Ducati Scrambler Café Race
Classic styling, relaxed riding position Air-cooled 74bhp V-twin Not-so-entry-level £9395 price tag
FOR A VERY simple motorbike, the Scrambler Café Racer is slightly confusing. Scrambler was devised by Ducati’s marketing division as a sub-brand of entry-level V-twins. Yet the Café Racer blurs the boundaries between Ducati and Scrambler as its clip-on bars and black/gold paint-scheme are inspired by a notoriously hardcore Ducati: the thunderous 900SS that was one of the world’s fastest superbikes in 1978.
The Café Racer’s sporty look is reinforced by a low-slung, shrouded headlamp and cut-down front mudguard. Bar-end mirrors add to the nose-down attitude. The ribbed seat is humped and comes with a colourmatched pillion-seat cover. There’s a new exhaust with double-barrelled Termignoni silencer. But if the new bike’s aggressive image is pure Ducati (the No54 on its oval side-panels was the race number of factory ace Bruno Spaggiari) its layout and character are more in-keeping with the Scrambler brand. Its engine is the softly tuned 803cc, air-cooled V-twin used by the other Scrambler models, with a peak output of 74bhp at 8250rpm.
The Café Racer’s tubular steel frame and curved swingarm are also shared with other Scramblers, but a longer shock steepens the steering geometry and the damping is slightly stiffer. Its 17in wheels wear respectably sticky Pirelli Diablo Rossi II tyres, but there’s still a generous 150mm of suspension travel at each end. The seat is 15mm higher (at 805mm) than the original Scrambler Icon, though the pegs are unchanged, while the bars are a substantial 155mm further forward and 175mm lower – but those clip-ons are above the top yoke, so this is no radical racer’s crouch. That restrained riding position sets the tone for a bike that feels much less aggressive than its looks suggest. The air-cooled engine fires up with a gentle rustling and V-twin throb through the low-set exhaust, feeling flexible and rider-friendly when I let out the light-action clutch. The throttle is modified to give a softer initial response. The original Scrambler’s slightly abrupt feel from low revs is gone, replaced by a well-metered delivery that makes the bike easy to ride through the outskirts of Bologna, slipping through traffic with the help of its generous steering lock.
Out of town it takes a good handful of throttle to make the most of the performance, but the 74bhp output is sufficient to generate lively acceleration from a bike that weighs only 188kg wet. It lopes along smoothly with 70mph or a bit more on its simple, single round dial (which has no gear or fuel consumption indicator), its slightly leant-forward riding position making more sense the faster I ride. On roads with longer straights it should be good for 130mph – modest by current standards, but not far off that legendary 900SS.
Chassis performance is similarly riderfriendly, in terms of both handling and comfort. On the SS65 that leads up to the
“It steers precisely, hustling hairpins”
famous Futa Pass – the traditional proving ground for Ducati’s test riders – the Café Racer steers with precision, feeling controllable and light when hustling round hairpins. As the pace hots up its suspension feels slightly vague, so I keep the balls of my feet on the pegs to avoid bevelling my boots. But the bike remains under control and doesn’t ground anything solid.
Thanks to the force of the single Brembo M50 monoblock caliper and a radial master cylinder, stopping power is strong and feels about right for the bike’s overall performance. Equally importantly, the Café Racer’s generous suspension travel and relatively restrained riding position, combined with the well-padded seat, mean I finish the day’s ride with no wrist pain and only slight rump-ache. The bike is fairly practical in other ways, too. Its economical engine should give a range of 130-plus miles from the 13.5-litre tank. The clock and switches are basic but do what they need to. Even the bar-end mirrors work well.
At £9395 this latest member of the Scrambler family is expensive for an ‘entry-level’ model. But it’s stylish, well finished, sweet handling and fairly quick. It will suit those who like its hard-and-fast retro image but who want a bike with a softer, more laid-back character for urban posing rather than street racing. Perhaps its confusing name does make sense, after all.