A Closer Look at the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE Baja R

Triumph has done it again with their most recent iteration of their popular Scrambler. The new 1200 XE has made its appearance with its sibling the Scrambler 1200 XC and the 1200 XE Baja Racer is a serious track bike that is ready to take them all on, of course, with a few modifications. Triumph outfitted the racer with tires that are flat proof thanks to the special inserts for race day and they’re the aggressive dirt only kind, tweaked the rebound and compression on the fork and the shocks and replaced the head light [1].

The Baja scrambler has come a long way

Triumph recognized the fact that there was a deficit in the capacity of the bikes built for racing during the 1960s. The Baja race is one of the toughest desert runs imaginable and it takes its toll on an ordinary bike. The heat and the sand and variable terrain made it necessary to develop a purpose built machine that could handle the toughest conditions that the desert had to dish out [2]. The Scrambler has gone through its evolution and has come full circle again in 2019 with the XE Baja Racer. The bikes evolved into street worthy machines that could tackle the track but most riders were intent on using them for the open road [1]. Just for the purpose of racing, Triumph has designed and engineered the XE Baja Racer in a larger and more powerful bike which is a departure from the first 250cc that tore up Baja [1]. The bike has taken its inspiration from the 1960s version but its hardly the same bike, but rather a distant relative.

2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE Baja Racer Specifications

The new Scramber 1200 XE Baja Racer is very nicely powered with a DOHC 1200 cc Parallel Twin engine, liquid cooled that firmly delivers 89 horsepower along with 81 lb ft of torque. The total curb weight of the bike is 504 pounds with a wheelbase of 61.8 inches [1].

Scheduled race terminated

Ernie Vigil was set to take the new Scrambler 1200 XE Baja racer out to put it to the test in the 2019 Baja race but he had an unfortunate accident. While prepping on his 450cc bike, he was in an off-road accident. It’s a shame that he sustained a broken ankle and it prevented his entry into the Baja 1000 for this year. Triumph Motorcycles had hand picked him to be the premiere rider of the bike in the race because of his outstanding talents and riding abilities. While we thought they may possible put another rider in for the November race, it’s not in the cards. Instead, they’ve decided to delay the new bike’s debut into the world of racing and the CCO of the company indicated that we’re going to see both Ernie and the bike out on the for the Mexican 1000 [2].

Final thoughts

The 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE Baja Racer is one of three releases in the popular line for this year and it’s good to see that the Scrambler is getting back to its roots in one of the iterations. It’s come full circle and they’ve cut the 1200XE Baja Racer from the mighty herd of bikes to purpose it specifically for racing in unforgiving conditions such as those encountered at the Baja Peninsula and other desert races. Triumph was a big contributor to the development of the racing scramblers in the 1960s and it’s made an evolution into a bike that seemed to prefer the streets, although capable of handling the dirt equally well. Now the XE Baja Racer is taking the road less traveled in recent years and getting back to its racing DNA and going for it in grand style. We’ll have to wait just a little longer to see how the bike performs in a real live racing scenario. It will be interesting to see how it stacks up against its competition in the race, but we have a good feeling that it’s going to shine when that day comes.

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