Ducati Scrambler

 

 

Let’s get one thing out the way right at the beginning; this is not a scrambler in the proper sense of the word; no-one in their right mind is going to throw this bike at the scenery on their favorite outride. But that is not what it was designed for.

The Ducati Scrambler is a styling exercise first and foremost, harking back to the original Ducati Scrambler of the early 1970s. It is playing the heritage card to its maximum and, taken as a road bike for the urban jungle, it is nigh on perfect. Small, light and compact with a punchy v-twin engine of 803cc producing 75bhp and 69Nm, this is one of the most entertaining bikes for the city you can buy. It looks very cool and there is always that priceless knowledge that you are on an Italian thoroughbred; the Ducati name goes a long way to offset any niggling doubts that arise from knowing that you are on a bike that can’t really do what its name suggests.

It’s not badly priced, either, the base Icon model coming in at R130,000, with a further seven variations on the theme above it. There is stiff competition out there, notably from Triumph and BMW but the Ducati Scrambler has everything you could possibly need, including a very high cool factor.