Today I received a teaser email from Ducati, some of you may as well. I'm intrigued to say the least. scramblerducati Of course, by now, it's all over the 'net. Return of the Ducati Scrambler in 2015 - Motorcyclist Magazine Up To Speed - Page 1
I don't get it. Why? It looks like a cross btwn a monster & multistrada. It looks like a harley softtail wannabe. Otherwise I like the brand.
Well there's a history with Scramblers, especially in the US. Perhaps Ducati is trying to firm the brand and expand the product line. I own a 1967 Honda CL/77 Scrambler (my father was the second owner, but acquired it in 1967 from the original owner). I have very vivid memories of the bike as a child, and as a kid that rode "dirt bikes", I could understand the dual sport / scrambler vibe back then. That being said, I somewhat agree with you...why? Dual sport popularity isn't what it was, and they are a compromise. If you ride off-road, then a dedicated model is better suited. Ride on-road, then a proper road bike will serve you well. I dig the chutzpah of Ducati, but not sure this one goes far. I've rambled about this for 20 years or so - Ducati and HD should get together and the world will be right.
If I could "like" this statement I would hit the button, but alas I'm not on fb, so I'll just.. +1. I too grew up riding dirt bikes, but never to a serious motor-cross extend. I couldn't wait for 30 yrs later when I bought (on my own, without my parents help, lol) a kawi KLR650. Boy did I think I was going to ride on & off like my teenage yrs. No dice. At 45+ it's not the same. Plus no where to go. So decided on more of a street biased on/off - duc multistrada and fell in love w the brand. Now have a '14 diavel & love it. Lookin at new '15 style diavel (better looking fascia) Al
Just because... it's another market and, it seems, Ducati can sell anything. This looks like a softtail wannabe? Maybe you were looking at something else? . Image Unavailable, Please Login
Then there would be no Ducati e.g. Buell. But then, that's been the subject of internet debates for years.
Yes you are right, far from a Soft tail, I meant... Sportster, sort of. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Scramblers should have high front fenders, upswept pipes, chain drive and wire wheels! Throw in a fork brace for extra measure!
MV was sold (given away for one Euro IIRC) at a cost of around $100M to Harley. When the Castiglionis got it back it was free of debt, and was in a far better position than when they had owned it previously. And for Buell, after finally being given approval to develop their own engine (1125cc twin) and was operating in the black and Wandell killed it completely at a cost of about $125M, even though Bombardier tried to buy Buell intact...twice. Then H-D gave Erik Buell the IP for Buell products and he now has EBR with actual products at more or less Ducati prices, but completely separate from Harley (although partially owned by Indian maker Hero). It remains to be seen if EBR will make it but my guess is Buell himself would rather fail on his own than be under Harley's boot any longer. From a T-shirt selling perspective a Harley/Ducati merger might be seen as great however they would almost have to remain separate companies. 1) Harley dealers have no idea how to sell sportbikes 2) The "italianess" of Ducati is one of its big selling points, IMO. 3) While there are many Ducati owners that also have Harleys, there are also many that look at H-D products with disgust. The H-D demo suggest new H-D buyers are probably too old for a Panigale, and a hardcore sportbike guy cares little about Harley (or Victory, or Indian, or...) 4) I wouldn't expect Harley management to keep thier hands out of Ducati and completely ruining it. There are a lot of VERY big egos on both sides that would have made a partnership impossible, and a takeover and ouster of one side would almost certainly have resulted in the withering and death of the company taken over. They are far better apart IMO. I look at VAG and what they have done with other prestige brands like Bugatti and Lamborghini and think Ducati is probably in the best position they could hope for going forward. As for the Scrambler, it is cheap (for a Duc) and will sell well. Probably will steal sales from the Triumph Bonneville and Guzzi V7, although Guzzi is a very minor player these days anyway. It will also cannibalize small Monster sales as well.
The problem witht he Guzzi V7 is it needs needs a motor that goes. harley si hilarious, their whole public persoan is the rebel dude, the individualist, yet it is the most corporate of companies. They have been smart in that they know they have a design cred usp and have played it to the hilt. Unfortunatly while they understanbd "Harley" they probably dont understand motorcycles very well, so they botch up other brands because thye really dont knwo what mkes them appealing. As tot he scrambler, its just a stylised street bike from what I can see, with no pretensions of remotely going off road, just like the hypomotard. Personaly i woudl have lived somethign more like a smaller ligher version of the BME GS, somehting good on street and that can be ridden off road even if not at pace. The m ost inetresting new bike for the USa to me is the yamaha xj 1300, but then that has been sold in europe for soemthing like 25 years. Apparently the honds 1100 is sellig well here, so maybe we are back to standard mtorcysles with a little style that can brake and handle.
That's great insight, thanks. I don't ride anymore, primarily due to where I live, but this Scrambler is very attractive to me. That Yamaha is SWEET!
I like it, at least in theory. could be a fun, stylish urban commuter/weekend cruiser with a bit more sporting character than a Sportster or the Triumph retro line. will be interesting to see if it cannibalizes Monsters in that market, or if they attract a new/different buyer.
At around 400 lbs it's heavier than the Monster (696 - 359 Dry) and lighter than the Sportster (883 - 573.2 Dry). So, yes, I'd say the attraction is for all of the above. https://rideapart.com/articles/2015-ducati-scrambler-unveiled-2014-intermot
Looking good! 2015 Ducati Scrambler Classic | motorcycle review @ Top Speed . Image Unavailable, Please Login
Me too, Ducati just needs to offer parts to turn it into a cafe racer now. It's almost there, but those bars are horrible. Mark
Great looking bikes. The Scrambler Classic looks best IMHO...I may just get one to go with my 2007 Sport Classic 1000 Biposto.
The Scrambler Urban Enduro does have a high front fender. That being said, the orginal Ducati Scrambler of the late 1960s had a low front fender, as well as most of the scramblers from Japanese marques of that era. I still have a 1970 Honda CL100 Scrambler that has a low front chrome fender. Scramblers are not intended to be dirt bikes for ridding single track type trials, but rather a street bike that can be comfortably ridden on dirt roads, FRS, open fields, the beach, ect...What was once called a scrambler is now called an adventure bike.
