Ducati Scrambler 1100

Whether you like it or not, you can’t deny that the Scrambler has been a big success for Ducati. In 2015, the year the Scrambler went on sale, Ducati sales went up 22%, with the Scrambler accounting for 16,000 units out of the total of 54,800 bikes sold. It was the first time Ducati had registered enough sales for one model to get them into the top ten in the world.

- Harry Fisher

All that doesn’t necessarily make you like the bike, of course. But it has to be asked; what’s not to like? With an air-cooled 803cc v-twin engine, it is an authentic Ducati and the style is a faithful copy of the 350 and 450 single-cylinder dual sport Ducatis of the 60s and 70s.

In the intervening four years, there have been a number of variations on the theme, some more successful than others. But the basic recipe has stayed the same; simple, stylish and fun.

With the theory that bigger is better, in late 2018 Ducati announced the Scrambler 1100, using the air-cooled motor from the Monster 1100, developing 86bhp and 85Nm of torque. There isn’t just a bigger engine, the Scrambler 1100 also comes with an upgraded electronics package. The Scrambler 1100 addresses the problems that might have turned Ducatisti away from the original Scrambler 800. Not only is it more powerful and, therefore, has stronger performance, it is also physically larger; 50mm wider and 69mm longer don’t sound like much but the whole bike has a chunkier, tougher look about it that is sure to silence some of the critics. There are three versions; the Standard, the Special and the Sport. All share the same engine but the Special adds a chrome exhaust, brown leather seat, spoked wheels and aluminium side panels and swing arm while the Sport adds Ohlins fully adjustable suspension front and back replacing the Marzocchi/Kayaba equipment of the other two models. All models now have twin discs up front, gripped by Brembo four pot radial-mounted callipers, a larger 15-litre tank (1.5-litres extra), wider front tyre and chunkier forks - 45mm as opposed to 41mm.