High and mighty
Taller, tougher, off-roadready Scrambler Higher-quality, longertravel suspension Reinforced frame to withstand dirt abuse
BUY A SUPERBIKE and you expect it to be able to tear round a track faster than your synapses can respond. Buy a tourer and you expect it to cover 200 miles without having to stop for fuel or a fidget. But buy a scrambler – any of the offerings from BMW, Triumph or Ducati – and its ability to do any scrambling will be seriously limited. Ducati’s Scrambler typifies this problem: its low stance and basic suspension just aren’t suitable for anything other than easy gravel trails. Even the most dirt-focused version, the Urban Enduro, has little more to help it venture off-road than a high mudguard and a lick of green paint.
But for 2017 the Urban Enduro is gone, replaced by the new Desert Sled. Named after a style of bike developed in 1960s California – a large-capacity road bike made to survive the desert by way of knobbly tyres, beefed-up suspension and an engine bash plate – this is a very different beast from every other Ducati Scrambler. Do not mistake this for the same basic bike let loose in the dressingup box. This is a comprehensively revamped, re-engineered machine with a far higher level of off-road ability. You can tell the Desert Sled means business as soon as you climb aboard. Where most riders lower themselves down on to the regular Scrambler’s 790mm seat, the Sled’s perch is located way up at 860mm. That’s because the whole bike has been jacked up by new suspension. At the front a set of fully adjustable 46mm forks replace the regular Scrambler’s 41mm fixed items, while the side-mounted rear shock is a fresh unit too. Suspension travel at both ends has jumped from 150mm to 200mm, giving the same range as Ducati’s Multistrada Enduro. There’s more. The front wheel is now 19in (rather than 18in), adding more height. Both hoops are spoked rather than cast, wearing a new purpose-made, semi-knobbly tyre from Pirelli called the Scorpion Rally STR. Other new parts include the mudguards, numberplate hanger, handlebars, seat, silencer, and headlight grill. The footpeg position is also new (as are detachable pillion pegs).
More significant changes aren’t so obvious. Aggressive testing revealed that the Scrambler’s tubular steel trellis frame isn’t strong enough to deal with the forces of high-impact off-roading, so it’s been reinforced for the Desert Sled. Extra forged-steel sections reach down from the rear engine mounts on both sides, through the swingarm pivot and round to the bottom of the crankcases. The Sled’s aluminium swingarm is longer and stiffer too, creating more clearance for the rear wheel’s extra travel, while stretching the wheelbase for better stability.
On the road, the new riding position gives an immediately different air. Being sat so much higher makes the Sled seem like a solid, substantial machine without any of the standard Scrambler’s slightly toy-like sensation. The new handlebars don’t come up as high nor reach back over the tank as far as the standard Scrambler. Being tilted forwards slightly feels more purposeful and, on sprints up to 80mph, the wind protection seems better too.
The engine is the same air-cooled, two-valve, 803cc V-twin, with the same 74bhp and 50lb.ft of torque. Though these peak figures are delivered at relatively high revs, it’s a motor that feels happiest in its low-to-midrange, grunting gently from 4000 to 7000rpm. However, the throttle response has been calmed by a re-shaped
throttle tube, which gives a slow-action effect at smaller openings. This has eliminated the snatchy part-throttle reaction of the previous model; but the downside is you have to twist the grip a lot further to get the same engine response.
There’s no question over the huge improvement in suspension quality. The Desert Sled is set up softly but while there can be an occasional see-saw feel to the bike, the ride quality is far better than the harsh, jarring feel of the standard Scrambler. Steering is accurate and the Pirellis grip well enough to get the new footpegs on the floor.
But the big question is whether the Desert Sled lives up to its name. To prove it, Ducati launched it near the Tabernas Desert in southern Spain – the driest and hottest spot on the continent. Ducati’s guide pulls over at the start of a trail and motions us to switch the ABS off. This involves dialling up a menu on the circular clock, selecting a flashing thing, pressing a button, then pressing the correct button, then wondering whether it’s off or not. There’d be e a lot less faff if there was just a big ‘ABS’ button to prod.
With no engine modes or traction control, disabling the ABS is the only step needed to prepare the Sled for off-roading. I stand on the pegs for what turns out to be several hours of varied off-roading through beautiful scenery. The stance is surprisingly well-balanced and natural – handlebars are at a good height, the footpegs in the correct place, and you feel well-positioned in the middle of the bike. My only bugbear is a bolt at the top of the side-mounted shock, which digs into my left calf. Ducati say this is a pre-production bike and that bolt won’t be on bikes going to customers.
Controls are light and well-placed – the clutch and brake levers need just a finger or two, the gear and brake pedals are easy to find. The throttle’s muted response means the engine is never in any danger of running away with itself and it has a handy amount of engine braking on a shut throttle for controlled descents. There’s enough grunt to fire up a stony climb or drive through a sandy section, but if you want a sudden snap of power to spin the rear you really have to wrench the throttle.
Clearly the Desert Sled is no lightweight enduro – at 207kg fuelled it’s 21kg more than the Scrambler, a side-effect of the beefed-up frame, swingarm and suspension. Its mass, 120-section front tyre and road-legal rubber mean it’s never going to plough through mud like a motocrosser. But its level of off-road ability is genuinely impressive, a match for plenty of adventure bikes and miles ahead of every other roadster bearing the ‘scrambler’ tag that I’ve ridden.
For riders who never leave the city, the Scrambler Icon’s lighter, lower chassis – and £1745 saving – has plenty to recommend it. But those who dismissed the Scrambler for prioritising style over substance will likely find their mind changed by the Desert Sled. It’s not just more capable off-road but also more satisfying on tarmac too. If you expect a Scrambler to have the go to match its show, the Desert Sled sets the standard.
“Its level of off-road ability is genuinely impressive”