banner

Two new Scramblers revealed

Ducati Desert Sled and Café Racer

Written by Ben Purvis , Date 6:49 PM

It’s no surprise to see Ducati’s two new Scrambler models which were unveiled this afternoon in Milan and dubbed Desert Sled and Café Racer.

The firm teased the bikes with videos recently and details of the machines had already leaked from emissions certificates in America. But they’re still valuable additions that usefully stretch the Scrambler line up.

The Desert Sled is the more extreme machine, with a new frame around the familiar 803cc V-twin engine. The chassis is reinforced compared to the normal Scrambler to add a level of real off-road ability to the bike.

The same goal was also the impetus for the new aluminium swingarm, which adds to the bike’s ground clearance, and upside down forks. Unusually for Ducati, the suspension at both ends comes from Kayaba.

Wire wheels shod with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR rubber – 19in at the front and 17in at the rear – help the off-road look. So does the new high-mounted front mudguard and the flat seat with its extended rear mudguard and high-mounted licence plate holder.

Engine-wise, there’s the same 803cc air-cooled twin as the normal Scrambler, now in Euro4 compliant form and making 75bhp at 8250rpm and 68nm at 5750rpm.

That engine also powers the other new Scrambler, the Café Racer. Its changes compared to the existing bike are less extreme, with a black-finished Termignoni pipe and black engine covers high on the list. Other tweaks include a new seat with a pillion seat cover, side-mounted number boards and separate, clip-on bars. There’s also a shorter front mudguard, bar-end mirrors and a small nose cowl. The wheels are 17-inch alloys with Pirelli Diablo Rosso II rubber.

The number ‘54’ on those boards refers to the race plate carried by Bruno Spaggiari in teh 1968 Mototemporada Romagnola road race.

While the Desert Sled comes in a choice of red or white colour schemes, the Café Racer is only to be offered in black with gold trim in 2017. However, there will be a full range of options available to personalise the bikes.

Article Categories:   Ducati News

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *