That’s no coincidence as Ducati has squarely aimed this machine at Gen Y and Millennials who fall into that iPhone using, plaid wearing, skinny decaf latte drinking demographic. The Ducati Scrambler is about image primarily with functionality coming second.
A retro celebration of simplicity, style and fun, a throwback to the 70s getabouts that did everything from commuting to touring to runs down the shops and the odd hare scramble on any Sunday. It’s a totally new direction – well maybe not totally new, but at least a fearlessly American direction for the Italian company, and I was very keen to ride it.
We can gloss over the looks here. You’ll have your own opinion on those for each of the four Scrambler options. We rode the Icon. The only thing that struck me was the weird digital dash, which sticks out like a dog’s proverbials like a touch of the crappy Casiotone 80s sullying your 60s/70s experience, and I don’t understand the decision to run the tacho backwards and upside down.
With a wee little 13.5 liter (3.5 US gal) fuel tank that doesn’t give you a lot to hang onto with your legs. It gives the bike a range around 200 km (124 mi) – if you're prepared to do 30 or 40 km (20 or 25 mi) with the fuel light on) at a decent fuel efficiency figure around 6 liters per 100 km (39.2 mpg). The feeling of softness that pervades the Scrambler is the antithesis of the modern sportsbike, and not in a bad way. It’s just incredibly easy and accessible to ride – with one notable exception, which we’ll get to in a minute.
The clutch is feather-light and eager, and the single-disc twin-piston Brembo brakes on our tester take a fair bit of forearm muscle to get any decent stopping out of, which makes them fairly accurate to the period this bike’s emulating. But the fact that the lever comes right into the bar is a bit worrying if you’re gonna go ride it hard. The bike’s weight sits so low to the ground that low-speed turns are effortless and the feeling of grip and traction is fantastic. I can’t remember another bike I’ve ridden that was more fun in a really tight hairpin (maybe Yamaha’s MT-09 would give it a run for the money).
I’d go so far as to say that the Scrambler would be a sensational learner bike in markets without power restrictions like the USA, not that it won’t tickle the fancy of more experienced riders. The engine, taken from the Monster 796 and detuned for low-end and midrange emphasis, suits the bike really well. Seventy-five horsepower is plenty for a bike so light, and acceleration is still effortless in top gear at freeway speeds, but – and here’s the biggest issue I have with the bike – Ducati has made a big mistake with the fueling and throttle response.
It comes on so strong and aggressively in first and second gears that I nearly slid off the back of the seat a couple of times. That throttle is going to scare some riders off that would absolutely love this bike otherwise. Not that we don’t want the performance – we want it all – we just don’t want it to smash our faces in unless we ask for it. I think that’s a reasonable request.
A revised throttle cam with a more progressive uptake would solve this instantly, and I wouldn’t mind betting some aftermarket jigger will be available as a simple switch-out option before too long. It wouldn’t affect the bike’s fun factor as it’d still lift the front wheel with a hoik on the bars over a crest in second, but it’d save you a few surprises around town. With the standard exhaust and its giant catalyser fitted, we were scraping the ground on u-turns and roundabouts, let alone fun bits of road.
Replacing that, which presumably most riders will do with a Termignoni pipe before it turns a wheel, will give you a few extra degrees, but the footpegs are down not long after. We’re talking a bit more than a sporty cruiser, but not much! And while the suspension is ideal for slower-speed cornering, it does start getting overwhelmed if you try to ride it like a sportsbike. Bumps and dips in fast corners cause things to start feeling very out of shape, and the brakes really don’t feel up to the job of scrubbing off high speeds with confidence.
People are gonna find this a very appealing machine with a simple, back-to-basics aesthetic that makes things more about the ride than the bike. At the end of the day, that should be what it’s all about. There’s no denying the Scrambler stands a mile clear of anything else in the Ducati showroom, but this new direction is bringing a flood of riders into the fold, and giving them a great experience. Ducati's mad if it doesn't do another one around the 600cc size, a Scrambler Junior that's even lighter and more welcoming to new riders.
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