[Mingu]

Commissioned, built and launched just in time for Wheels and Waves, Ducati had a stunning answer for the launch of BMW's Path 22 last weekend.

Approached by Ducati and French magazine Moto Heroes, brothers Sylvain and Florent Berneron quickly began to wonder which direction they should go.

Sylvain Berneron:

The question was then, what should we do with it? We had a few rides on the Scrambler while we were still discussing the project, the bike handles really well and is very fun to ride, but for us a Scrambler is a bike you want to live with. I mean you’ll scratch it, go through mud and dirt, even lose the front here and there and fall over, so if you want to spend money on it, it will most probably be to change tires and brake pads to keep the fun coming. We didn’t feel like putting all our parts and labour into a bike of that design because it would make it too shiny for what it's purpose really is. So, from that point, it was clear that we would turn the Scrambler into something else, something faster and cleaner.

Being road people they naturally fell on the classic cafe racer, just packed with modern technology. Sylvain explains that the decision was fairly simple "When I was doing my research, I noticed that a lot of the original 1962 Scramblers ended up being café racers back then, the bike was so light that you could brake very late and turn quick.” He wanted to build a proper Cafe Racer for Ducati, saying "the Monster is now liquid cooled and became a high performance roadster over the years. If you look for an old school engine, something strong and simple in 2015 there is not so many bikes to choose from."

With that in mind they started putting out feelers to potential suppliers. They wanted to save weight and add power wherever possible. In the process they dropped some 40 lbs.

The aftermarket jumped at the opportunity, Pirelli sent racing and road slicks, Rotobox sent the Carbon Wheels, Beringer was responsible for slowing it all down. Werkes USA provided the music, Rizoma the milled goodies and brackets, while Cognito Moto was responsible for that gorgeous rear loop.

The Hero1 looks like it should of rolled out of Borgo Panigale, but that's a testament to the quality of work the Hammer put into this build.

• Redesigned subframe developed and made in house
• Custom battery box to store all the wiring and electronics
• The seat has been entirely made in house
• Front end swap for a set of 43mm upside down SHOWA forks
• Reworked triple clamps and steering head
• Custom mountings for the headlight and speedo
• Modified wiring harness
• Silencer fitted to stock headers
• Custom mounts and spacers to fit the brakes and rims
• New side stand clears custom rear sets
• One-off front fender
• Custom cut away engine covers
• Modified tank and frame

If we're at all lucky Ducati is using this as an exercise to gauge the viability of factory custom bikes in the same vein as BMW's NineT and Concept Scrambler, both developed with Roland Sands.

Would you be willing to buy this from the factory? I would, 2 please...

 

[Zeus]

It looks awesome. And I also am impressed by that computer drawing pad. That thing is high tech.

The design and seat material and exposed chain and swing arm are all beautiful.

Thanks for posting this.

 

[Joe Bar]

I'm really looking forward to seeing this in the flesh at the weekend.

 

[silverluxe]

It's an interesting approach to the end result. Really atypical of the old skool way to build a bike. I like it because in theory you can end up with a higher quality result. There are a lot of cut up cafe bikes out there that look pretty and that's it.

There's things I don't understand like the mirror and the rectifier under the back fender since I feel designers like this would be able to come up with more elegant solutions. Comparing the in-frame tail lamp against the mirror which looks like a 10 dollar ebay China purchase, is what I'm talking about.

But the bike is very much their own, which I like. It's neat to see stuff come together when the budget is high enough to not cut corners.

 

[dukes]

With it looking as good as it does especially in the picture below... i'd be tempted to have one for display in my living room

 

[Bestia]

I'm half wondering If Ducati isn't considering adding something similar to the Scrambler range. A pre built cafe if you will. BMW had much success with the NineT I don't see why Ducati shouldn't expect the same.

Its the commissioned by Ducati part that I find fascinating...

 

[dukes]

I'm half wondering If Ducati isn't considering adding something similar to the Scrambler range. A pre built cafe if you will. BMW had much success with the NineT I don't see why Ducati shouldn't expect the same.

Its the commissioned by Ducati part that I find fascinating...

Good point

The success of the Duc should warrant them coming out with the Cafe, and now even more so with BMW stepping up to the plate.

maybe at this years EICMA we'll hear/see something.

 

[project]

Good point

The success of the Duc should warrant them coming out with the Cafe, and now even more so with BMW stepping up to the plate.

maybe at this years EICMA we'll hear/see something.

Could be. IF Ducati decided to do a Cafe'd scrambler I wonder if it would come before or after the larger displacement motors talked about...

 

[Helios]

Could be. IF Ducati decided to do a Cafe'd scrambler I wonder if it would come before or after the larger displacement motors talked about...

I think that the larger displacement engines are just a matter of putting them into the Scrambler whereas the cafe style requires some design work. That is to say, they could come out with the larger displacement pretty easy while the cafe racer may require some more time. I think timing has more to do with those factors than the order that they would want to release them in.

 

[dukes]

Could be. IF Ducati decided to do a Cafe'd scrambler I wonder if it would come before or after the larger displacement motors talked about...

After could work out better for them, plus that larger displacement motor can be seen as more of a priority since who knows how long this cafe phase going on right now will last.

 

[markstar]

forks and exhaust perfect

 

[shmakt]

Nice

 

[egregie]

What silencer are they using?

 

[BKnight]

WOW!!! This thing is wicked cool!

 

[DaveK]

It looks interesting

I guess I am in the minority... I think they are trying too hard to be different. I don't like the riding position and/or the handle bars. Maybe the suspension is better but my guess is that with all of the changes to the root structure of the bike, it may be worse. It is visually interesting but I don't see the value as a bike to actually ride.

 

[chrisd]

i think it looks fabulous, and heres another one

 

[14377]

Gorgeous!