BMW has its rNineT series and Triumph has its Bonneville, Thruxton and Scrambler. Now, it's Ducati's turn to introduce its latest vintage-style motorbike that harkens back to its minimalist, single-cylinder dirt-road scramblers of the 1960s and 1970s.
The 2015 Ducati Scrambler was preceded with plenty of calculated hype from the Italian motorcycle maker, with lots of leaked images and teaser videos to amp up the excitement, and the retro-style sport bike certainly lives up to the hype.
Ducati took the wraps off the jealously guarded Scrambler for the first time at the Intermol 2014 motor show in Cologne, Germany, the company's first foray into making modern, lightweight motorcycles designed for traversing the urban jungle but sporting what Ducati calls a "post-heritage" design. Unlike the high-tech Multistrada tourer or the gutsy Panigale, the Scrambler has wide handle bars and a long, upright seat for a tall riding position, making it the quintessential motorbike to attract new customers longing for the free-spirited days of the Easy Rider-era.
The Scrambler is no retro-bike, though, and that Ducati makes clear. It's a contemporary bike that is "intended to be just how the legendary Bologna-built motorcycle would be today if Ducati had never stopped building it."
"We have reinterpreted an iconic motorcycle, part of our history for more than 50 years, in a full modern way, designing and building the Ducati Scrambler as if we'd never stopped making it," says Christiano Silei, vice president of sales and marketing at Ducati.
Back in the day, the Scrambler was a 250cc, 350cc and 450cc single-cylinder bike. Now, the Scrambler runs on a fuel-injected, oil and air-cooled, 800cc L-Twin engine based on the Monster 796, with two valves in each cylinder producing up to 75 horsepower and 60 pound-feet of torque. This is linked to a six-speed transmission that chain-drives a 17-inch rear wheel. Top speed figures are unknown, but that is a lot of power to fire up the 410-pound (wet weight) sport bike.
Other fittings include the two-channel ABS braking, fully modern LED-powered headlights and an old-school teardrop gas tank and a fuel cap inscribed with the words "Born in 1962." Under the seat, the storage bin features a USB charging port, one that was obviously missing in the old Scramblers.
The new Scramber will come in four trims: the red or yellow Icon, which is the cheapest of the bunch; the black-framed Classic with spoked wheels and brown leather seat; the olive green Urban Enduro with the big fender and the dirt-bike look; and the Full Throttle, a black single-riding racer with yellow accents.
With a selling price of $8,495 for the Icon, the Scrambler is not cheap, but it is certainly cheaper than other retro-style motorbikes in the market. The rNineT series by BMW starts at $15,000. The Classic, Urban Enduro and Full Throttle will be sold for $9,995 when Ducati makes them available next year.
The Land of Joy from Scrambler Ducati on Vimeo.
