Scramblers are flavour of the month, but they need to work. Snaggy puts the Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle to the real-world test of hardcore street work…
What we like:
- Pretty as a picture
- Well built
- Lovely handling
Not so much…
- Seat is hard
- Low fuel range
Right now, there’s a retro-appetite in the motorcycle market that is brimming with choice. Think Indian FTR Rally, Royal Enfield Bear 650, Honda CL500, Triumph Scrambler 900…
Into that busy showroom squeeze rumbles the Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle, positioned by the style-savvy design crew at Ducati as ‘inspired by US Flat Track competitions on dirt ovals’.
Smart stuff. Harking to heritage and racing lineage is the canny marketing plan for bikes of this ilk and it delivers cred and legitimacy to the category. So far, so good.
First eye-catcher is that side number plate. It represents 1962, the year the first Ducati Scrambler moniker debuted. I’m not convinced, but I get the idea here and some will love it.
The whole deal is about pared down style. Folding into that package here are lowered handlebars, a stocky front mudguard, tail without rear mudguard. Together with the sump guard, and Termignoni can, there’s a definite statement going on here.
There’s a lot of real-world Ducati hallmarks inherent in the Full Throttle. There’s that desmo two valve, 803cc, L-Twin, good for 54kW at 8250rpm, and 65Nm at 7000rpm. That screams Ducati, right there.
And the tubular trellis frame lives on here (thank the lord for that). I really am a fan of a Ducati trellis frame, both structurally and to look at. Nice.
Underpinnings see a single rear preload adjustable Kayaba shock at the rear, four-piston Brembo caliper on a single 330mm front disc and single -piston job on a 245mm rotor at the stern.
While the package impressively includes a neat 4.3-inch TFT screen, ride-by-wire, quick-shifter, riding modes, and cornering ABS, the bike is less about showcasing the Ducati brand’s technical capabilities and more about the ‘vibe of the thing’. Of course, the price reflects this, coming in at a pretty friendly $20,300. Yeah, you want a Ducati but some of the range pricing hits you a little square in the nethers? ‘Niente stress!’ comes the call from our friends in Bologna. Yep, grab a Scrambler and it’s all Benvenuto to the family.
It’s pretty. The colour offered here is Rosso Ducati and you don’t need to be Michael-flippin-Angelo to figure out that is Ducati Red. Aah, but, uno momento… This one has a matt finish that changes it up markedly. The livery gives it a real ‘modern classic’ atmosphere, and that’s right on brand. Love it. I have to say that this is one of the prettiest bikes I’ve come across in recent times. That colour just goes berserk in the right light, and I’m a big fan. In fact, the whole deal is pleasing to the eye end I expect that of Ducati. After all, it’s built its brand on primo aesthetics but when some of the brand’s design and styling has recently missed the mark for mine (read Ducati Monster review here), it’s lovely to see this one hit smack between the eyes. Sweet indeed.
Okay, it looks grouse, but wait, there’s more. The bike shines in urban street going, which is a little counter intuitive when it comes to the ‘sand sled’ marketing pitch. But in the street is where this bike will be used and possessing a good deal of competence in amongst the madness of tight traffic is a real plus. I simply carved through Melbourne’s Mundane-Monday like a hot knife through butter.
There’s good reason for all this. The bars are delightfully light and precise, the 41mm Kayaba forks a clever match. The maths are absolutely spot on, here and with just 185kg to drag about, well it’s all there. Incidentally, that’s 4kg lighter than the old generation thanks to a new frame, new swingarm, and lighter engine.
Don’t be fooled by the supposed dirt aspirations here. Yes, you can get along an unpaved road, the bike is uneasily okay with that. Fair enough. Anyone looking to enter into anything like hard going needs to give themselves an uppercut. This is not a dirt bike, no matter what the marketers want you to believe. The qualifier here is that most of the category are not great in hard dirt activity, so the Full Throttle doesn’t get this alone.
This all manifests in you pointing the Scrambler towards urban ground zero and gassing that sweet two-valver to win the city slogfest. And, I don’t know about you, but that comes high on the Snaggy list of ‘stuff I want.’ Give me convenience or give me death!
What’s not so nice however is the seat. While it looks lovely it’s as hard as a cat’s head and the tank range offered by the pretty light-on 13.5 litres will be a blessing in disguise. You’ll be servo-stretching regularly.
To soak up the whole scrambler image and lifestyle, there’s plenty of ways to spend your money based around this bike. Indeed, Ducati offers a wide choice of clothing and accessories for a rider to personalise their Scrambler.
So… It’s very easy on the eye, offers fair dinkum street cred, handles well and is priced to suit. The geometry is right. It’s hard on the clacker though and needs a litre or two extra fuel capacity.
It all feels like a refined and finished motorcycle and that’s what I expect from Ducati. Big tick for this one from Snaggy.
Snag’s career in motoring journalism spans 30 years with stints at major bike mags Australian Road Rider, Motorcycle Trader and AMCN along with contributions to just about every other outlet worth a hill of beans. He was editor of Unique Cars magazine and hosts his legendary podcast ‘Snag Says’ when he gets off his date.
