2019 DUCATI SCRAMBLER ICON
FIRST IMPRESSION
P102
I
talian motorcycles have a certain
flair that's purely genetic. Call
it a magnetism. People seem
to notice a motorcycle created in
the land affectionately known as
"The Boot" more than others, yet
there's been one particular model
from Ducati that has garnered
more attention than even its craft-
ers would have believed.
To call the Scrambler a success
would be to grossly underestimate
the impact it has had on global
motorcycling. Launched in 2015
with this original 803cc Icon edi-
tion, the Scrambler has gone on
to spawn an incredible 10 extra
variants, ranging from the chart-
topping 1100 down to the 400cc
Scrambler Sixty2 and nearly
everything in between. There's
even a questionable double name
model in the Scrambler Café
Racer, just to show the Scrambler
name represents more than just
the occasional off-road journey.
In all, 55,000 Scramblers have
found new garages to sleep in
since the Icon's launch five years
ago, so you can bet whomever
came up with this idea at Ducati
HQ would have earned themselves
a healthy Christmas bonus.
For 2019, the bike that started
Ducati down this yellow brick road
lined with dollar bills gets a series
of subtle tweaks and changes
while still maintaining that same al-
lure which made it so successful in
the first place.
"On the outside, we didn't
change a lot, as you can see" says
Scrambler designer Antonio Zamdi.
"But inside we changed a lot!"
To the naked eye, the 2019
Scrambler is almost the same as
before, but Ducati has come to the
party with new LED headlights front
The relaxed
geometry and soft
suspension make
riding this thing
a breeze on dirt
roads.
The motorcycle that helped launch Ducati
into a whole new sphere of motorcycling
is getting a makeover for 2019. We flew to
Tuscany to sample the goods
ICON
Refining
the
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MILAGROT
