2017 Ducati Scrambler Cafe Racer Preview
An Italian interpretation of a British theme
Just announced at EICMA 2016 is the 2017 Ducati Scrambler Cafe Racer, Bologna’s interpretation of the genre created by the British. Unlike the original Scrambler, the Cafe Racer is all about pavement pounding and racing from one coffee shop to the next, just as the Ton Up Boys would have done 50 years ago. With that in mind, the Cafe Racer ditches the 18-inch front wheel of its other Scrambler cousins and replaces it with a 17-inch hoop to match the rear. The Pirelli Scorpion tires are also tossed in favor of the road-oriented Diablo Rosso II – a 120/70-17 sits up front, and a 180/55-17 in the rear – for proper corner-carving abilities.
Power is sourced from the air/oil-cooled 803cc V-Twin of the standard Scrambler Icon (not the Sixty2), and to complement the “Black Coffee” color scheme of the bike, engine covers are blacked out and the cylinder cooling fins are polished. Termignoni supplies the dual-outlet exhaust with black anodized cover, again to support the dark theme. Ducati tweaked the engine some to meet Euro 4 requirements, and revised the EFI settings to help smooth the on/off power delivery issues at the bottom of the rev range many, including us, had complained about.
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As the sportiest iteration of the Scrambler family, the Cafe Racer needs to stop as well as it goes. The 330mm single disc remains, but is now mated to a Brembo M4-32 caliper with a radial master cylinder feeding the fluid. Bosch ABS comes standard. Suspension components are borrowed from the standard Scrambler Icon, meaning a non-adjustable 41mm Kayaba fork, though the Cafe Racer gets black anodized stanchions. The Kayaba shock comes with just preload adjustability. Ducati lists rake and trail at 21.8º and 3.7 inches, respectively, compared to 24º and 4.4 inches for the standard Icon model. This should make the Cafe Racer a much more adept canyon carver.
Other changes include a stylized seat specifically for the Cafe Racer with a cowl to cover up the passenger section for a solo-seat appearance. Aluminum clip-on bars replace the tapered handlebars on the other Scrambler models, putting the rider in a sportier position. Bar-end mirrors help complete the cafe racer look, as does a tiny stylized fairing around the headlight and number plates on both sides with the number 54 – a tribute to Bruno Spaggiari, who in 1968 raced in the Mototemporada Romagnola aboard a Ducati whose engine was based on the 350cc Single in the original Ducati Scrambler.
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Pricing for the Ducati Scrambler Cafe Racer is set at $11,395.
More by Troy Siahaan
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Scrambler Cafe racer? What a stupid name. With this Ducati has failed to make both scrambler and cafe racer. Next one is Ducati Scrambler Bobber?
I wish they would come with a proper scrambler with high mounted exhaust as a start!
That rear license plate holder hurts my eyes.
For Ducati, 'Scrambler' is the brand name for the entire line, rather than a model. The 'Full Throttle,' 'Classic' and other iterations are the models. I think it's a mis-step...people will say they ride a Ducati Scrambler, not a Scrambler Cafe Racer by Ducati. Semantics and branding and merchandise, oh my.