the twin chromed megaphones. Twist the throttle and you’ll soon find that the Scrambler’s 100-mph-plus top speed is reached as smoothly as if it had a multicylinder engine. This is thanks to a balance shaft that allows just enough vibes to filter through to remind you that you’re riding a Single.

The Boxer’s light weight and nimble build make it the master of the universe in tight turns and traffic-light showdowns. The riding position is the key to it all. The flat bars are ideally raked to provide lots of leverage allied with comfort, so that when you spot a gap after plonking along in traffic, you can just gas it and go.

Agile yet stable, the Scrambler also stops brilliantly. The right choice of master cylinder, brake pads for the four-piston front caliper and, above all, braided steel lines, give the bike the stopping power to go with its stripped-down performance.

Fun, fun, fun. Now it’s up to Aprilia to decide how quickly the public can share the fruits of Henriette’s labor. But there’s little cause for concern: If Aprilia doesn’t adopt the Scrambler into its model line, the Boxer’s builder says he’ll market the bike himself.

-Alan Cat heart