Yamaha SCR 950 Review - Should You Buy In 2024

Yamaha SCR 950 Review - Should You Buy In 2024

Calling all scrambler fans and retro motorcycle enthusiasts! Gear up because there's a legend back on the scene – the Yamaha SCR NINE FIFTY! That's right, after a hiatus, this iconic machine has clawed its way back into the 2024 lineup. But is it just a blast from the past, or does it offer something new and exciting for modern riders? Buckle up and grab your virtual helmet as we take a deep dive into the reborn Yamaha SCR NINE FIFTY. We'll explore its design, performance specs, and what makes this scrambler a contender in today's motorcycle market. So, hit that start button and let's see if the SCR NINE FIFTY lives up to its scrambler legacy!
An Overview:
Not all ideas are good ones and when you are caught up in the middle of a trend, the temptation is always to blindly follow the fashion setters. Which is exactly the trap Yamaha fell into with the quite frankly a bit too weird and well wide of the mark SCR 950. Launched in 2017, the SCR took the firm’s good but not hugely popular (in the UK) XV 950 cruiser as a base and then added spoke wheels, taller bars and slightly uprated suspension to create a ‘scrambler’ style of bike. The problem with the SCR is that it is basically just a cruiser with a new set of clothes on and that means very little off-road potential and a heavy wet weight. Never a big seller in the UK, the SCR has a certain appeal and if you want a bike with the relaxed attitude of a cruiser but don’t like the ‘feet forward’ style of riding position, the SCR with its upright stance and semi-off-road look is pleasingly different. Not only that, due to its unpopularity there are some cracking deals to be had on virtually new bikes.
Yamaha SCR NINE FIFTY (2017 – 2021) Price
The SCR NINE FIFTY commanded a price tag of £8499 in 2017, which was less than the far more off-road capable Ducati Desert Sled at £9395 and about the same as Triumph’s £8900 Street Scrambler, which was also quite road-focused with only a nod towards genuine off-road ability. Nowadays there are surprisingly large numbers of very low mileage SCR models for sale in the used market and that means deals can most certainly be had. Dealers are asking for around the £5500 mark for virtually brand new bikes with generally less than 1000 miles on their clocks, which hints that they are ex-demos that they are desperately trying to shift. Wave some cash under a salesman’s nose and you will certainly be able to pick one up for under £5000. A few are advertised for up to £6500 but this is very optimistic and the bike in question will often have a few tempting extras such as an Akrapovic exhaust or set of soft luggage. Our advice? Aim to spend £5500 and get a low-mileage one with extras in the colour scheme you like and don’t worry too much about the year as it was never changed or updated.

Power and torque
The SCR uses exactly the same air-cooled 60-degree v-twin as the XV950 models and that is no bad thing at all. Not a massively fast or quick revving motor, it suits life in the slow lane and is very mellow. Happy chugging along at a gentle pace, it produces its maximum torque at just 3000rpm and peak power at 5500rpm, which tells you all you need to know about its attitude. For gentle plodding around it is ideal and you don’t miss the fact it lacks a sixth gear as you are highly unlike to want to go over 70mph anyway. Cruiser engines tend to be more about feel and character than outright performance and the SCR’s lump has a pleasing bit of character vibration, wonderfully fluid throttle connection and excellent reliability record, making it ideally suited to its role in life. As long as that role isn’t going fast on or off-road.

Engine, gearbox and exhaust
The air-cooled motor is very under-stressed and major faults and issues are basically unheard of, so you can buy with total confidence. As so many SCR models are hardly used, there is almost no chance of it nearing any major service interval (4000-mile intervals, valve clearance check at 16,000 miles) so all you need to worry about is if the oil and filter has been changed recently, which is a bill of about £150 so again is no real drama. The gearbox, although fairly clunky, is solid and the exhaust is well built. A lot of bikes come with Yamaha’s approved Akrapovic road-legal slip-on fitted, which is worth looking out for as it is super-cool, 1.5kg lighter than the OE can and a bit fruitier sounding. There is no need to get the bike re-mapped. When buying used always give the belt a good inspection as the enemy of a belt drive are stones, which can get caught between the belt and sprockets, causing damage to the belt itself. As belts are one-piece items (unlike chains with split-links) that means removing the swingarm to fit a new one, which can be expensive. The belt should last well over 30,000 miles but does require its tension checked regularly (every 2500 miles is recommended) using a special tool.