[tonyjuliano]

2015 Ducati Scrambler - A Veteran Rider’s Opinion

Just got back from my first extended trip with my new "Classic".

Picked it up on Friday (first one in the US, baby!), and headed almost immediately out on the road for a couple of days.

You can read all of my impressions at this LINK on my personal blog.

Have a look, comments are welcome!

 

[AnotherHobby]

Your link doesn't go anywhere. I'll just assume you like it.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Sorry for the broken link, this one should work...

LINK

Some things to like, some things - not so much.

 

[Asador]

Sorry for the broken link, this one should work...

LINK

Some things to like, some things - not so much.

Nice write-up. Well balanced review and the only thing I don't agree on is where you say the Scrambler is not for killing it on the twisties. I think it is actually just about perfect for that 😃

 

[greer]

Thanks for the write-up. Glad you are pleased with the fueling. What do you see as a problem in regard to touring? Thanks again.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Thanks for the write-up. Glad you are pleased with the fueling. What do you see as a problem in regard to touring? Thanks again.

Just the fact that the bike is not particularly fast, nor very comfortable for any kind of long distances. The wickedly hard seat, and poor stock suspension make it a lousy choice for this, IMO.

Not to say those things can't be fixed, because they can, but - even then - asking an air-cooled motor to drone along at American touring speeds, for hours at a time, is a bit much. At 80 mph in top gear, the scrambler is pushing over 6000 rpm's, not ideal.

Also, the smallish tank means that you would need to refuel every 150 miles or so.

Like I said, great "back roads" and "around town" bike, good fire road and gravel performer (surprisingly so), but certainly not my choice as a touring rig - I have other bikes that would do a much better job in this regard.

 

[Asador]

I think it depends on what you define as 'touring'.

Going for hours at a time at highway speeds (120+ kilometers/hour)? Then no, definately not a touring machine. It would be torture
Touring as in getting from point a to b efficiently in relative comfort with lots of luggage? Then again no, not a touring machine (too much revs, no fairing, somewhat limited luggage space, etc)
Going for hours in the twisties at under ~100 kilometers per hour? Then yes, great! I did 1600 kilometers in 4 days, average speed ~ 60 km/hour. My butt was sore at the end of the day, but I was smiling all the way

 

[tonyjuliano]

I think it depends on what you define as 'touring'.

Going for hours at a time at highway speeds (120+ kilometers/hour)? Then no, definately not a touring machine. It would be torture
Touring as in getting from point a to b efficiently in relative comfort with lots of luggage? Then again no, not a touring machine (too much revs, no fairing, somewhat limited luggage space, etc)
Going for hours in the twisties at under ~100 kilometers per hour? Then yes, great! I did 1600 kilometers in 4 days, average speed ~ 60 km/hour. My butt was sore at the end of the day, but I was smiling all the way

Good point...

Here is the US, most people consider "motorcycle touring" to be covering 300 - 400 (or more!) miles a day, at interstate highway speeds (60-80 mph).

 

[tonyjuliano]

Nice write-up. Well balanced review and the only thing I don't agree on is where you say the Scrambler is not for killing it on the twisties. I think it is actually just about perfect for that 😃

Thanks...

Sure, it can handle light twisty roads okay. But IMO, lacks the power, suspension and tires to "kill" them.

There are LOTS of bikes more capable than the Scrambler for this, but I doubt if there many that are prettier while doing so.

 

[silverluxe]

My opinion is that the Scrambler is for anyone who has ever daydreamed what it'd be like to have a street legal XR750. If that's your idea of good clean fun, then the Ducati Scrambler is for you.

I'm an around town, rural route leisure rider, so it works well for me. I hate being on a motorcycle on a straight piece of interstate highway. I get SO bored. I've got a car for that

 

[DJKham]

Now I am getting worried...hearing such mixed reviews about this bike in the twisties.

I don't need this bike as my track bike but I do need it to keep up a brisk pace when ridden with other middleweight nakeds (FZ-09/MT-09, Monster 696/796)

Hearing from some that it can keep pace with an 899 Pani and from others that it's inadequate for the job altogether.

I guess opinions can vary wildly but I'm still left confused and thinking I should go for a test ride before taking delivery of the FT in the next couple weeks.

Any more testimonials to help reassure this future-owner are appreciated!

 

[tonyjuliano]

My opinion is that the Scrambler is for anyone who has ever daydreamed what it'd be like to have a street legal XR750. If that's your idea of good clean fun, then the Ducati Scrambler is for you.

I'm an around town, rural route leisure rider, so it works well for me. I hate being on a motorcycle on a straight piece of interstate highway. I get SO bored. I've got a car for that

This guy "gets it". A very good analogy put forward, "street legal XR750" is a great description.

 

[silverluxe]

It'll lean over and keep up with anyone without a death wish in a safe and controlled manner. It's sprung for the road, so I haven't had any issue cornering. It's so light that it's probably easier for a lot of amateur riders to corner on than something heavier and the wide handlebars are much more confidence inspiring for me than clip-ons. I wouldn't worry about it.

I think his point is that you need a bigger gas tank to have it be a destination bike to go on a long ride to a far away canyon somewhere. Otherwise, the brakes and tires allow you to get away with a lot of what anyone else can get away with.

I'd much rather be on a mountain road on the Scrambler than a Hyabusa.

 

[DenverDuc]

I agree with your review and think I'll be upgrading the rear shock with an Ohlins unit when available, but I have to disagree with it not being a good canyon bike. I don't commute or slab on my bikes ever, so canyon weekend riding is just about all I do on bikes and I have to say the Scrambler is fantastic at it even with the stock budget suspension. It's supremely flickable, nimble, has good clearance, and great gearing for corner exits in tight winding roads. I can only imagine how much more enjoyable it will be with a sorted suspension. I do not look forward to any freeway jaunts over about 30 minutes however because of how high the revs are at speed and how that same light/flickable nature makes it a little tiring when passing cars at higher speeds/winds.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Now I am getting worried...hearing such mixed reviews about this bike in the twisties.

I don't need this bike as my track bike but I do need it to keep up a brisk pace when ridden with other middleweight nakeds (FZ-09/MT-09, Monster 696/796)

Hearing from some that it can keep pace with an 899 Pani and from others that it's inadequate for the job altogether.

I guess opinions can vary wildly but I'm still left confused and thinking I should go for a test ride before taking delivery of the FT in the next couple weeks.

Any more testimonials to help reassure this future-owner are appreciated!

Sorry, no "re-assurance" coming from me...

Assuming equal skill level (but that is almost never the case!), one would be hard pressed to keep up with FZ-09, as it makes over 30% more HP than the scrambler - and delivers it in way more of a "hurry". The Monster will have a distinct handling and suspension advantage.

As for the 899 Pani? Well, kiss that guy goodbye - cause you wont be seeing anything but his ass - way out in the distance - for the rest of the day

The scrambler is simply not this type of bike, but life is not a race - correct?

 

[DenverDuc]

Now I am getting worried...hearing such mixed reviews about this bike in the twisties.

I don't need this bike as my track bike but I do need it to keep up a brisk pace when ridden with other middleweight nakeds (FZ-09/MT-09, Monster 696/796)

Hearing from some that it can keep pace with an 899 Pani and from others that it's inadequate for the job altogether.

I guess opinions can vary wildly but I'm still left confused and thinking I should go for a test ride before taking delivery of the FT in the next couple weeks.

Any more testimonials to help reassure this future-owner are appreciated!

You've probably read my thoughts in other threads, but I have several Monsters and other bikes I ride regularly and only ride mountain roads (only freeway I do is to get to the mountains about 20 minutes away from me). I also just did the Ducati Experience Tour this last weekend and rode the Panigale 899, Monster 1200S and the Diavel. I rode my Scrambler to the Tour, so I had back to back rides on all four of the bikes. I honestly do not think I would be any faster on the Monster or Diavel and perhaps only marginally faster on the Panigale (that is a killer bike). I love the Scrambler in the twisties and it's been the only bike I've ridden more than 50 miles yet this season. I highly doubt you'll be disappointed, but I agree the rear shock in particular should be addressed to make it better.

 

[tonyjuliano]

Let me put this way...

I took possession of my scrambler last week, and headed out to the mountains for a weekend of fun with a friend who rides a Triumph Street Triple R-Spec. I had never spent much significant seat time on his Triumph, and of course spent no time at all on the scrambler before.

Normally, he would have no shot of keeping up with me - when things get tight - on my Buell XB12 (or even a properly set up Suzuki SV650, for that matter), but he had no issue toasting me this weekend. We switched bike for a few hours, and even though I was unfamiliar with his Triumph, and it certainly wasnt "set up" for me, it was soon game over.

But...

Later on, at night in town, guess who got all the looks?

That triumph is butt-ugly, and the Duc is prettier than all get out.

 

[DJKham]

Sorry, no "re-assurance" coming from me...

Assuming equal skill level (but that is almost never the case!), one would be hard pressed to keep up with FZ-09, as it makes over 30% more HP than the scrambler - and delivers it in way more of a "hurry". The Monster will have a distinct handling and suspension advantage.

As for the 899 Pani? Well, kiss that guy goodbye - cause you wont be seeing anything but his ass - way out in the distance - for the rest of the day

The scrambler is simply not this type of bike, but life is not a race - correct?

All of what you're saying would make sense if it was on a racetrack. My question is no about a race, it's about keeping pace (let's define that as: the speed at which experienced, mature, sane people ride their bikes on less-traveled, windey back roads and at which the bikes are comfortable and within their limits) which is entirely different.

For example, I can tell you that a little M696 can keep pace with an FZ09 all day in most riding environments in my area, even though it's down significantly in terms of horsepower. If you were to sub the M696 for a Triumph Scrambler or a Guzzi V7, then you'd have a bad day.

From what I am hearing, the Scrambler seems capable of keeping that pace which is my main concern as I want to use it for spirited rides with other middleweights.

 

[outofthebox]

Congratulations @tonyjuliano on owning the most good looking of them all. Excellent blog too - I enjoyed reading it. You page has been duly added to my Scrambler bookmarks. Look forward to more reviews as you clock up the miles.

Coming to the remarks about twisties - could it be that there is this much of a handling difference between the Classic and say, the FT or the Icon due to the wire wheels and the slight additional weight in that area (14 lbs)?

 

[silverluxe]

I gotta ask why anyone cares about keeping up with those people? I don't have anything to prove to anyone or anywhere to be if I'm on a bike. So it works out!

I've already had someone on some sort of debadged Japanese sport bike get mad that I went around him on a curvy road simply because I was already going that speed. As soon as I went around him he nearly spun out trying to give me the display of brutal manly power from his bike and shot past me at about 2.5x the posted speed limit. Those dudes need fast bikes because life is miserable for them caring so much about being the alpha male.

The Scrambler dominates the naked, small 'standard' bike realm. If you like Triumph Bonneville, Moto Guzzi V7, Harley Sportster, etc... this is a great bike to bridge the gap between there and a sport bike. If you're trying to compete it against other Ducatis or even something cheap and Japanese like a Suzuki SV650 you might wind up wanting for more.