‘Not just a pretty face’
Scrambler proves to be more than just a fashion statement
At first glance, the 1100 is stunning. The levels of attention to detail are what you’d expect from both Ducati and an £11,000 price tag.
From the detailing in the seat, the brushed aluminium tank panels, the chrome exhausts which have already started turning vibrant shades of purple and blue, and the gloss coating on the air-cooled 1079cc V-twin, it looks spot-on with one exception; the hideous front brake line which sticks out like a sore thumb.
The Scrambler might both look and sound the part, but one of my biggest concerns was whether trying to deliver that retro style would compromise comfort on longer rides, but after a few 138-mile round trip commutes it’s clear this isn’t the case.
The Scrambler is surprisingly comfortable, the generouslypadded seat (as well as the 1100’s plush suspension) is more than comfortable enough for a laborious 70-mile ride down the A1, while the tall, wide bars remain comfortable. After deliberately avoiding riding in the city in order to enjoy the Scrambler on the open road, an appointment in Lincoln meant riding through town. But the super-light clutch makes it a dream for nipping through city traffic and switching to City riding mode (which can be done on the fly) calms the fuelling to make for an effortless bimbling through jams.
The Scrambler’s padded seat offers ample room to move about and unlike its 800cc sibling, there’s plenty of room for a pillion. A little bit of extra preload on the rear and a 70-mile round trip to Yorkshire proved comfortable.
It’s so easy to look at a Scrambler and assume it’s merely a fashion statement, and a bloody expensive one at that, but the Scrambler 1100 is so much more. It looks the part, sounds the part and most importantly feels the part. Every time you ride it you find yourself grinning from ear to ear as the V-twin rattles the bike between your legs and while it might look like it’s only good for a slow speed wobble, it’s capable of much more. If only Ducati would re-route that awful front brake hose.