Classic Ducati Excitement

SCRAMBLER DUCATI CAFÉ RACER

Ducati has cashed in on the success of their best-selling Scrambler by introducing a derivative called the Scrambler Ducati Café Racer. User-friendly, reasonably lively, relatively affordable, fun to ride and easy on the eye. Meet the definitive Scrambler, the Ducati Café Racer.

DUCATI IS AN ICONIC SPORTS MOTORCYCLE

BRAND, AND THE BADGE ALONE ADDS VALUE TO THE ITALIANMADE BIKES.

While the Italian company’s global sales have increased overall for seven consecutive years, the competition is becoming increasingly fiercer. The marketing men in suits were probably surprised to find that their brand-new entry-level and relatively low-tech Scrambler Ducati was their biggest seller from 2015 when it constituted 16,000 of the 55,000 bikes sold, while the Multistrada was next with 8,000 sales. Ducati also claims that the Scrambler was the first of their bikes to ever break into the top ten worldwide in terms of sales. It would, of course, be interesting to see how they made that determination.

The new Scrambler Ducati Café Racer uses many of the components from the other Scrambler models, but there are also a fair number of necessary changes. The most radical is to the tubular steel trellis frame’s steering head that has been altered by reducing the rake – the angle at which the forks diverge from the frame – to make the bike shorter and quicker-steering. The other versions of the Scrambler are already very nimble, almost nervous, which takes a while to get used to, so it’ll be interesting to see how well the Italians did their homework while revising the Café Racer’s fork angle.

The Brembo brakes – a single 330 mm disc up front clamped by a four-piston Brembo calliper, and a 245 mm rear disk with a single-pot calliper– both feature ABS, and the upside-down front forks, although not adjustable, have been tweaked for harder cornering and improved stability on the tarmac. There are clip-on handlebars that are reasonably placed to maintain a modicum of comfort, and a racing number adorns each side of the bike. The right side of the Café Racer has been given a dash of glamour by the addition of a Termignoni dual silencer, and there is a pair of very tidy bar-end rear-view mirrors. The whole thing is finished off with a sexy black and gold paint job inspired by that of the 1970s Ducati 900 SS and 900 SSD Darmah. The Scrambler Café Racer is priced well below the company’s serious sports bikes, although at R164,000 it’ll set you back a healthy R35,000 more than the 800 cc base-model Scrambler Icon version. The Scrambler range now consists of five variations on the theme, retailing at between R129,000 and R164,000, while an almost identical

400 cc versions with some lower specification and a 40 hp V-Twin engine is yours for R116,000 each. The models all boast nearly double the power of the 400s, with 75 hp at 8,250 rpm, and weigh in at between 170 and 192 kg. That’s good enough for a reported 0-100 km/h time of a touch over four seconds, and a top speed of 190 to 200 km/h when you’re feeling frisky.

LAST WORD

Ducati is an iconic sports motorcycle brand, and the badge alone adds value to the Italian-made bikes. The company has a long racing pedigree, and although the oddly-named Scrambler Ducati Café Racer is not a true sports machine it’s and brisk and appealing tribute to the company’s long racing and sporting tradition. Even if you just trundle around town on it for a bit of a lark occasionally, when you get home, it’ll still add presence to your garage – or your lounge!

Ducati South Africa now offers an optional full maintenance plan and warranty on all new Ducati motorcycles. The Ducati Ride Plan covers all services, maintenance, and warranty items including chain replacement, brake disk and pad replacement, fork seals, and other parts.