VOL. 55 ISSUE 40 OCTOBER 9, 2018 P111
I was at odds with a few journalists on
this, but I prefer the old-style seat com-
pared to the flatter unit on the 2019 model.
I felt the old unit held me in place a little
better, plus I liked the fact the seat was
skinner where it meets the tank and didn't
dig into the inside of my legs as much. It's
more a personal preference than anything,
so you'll have to try it for yourself.
Braking performance could be a little
better, but you need to remember this is
only a single-disc setup hauling down a
bike weighing approximately 417 pounds.
There's enough power to haul you up from
speed, but not quite the feel I was hop-
ing for at the front brake lever. It's good to
know the Scrambler has Cornering ABS
and, before you ask, no, I didn't test it. I
did a few years ago with Ducati at Bosch's
proving grounds in Michigan, the video of
which you can view here.
Those gripes aside, the Scrambler is
still a wonderful little motorbike—not for any
performance factors—but purely for the
feeling you get from it. At the intro, Ducati
did it's best to put on the "Land of Joy"—the
Scrambler's tag line—for the assembled
journalists, and it's near impossible not to
get swept up by it. The Scrambler Icon is
about fun. It's by no means a series mo-
torcycle, and reminds the rider not to take
themselves too seriously.
The Ducati Scrambler's mergence
into pop culture has been so seamless
it feels like the bike has been here for a
generation. We've seen it in movies, on
the streets, beaches, hooligan racing with
Frankie Garcia, and even the black top with
AHRMA racers like Heath Cofran.
The new Scrambler Icon is in no way a
departure from the winning formula, it's just
Ducati refining what they know works. CN
Italian dreaming on
a Ducati. Is there
any other way?
