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Ducati Scrambler vs Yamaha XSR900

50K views 24 replies 16 participants last post by  al800 
#1 ·
The Yamaha XSR900 is being released over the next few months.
Just wondering everybody's thoughts on the two as being competitors.
Both are in the same price range and both are about the same engine size and overall weight with similar look and feel.
Both seem to be geared towards the same buyer.


Personally, I feel that the Scrambler is better looking with classic flowing lines that the Yamaha is missing.


Mechanically, the Yamaha appears to be several steps ahead of the Ducati with water cooling and a more user friendly engine design that gets rave reviews in the FZ-09. According to the reviews so far, the fuel injection mapping is very good on the 2016 Yamaha.


Both are in the same general price range at $8500 to $10,000 in the USA.


Not sure how it is outside the USA, but here Yamaha dealerships probably outnumber Ducati dealerships 20 to 1. Where I live there is only 1 Ducati dealership within 200 miles but 3 Yamaha dealerships within 20 miles. Not necessarily a direct reason to pick one over the other but something to be aware of as a potential headache when it comes time to get maintenance or repairs done. Having fewer dealers will make the chance of getting a discount from MSRP less.


Lots of things to consider.
 
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#2 ·
Saw a french video comparing the two, but I'm still in the process of learning the language so I couldn't really make much out of it..

Another vid made by a dude owning a MT(FZ)-07, he test-rode the XSR900 and compared it to the scrambler and of course found the Yamaha to be far more superior bike..

I'd say (and not based on actual riding experience but on the basis of research on the internets and the gut feeling), the Yamaha is a really good bike mechanically and all over a really good bike, but it's abhorrently ugly and the Scrambler is simply a fun bike to ride par none.. Simply put: one is really good, and the other one is fun. =)
 
#5 ·
I'm biased because I own a Scrambler BUT I think the XSR will be a very, very serious competitor to the Scrambler.

Better service intervals, easier to find parts and better dealership support network. I'm sure the donk in it will still be going strong at 80,000k's. The Scrambler... I'm not too sure about that.
 
#9 ·
Our Scrambler isn't the real deal - it's a pretty cynical marketing tilt at a genre and style that is really popular at the moment.

In all honesty, both the Scrambler and the XSR (especially the 700) are zippy, unbelievably well-handling bikes around the same displacement and styled with a nod to classics.

Couldn't think of a more appropriate bike to compare it to, really!
 
#11 ·
Sympathise with that view and as it sits on the dealer's floor it is just that.
But rip all the bling off and it is an old school Pantah in a lightweight chassis.
Not saying Yamaha can't make good bikes..had many...loved my TRX.
...but they are always trying to pretend....and even when Ducati pretend, that grand old lady Desmo is there under all the makeup....and she sings...and I love the song.
 
#13 ·
Just been out and about checked out the local yamaha dealer, he had an xsr700 sat there, on its own not bad but all clinical and underneath still an mt07.
Then went to the triumph dealer just round the corner, they had the new Street twin on display, now that is something else, looks the part and feels it too.

I guess the Europeans understand what makes us tick.
 
#16 ·
For me...I was just in this toss up. For the past few months, had my heart set on the Scrambler, then caught wind about the XSR900. It definitely became a toss up. But, what it really came down to for me is that the
Ducati, genuinely, looks like the old school bikes, not just an homage. A friend of mine posted a picture of his vintage Scrambler and you can see the same/similar lines...My brother showed me a pic of one of my dad's old bikes, and again, you could see a similarity. I read an article that said "If Ducati had never discontinued the Scrambler, this is what it would have evolved into." and ultimately is what it came down to for me. It looks almost like someone time warped it here.

The XSR is an homage. Granted, it is one of the better looking that is out there, but it just does not have a pure vintage feel. There are bits and pieces that accomplish the "throw back feel" but then there are others that just seem to destroy it.

I think that there will be a small shared portion of the market, but I don't know how much competition, overall, that they will be to each other. I just think that there is enough space between them aesthetically and mechanically that the people they attract will be fairly different.
 
#17 ·
"that grand old lady Desmo is there under all the makeup....and she sings...and I love the song."
She does indeed sing beautifully. It's definitely one of the reasons I like the Scrambler so much.

"Then went to the triumph dealer just round the corner, they had the new Street twin on display, now that is something else, looks the part and feels it too."
Yep. I sat on one at my dealership recently and it feels great ergonomically, looks good and it's amazing how well they hid the water-cooling. The radiator is actually almost less intrusive visually than the scrambler's oil-cooler.

"While I'm sure the Yamaha is the business, it is a bit over-clad. A bit like a party shirt."
Haha.

"Ducati, genuinely, looks like the old school bikes, not just an homage."
I think the xsr definitely falls short in the retro-looking department. It does have the best performing engine though, I'll give it that.
 
#19 ·
First post here. Used to have a Monster 696 back in the day but sold it a few years ago due to the fact that I lived abroad for the last few years. Anyways, I'm in the market for a bike again and really have fallen in love with the Scrambler series but must say that the XSR900 is certainly enticing as well. I honestly really like both and will have to try both before committing to one over the other. Always good to have competition since it pushes these manufacturers to try and one up each other and therefore give us more bikes to drool over :D.
 
#21 ·
I'm going to chime in here. I own an FZ09 not an XSR, but build quality will be on par with each other and i rode a FT last night for the first time, (new owner woo hoo) and it felt more refined and polished with better fuel mapping.. I was expecting the reverse. Hopefully it'll be as reliable as the Yammy ? Hope so.
 
#22 ·
Okay, I'll chime in too...

My wife and I were deciding between the XSR and a Duc Scrambler a couple of months ago. We've ridden the FZ09 and liked it, and the XSR wins hands down against the Scrambler in the tech department, unless you simply don't want tech (which is your prerogative).

Looking at the spec sheet the XSR wins, especially when the two bikes are roughly the same price, and I genuinely think we'd be happy with the Yamaha. So what did we do? We spent $4000-$5000 MORE by putting money down on an Italia Independant Scrambler model, even though its only 'upgrades' from the regular version are cosmetic.

Why? The Scrambler and the XSR are both great bikes IMO, and have mostly the same intended purpose, at least for us. We currently have a 2015 Monster and a 2014 Triumph Street Triple R and both of those bikes make me smile (like an embarrassing, full grin that I can't get rid of) when I put my leg over them, for reasons that I can't entirely articulate. The XSR, or at last the FZ09 upon which it's based, didn't do that for me. I am not knocking the Yamaha, and have every reason to think it will make many owners very very happy.

For us though, putting a leg over the Scrambler instantly elicited that silly grin again. Maybe some of that is the fun engine character and exhaust note. Maybe some of that is the Ducati badge, which really makes no rational sense (I'm in Canada; why is Italy any more exotic to me than Japan?). Maybe some of it IS the simplicity of the Scrambler.

My point is they're both awesome bikes. Heck, my local dealer has awesome bikes of various makes and models filing the showroom floor. For us, the Scrambler just hit the mark. If the XSR hits the mark for you I look forward to seeing you with it on the road - we can share silly grins as we ride by :)
 
#23 ·
I think between the two, I'd find the XSR's offset speedo/tach unit, less unnerving, in the long-run, than the Scrambler's single, left-sided shock. The XSR's monoshock system wouldn't even phase my confidence, riding down the highway.
But I guess the single shock helped the Duc save weight? Or?

Anyway, looking through the posts, which will help me decide on which bike I'll pull the trigger, no one's mentioned anything about the Scrambler's smoothness, unless I didn't look hard enough. There's a reason why the Scrambo was given to Thailand to mass-produce.
The XSR's Japan homeland, OK, we'd all kind of expect that, right? not right? What?

Also, I read somewhere that the XSR was not meant "to re-introduce a retro bike to the Yamaha line-up".
Even though several clues would lead one to think "Oh yes they did."
The yellow speed block paint scheme? For me, the Yamaha's style looks like any upright, standard bike style.
The mile of space between the rear fender and the tire, which both bikes share?

IMO, this is not a good comparison between 2 bikes. But, I don't want to try and influence a newbie to this site, one way or another.

I've not even found performance numbers anywhere. I think the Scrambler has considerably more torque, right? What about HP? Top speed? 1/4 mile times?
 
#24 ·
I have an Yamaha SR400 and a Scrambler. The XSR was what I wanted Yammy to produce, I literally uttered the words they should take the FZ-07 and make it a retro/modern mashup. When the XSR came out I was ecstatic. However, seeing it in person I was disappointed, the tank is huge, the seating was uncomfortable and just felt odd there just didnt seem to be room enough. I initially defended the radiator but it truly is hideous. In the end I was happy I picked the Ducati, the XSR I wanted to love but just didnt. Obviously this is mostly aesthetics/egonomics Im sure the XSR is a great bike in every other category.
 
#25 ·
I have test rode both not for long time. I think the Ducati is something in the sweet spot between retro and modern motorbike. Is a modern motorbike very well disguised. The XSR700 is a modern bike too but the disguise failed...I think though that Yamaha did not target the totally retro audience. They built a bike that is easy to customize...just remove 4 screws and the rear frame goes away...I would pick the yamaha if it had some more dual sport orientation...The Ducati is the real deal of having a modern motorbike with retro look...
 
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