I went off-roading on a Triumph Scrambler 400 X and quickly learned two things

One reason I was drawn to the Scrambler version of the new baby Triumph is that I like to occasionally dabble off-road. I’m no Billy Bolt, and I don’t pretend to be, but I love the challenge of tackling unpaved terrain because it offers a different kind of thrill to road or track riding.

Read more

• Update one: Is the Triumph Scrambler 400 X powerful enough for a bigger rider
• Update two: Triumph Scrambler 400 X vs Speed 400
• Update three: Power and speed testing the Scrambler 400 X
• Update five: Knobbly tyre upgrade
• Update six: Trying out the Rally Raid Scrambler

I like to take in my dirt riding at a gentlemanly pace, and I’m unlikely to appear on the starting line at any hard enduros, so there’s no need for me to get dressed up as Sam Sunderland and ride the sort of competition ’crosser that measures its service intervals in hours rather than miles. I love stylish, retro-inspired bikes like Triumph’s whole Scrambler line-up. If Ducati build an 1100 version of the Desert Sled I’ll have a kidney on eBay for sure.

But looking at the Scrambler 400 X’s cast wheels, pseudo-off-road tyres and 150mm front and rear suspension travel, I couldn’t help but wonder if the bike’s rugged pretentions were nothing more than a styling exercise.

• Related: Best retro bike kit tried and tested by MCN

The feeling only worsened when I read in the Scrambler’s manual that it is “designed for on-road and light off-road use” – unpaved, dirt or gravel roads but specifically not jumps or obstacles.

You can’t judge a motorbike on its spec sheet alone, so I headed to some green lanes near my Norfolk home to find out for sure. My plan was to make for the north Norfolk coast, then turn inland and pick up Peddars Way. I could head south until I’d had my fill then pick up a scenic route back to MCN Towers.

Eager to get off the beaten track, I turned off the A148 at Heacham, knowing that a gravel track runs parallel to the beach to Hunstanton. It’s a potholed stretch of unpaved road which I thought would be more fun than the main road.

• Related: Best adventure bike helmets

My heart sank as I stood on the ’pegs and tackled the first pothole. It swallowed the 19in front wheel whole and I immediately ran out of suspension travel, the impact clattering through my wrists and jarring my elbows. The last time I headed off-road was on a Yamaha Ténéré 700 – its 210mm fork travel and 21in spoked front wheel would have skated across this terrain without even rolling off the throttle.

Clearly, I was going to have to temper my expectations, plan ahead a LOT more and, frankly, stop riding like an idiot. If I didn’t want to have to concentrate properly on the terrain ahead, I should have just stuck to the tarmac for a far easier ride!

Feeling my way through the rest of the trail in a far more strategic fashion, I had just enough time to remember why I enjoy riding on the dirt in the first place. It’s a constant tactical battle between you and the environment.

• Related: Best motorbike crash protection

So, on to Peddars Way where a few things happened to further stifle my morning. First of all, piecing together unbroken sections that haven’t been redesignated as footpaths quickly became a pain in the arse. Secondly, the ruts on the sections that are ridable have become so deep it’s like riding a giant Scalextric set. I can see why so many sections have been given a rest from vehicular use.

The experience showed that the Scrambler is capable enough to be ridden off-road provided that you plan ahead and ride to the bike’s capabilities. Although that didn’t stop me having an embarrassing low-speed hop-off at the intersection where my talent and ambition meet! Luckily, despite the bike’s budget price and not really being built for off-road it suffered no damage whatsoever.

I still think there are some changes I could make to improve things without ruining the bike’s kerb appeal, so watch this space.