Ducati Scrambler merged threadfest

[jas67]

Jay, your computer threw up. Repeatedly. ;D

 ???
The website stopped responding, so, I checked the thread, it wasn't there, so, I hit "post" again.

I just removed the redundant posts.

[bpreynolds]

This morning I notice that a lot of the "first ride" reviews are pouring in from the press after the launch in Palm Springs.  Most seem really entusiastic, a few ambitious ones claiming it will be Ducati's biggest seller by far in 2015.  Almost all reviews complain of the snatchy, lurchy throttle off the line but say they got used to it by ride's end.  And too, I guess the launch had at least several mechanical bugaboos with a fuel line popping off, a throttle not closing, and maybe another thing too I can't recall.  Suspension labeled "firmer than expected" by most I read.  While most said the bike was fine as far as comfort, I read one reviewer who said his 6'1" frame yielded leg cramps after a bit.  Exhaust note called too muted by another reviewer but most will replace anyhow.  Not much revealed about tank range, mpg, so called off road capability was not tested in the launch route.  Overall, seems to be a very pleasing little ride and the word "fun" was mentioned by, I think, every single review I read.  Many groomed mustaches await to purchase.

[Penderic]

Those Italians! It is smart marketing with a professional PR campaign, designed to target a new market demo.  8)

Look at what the Indian brand did to promote their new motorcycles. Spy shots, movie cameos, teaser media released like clockwork!


 

[bpreynolds]

Those Italians! It is smart marketing with a professional PR campaign, designed to target a new market demo.  8)

Look at what the Indian brand did to promote their new motorcycles. Spy shots, movie cameos, teaser media released like clockwork!


 

Gotta hand it to that PR department.  They've brought two words together I never thought I'd see.  Free and Ducati.

[Penderic]

Thats good! LOL!  :D

[tonUPRacer]

Here's to a generous supply of lightly used Scramblers in 2016!

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

I like the husky! Needs a front mudguard solution but looks sweet to me!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Adk.IBO]

With the new Rider magazine doing a test ride on the new Scrambler from Ducati this thread deserves a resurrection. First pictures I've seen of it. Found a lot more on the net after a search. This thing looks like an absolute hoot to ride! Did another search for my closest dealer. Lo and behold under 2 hours a new Ducati dealer popped up just about the time I bought my Norge and sold my ST4S ABS. Spoke to them yesterday and they will have a demo bike and a gathering of sorts that will include a demo truck ect.. Wicked cool second bike, I'm thinkin'! Doesn't take much in the 2 wheel world to excite me, although it seems less frequent these days. Hopefully they'll have this, an MG 1400 Touring, the new V7, and an Indian Scout at the Montreal Motorcycle show the end of February. Curiosity sake on the Indian. I like all motorcycles, some are surely not for me though.

Stay safe, John

[tazio]

Hey, just as an aside, for those wanting to check your personal fit.
This scrambler has been added to " cycle-ergo.com ", a motorcycle ergonomics simulator...

[Adk.IBO]

Hey, just as an aside, for those wanting to check your personal fit.
This scrambler has been added to " cycle-ergo.com ", a motorcycle ergonomics simulator...

Thanks for that! I find it to be a pretty good gauge to how a bike fits. Check it to bikes you've been on.

[Guido Valvole]

The local Ducati dealer (Ace Motorsports in Concord CA) had the roadshow in last Wednesday so I rode the Monza over for a look. I was expecting to be unimpressed. Opposite, they're gonna sell a boatload of these. For starters, even I can sit on it flat-footed, both feet. (5-4, 29/30" inseam, 115#). Static display so no riding. This example had the high bars, no thanks, but the lower "superbike" bars should be just about perfect. The seat is narrow where it counts, which is how they get the inseam-friendliness. But good padding, at least in the shop. Range projected to be around 150 miles, weight around 410 pounds. Personally I'd rather have a nuovo Pantah but the Scrambler seems pretty nice. Except for the Ducati maintenance part… not going that way any time soon unless I get a killer deal on a healthy 650 Allazzura. for entertainment purposes only, you understand…

Less weight and lower price than the Triumph Scrambler. They also had the new "adventure" bike, couldn't even get a short, arthritic leg over that. 1299 Panigale is brought to you by The Inquisition in place of the rack… 750/900 SS ergonomics or lack thereof. Yeah the starter motor has more power than a V50 engine but so what?  8)

I predict lots of Duc Scramblers on the road  by summertime.
cr

[pyoungbl]

The Ducati road show was at Redline today so I stopped by to take a look at the scrambler.  Honestly, it's a pretty nice bike and should sell like crazy.  It seemed to be a bit smaller than my V7 but that might just be due to the engine layout and narrow tank.  I think the seat would be a challenge after about an hour...about like any other OEM seat (Stelvio excepted).  The single instrument cluster is pretty clever.  You will have to use the trip meter to keep track of gas...about like the V7.  This is an air/oil cooled engine so there is a good sized oil cooler up front...no thermostat in the oil circuit as far as I could tell and the rep did not know any different.  The engine has about 25 more horsepower than the V7.  I'd also point out that the distance from seat to pegs must be a bit more than the V7 because I did not feel as bunched up as on the V7.  The ABS can be switched off on the fly...no traction control.  All in all, quite a nice bike.  Now that the valve service interval is 15,000 miles that pain won't be quite as often.  The 2 valve air cooled mill is easier to check than the 4 valve ones, if only because there is half as much stuff crammed into the same space.

On a more somber note, Redline is dropping Guzzi as a brand.

Peter Y.

[LowRyter]

I sat on this one at the Dallas show

[pyoungbl]

I sat on this one at the Dallas show

The exact same bike I saw.

[Wes Stephens]

My March issue of Cycle World with the caption of "Ducati Wants Your Soul" on the cover really grabbed my attention.  So much so that I drove up to Reno Motosports  and put a deposit down on the Classic version.  That will make it necessary to put my 2010 V7 Cafe' fun Bike up for sale.  I've  listed it in MGNOC and Classified's on this site.  I'm not abandoning  Moto Guzzi as my 3003 Cali will remain in the stable for two up touring for a long time.  My reasoning on this move is that the new Scrambler comes the closest to my back to basics idea that Ducati has marketed in recent years,  and smaller is better, in my case.  It also accommodates my wife as a passenger as the Guzzi Cafe' doesn't.  Our 50th. wedding anniversary is coming up in June and we have had many miles of 2 wheeled bliss.  I'll take questions on this forum about the V7.
wesleystephens66@gmail.com

[Kev m]

Cool, I totally get it.  ;-T

Though I won't be getting rid of my V7 to get one, I can certainly understand someone who would.

ENJOY!

and RIDE SAFE

(oh yeah, and congrats on that upcoming anniversary).

[kingoffleece]

I think they hit it out of the park with the Scrambler  Looks like a total blast to ride.
I'll keep my Triumph and Moto Guzzi bikes but I can see the appeal.

[youcanrunnaked]

Very interested to find out how you like the Duc.

[drlapo]

I sat on it the NYC show and was not impressed but it may  have been the horrible high handlebars; it just felt weird

[Matteo]

Talked to the Portland dealer today, said they had preorders for 40.

[Kev m]

Talked to the Portland dealer today, said they had preorders for 40.

I don't suppose they put that in context? Like typical sales of the next best Ducati seller. That would be interesting to hear, cause 40 pre-orders sounds impressive.

[bpreynolds]

Well.  Looks like the Scramblers are suddenly Ducati's biggest seller.
http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2015/07/new-scrambler-fuels-big-sales-increase-for-ducati/

Should Guzzi be paying attention?  Honest question.

[Kev m]

Well.  Looks like the Scramblers are suddenly Ducati's biggest seller.
http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2015/07/new-scrambler-fuels-big-sales-increase-for-ducati/

Should Guzzi be paying attention?  Honest question.

They ALREADY ARE.

Ducati's Scrambler isn't a success because it is a "SCRAMBLER" per se.

It's a success because of the "garage build" concept.

It's small enough, cheap enough, and comes in enough variations that people can buy them and do what they want with them.

It's the cheap and easy entry to a brand, and the entry to a project while still getting the "reliability" of a brand new bike.

It's the reason for success of the Monster line before the Scrambler, it's the reason for the success of the V7, it's the reason for the success of the Sportster, and the Bonnie too...

Overall, Ducati sales increased 22% over the similar time frame in 2014. When an entirely new model concept, such as the Scrambler, jumps to the top (in terms of sales volume) that quickly (the Scrambler has barely been in dealers 6 months), it confirms a significant shift in market demand.  We chuckled a bit about BMW’s decision to offer the R nineT with a visible weld seam, but no one can deny that the hipster ethos (authenticity) is driving an important part of the market for motorcycles. Yamaha has its “garage built” program, and a big sales success with its Star Bolt line, further evidence that this is no longer just a trend.

In the case of Guzzi you've got the 3 variants from the factory Stone/Special/Racer, and then this:

http://www.garagemotoguzzi.com/en/the-kits/

[bpreynolds]

They ALREADY ARE.

Ducati's Scrambler isn't a success because it is a "SCRAMBLER" per se.

It's a success because of the "garage build" concept.

It's small enough, cheap enough, and comes in enough variations that people can buy them and do what they want with them.

It's the cheap and easy entry to a brand, and the entry to a project while still getting the "reliability" of a brand new bike.

It's the reason for success of the Monster line before the Scrambler, it's the reason for the success of the V7, it's the reason for the success of the Sportster, and the Bonnie too...

In the case of Guzzi you've got the 3 variants from the factory Stone/Special/Racer, and then this:

http://www.garagemotoguzzi.com/en/the-kits/

Excellent points, Kev.  And I do think Guzzi has upped their game a great bit, especially the garage aspect of the V7.  This being said, I was sorta hinting at that old dead power issue,  :Beating_A_Dead_Hors e_by_liviu, and wondering if Guzzi should be considering this any more per se in light of the Scrambler sales - Scrambler here being the class leader in terms of performance among these smaller retro bikes to include Triumphs and Geese...I guess.  Are V7s still MGs biggest sellers?  I vaguelly recall they are? 

Different era, different trends but I recall the GT1000 (and Sport Classic line) like I used to own also leaping to the fore in sales for Ducati and then dramatically falling off only a couple years after introductioni.  Of course, lots and lots of other issues there as to why that happened.  It would seem today's buying climate with the customization and hipster appeal is much more attuned to the success of bikes like the Scrambler than it was for my former GT.  And the GT and other Sport Classics also had their own set of problems (tank expansion being the main one) that began to creep up after a year or so as well.

Anyhow, talk about your boutiques. 
https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2015/07/08/ducati-scrambler-camp-1st-exclusive-dealership-opens/

[Kev m]

Excellent points, Kev.  And I do think Guzzi has upped their game a great bit, especially the garage aspect of the V7.  This being said, I was sorta hinting at that old dead power issue,  :Beating_A_Dead_Hors e_by_liviu, and wondering if Guzzi should be considering this any more per se in light of the Scrambler sales - Scrambler here being the class leader in terms of performance among these smaller retro bikes to include Triumphs and Geese...I guess.  Are V7s still MGs biggest sellers?  I vaguelly recall they are? 

I think it's a tough argument to try and tie in this sales trend with performance.

For instance, the Scrambler not only represents the cheapest new Ducati you can buy (at least in the US), it also represents the SLOWEST. It's the smallest motor with the least power output, using a version of the now gone Monster 796 which was actually DETUNED from the Monster.

Similarly isn't the Triumph Scrambler basically their slowest bike too (along with the Bonnie T100/SE etc.).

<shrugs>

[blackcat]

I sat on this one at the Dallas show

I haven't been following this thread or this bike but I have to say, based on the above photo that this is not an attractive bike. Maybe they look better in person?

[Kev m]

I haven't been following this thread or this bike but I have to say, based on the above photo that this is not an attractive bike. Maybe they look better in person?

I've seen some pretty hot chicks take some pretty horrible photos.

I'm saying that I would NEVER judge the looks of a bike (or almost anything) from only a single picture (or possibly even a handful of pictures).

Also, FWIW, there are 4 different variants of the model from the factory alone (mostly varying in cosmetics from the tank and fenders to seat and other ancillary parts).

Kinda like the V7 Stone/Special/Racer looks all vary around a theme, or the Bonnie/SE/T100/Thruxton...

[kevdog3019]

I haven't been following this thread or this bike but I have to say, based on the above photo that this is not an attractive bike. Maybe they look better in person?

Yes... I find it quite hideous also.  How they can call this a scrambler????  Ok, it's got the right bars and naked front.  No high pipes and don't see the nobbies.  I don't like how it dips in the middle, front fender is awful looking, and that throw-on muffler is atrocious.  Guzzi has the right frame in their small block, Duc does not IMO.

[LowRyter]

The bike looks just like the photo.  If I do say so myself.

I have a buddy,  the fellow is about 5'7", stroke survivor, and 64 years old, that just bought one.  It's small, light and fast.  He has a Bonneville and this is much sportier and easier for him to ride. 

It really reminds me more of a Street Tracker than a Scrambler.  It's sport standard with some style.  Probably something that's more like the original Monster than the radical styled bike that the Monster has turned into. 

[bpreynolds]

https://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2015/07/09/ducati-north-america-june-sales-up-106-record-month/

June Ducati sales record month, up 106 percent.  Maybe they should call this the Scrambler Bump.