VOL. 52 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 6, 2015 P63
the 410-pound (wet) Scrambler with enough guts to
have some fun while being tame enough to serve
more rational demands. Electronic fuel injection
feeds the twin through a 50mm throttle body. The
only complaint I had about the bike was an occa-
sional hiccup off idle that resulted in a slightly–less
than cool–jerky launch. Once moving, with the
revs up, the Desmo does in fact infuse the rider
with a sense of unencumbered simplicity and, dare
I say—for those of us past a certain age—a return to
the fond memories of unmitigated joy that accom-
panied our first experiences with riding. For the
younger set the Scrambler grants an
opportunity to experience the simple
joys of riding from a bygone era.
Six-speed transmission is spread
out decently with a low first gear re-
quiring minimal clutch work to get
going, yet at the top of the box ca-
pable of handling freeway speeds
without excessive rpm. Given the
ease of operation, the bike is equal
parts charm in the monotony of stop
and go traffic as it is opened up on
back roads. However, if you get into
the throttle with aggression and try
to grab gears the tranny may rebel
with stubbornness, refusing to shift.
A little finesse and patience is re-
quired to massage the gear changes
if you choose to ride the Scrambler
in anger. The wet multi-plate clutch
is operated old school via a straight
pull cable.
Unlike the original Scrambler, the
new machine employs Ducati's clas-
sic tubular steel Trellis frame. The
56.9-inch wheelbase, combined
with the bike's light weight and the
leverage offered by the wide han-
dlebars, give the Scrambler a high-
ly responsive nature, responding
sharply and predictably to the slight-
est inputs. Standard seat height is
31.1-inches (there is an accessory low seat that
drops that to 30.3-inches) and compliments an
extremely narrow midsection allowing riders with
short in-seams confidence in handling the bike
while stopped.
The factory settings on the Kayaba forks (41mm
upside down units) work adequately save for hitting
large bumps or road cracks at speed. This results
in a minor tremor that reverberates through the en-
tire bike. Nothing serious, but since the forks are
not adjustable you need to learn to live with it or
chase up some aftermarket work. For the rear the
