#Scrambler

We here at MO often cite a “more is more” attitude, so perhaps we should’ve seen this coming: a new Ducati Scrambler fitted with a large 1079cc air-cooled Desmodue V-Twin that’s been retooled from the old Monster 1100. And not only is the engine bigger than the 803cc mill in the earlier Scramblers, but so is its new trellis frame, which opens up the riding position to better suit larger riders. And joining the standard version will be a Scrambler 1100 Special (“which draws its inspiration from the custom world”) and the Scrambler 1100 Sport, which is equipped with Öhlins suspension.

BMW announced a new factory customization program for its Heritage and Touring models. The new BMW Motorrad Spezial program expands on the customization concept of the RnineT, adding a number of factory-installed options for the RnineT Pure, Racer, Scrambler and Urban G/S variants, as well as the K1600GT, K1600GTL and R1200RT.

When Husqvarna introduced the production models of the Svartpilen 401 street-scrambler and Vitpilen 401 café racer last November, which are based on KTM’s 390 powertrain, we figured it was only a matter of time before we saw larger versions using Husky’s 701 engine. Husqvarna had already presented a Vitpilen 701 in concept form a year earlier, so we were not entirely shocked when we received spy photos of a near-production version (above right) alongside its sibling, a Svartpilen 701.

I was a little surprised my kid liked the new Honda Rebel 500 as much as he did last week, but then all of us are surprised by our offspring, aren’t we? His daily driver lately is my old Yamaha R1. He finally got around to getting his motorcycle endorsement last month – on our borrowed KTM Super Duke GT… so he does have quite a varied motorcycle background for a kid who’s only 23 years old. In an effort to understand the younger moto-mentality, and as a service to all the manufacturers trying to figure out what the hell millennial motorcyclists want, anyway, I drilled further into my child’s mind to get down to the Top 10 of things.

Dear MOby,

How many new Triumph Bonnevilles are we up to now anyway? The Street Twin came first, just about a year ago. We liked the sweet little runabout instantly, and it proceeded to come out on top of every comparison test we threw at it, usually by quite a lot. Wait, Maybe it was only this one:

Were he still alive, Barry Sheene would turn 67 in 2017. A British racing icon, he remained the last grand prix world champion until Danny Kent won the Moto3 title in 2015. Known for his bravado and hard-charging style, Sheene won over fans from around the world. Including France, where this story originates.

The R nineT has been a nice hit for BMW since it was introduced a little more than two years ago, appealing to both BMW traditionalists as well as those in younger demographics. And then came the R-nineT Scrambler we rode last month, which will surely carry the nineT’s momentum into the future. Oh, and there’s also the Pure and Racer concepts shown just weeks ago.

To no one’s surprise, Triumph has developed a Scrambler version of its enviable Bonneville platform, unveiled today at EICMA in Italy. It uses the 900cc parallel-Twin motor as previously seen in the Street Twin, Street Cup and Bonneville T100, not the 1200cc motor from the Thruxton and T120.

The minute we learned Triumph would be creating a new engine platform for its Bonneville extended family, we knew a Scrambler version would eventually materialize. And here it is, unveiled today in Milan, Italy, at the EICMA show.

In stark contrast to the all-asphalt Scrambler Cafe Racer introduced by Ducati today at EICMA 2016, comes this, the Scrambler Desert Sled. Taking its roots from the Scrambler Urban Enduro – which is discontinued for model year 2017 – the Desert Sled is perfect for those who wish they were Malcolm Smith and rate On Any Sunday as their favorite movie of all time.

With a pocketful of spy shots as proof, we sleuthy MOrons proudly scooped the news a few months ago that Ducati was planning to produce a new air-cooled Monster ( 2017 Ducati Monster 800 Spy Shots). Today at EICMA, Ducati presented the production version. The 2017 Monster 797 borrows the air-cooled 803cc L-Twin from Ducati’s Scrambler models and repackages it for use in its newest naked.

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.

We’re just days away from the 2016 edition of EICMA, the world’s largest motorcycle show. As usual, Ducati opens up the EICMA festivities with a presentation the day before the official media day, and you can watch it streamed live right here on MO on Nov. 7 at 10:30 am EST (7:30 am PST).

Every new model product launch is chock full of information about the presenting company – most of which is not germane to the motorcycle itself. This information is oft ignored, or left on the editing room floor to make room for riding impressions and technical information regarding the motorcycle. With the First Ride Review of BMW’s new R NineT Scrambler in the books, we take a look at a few items of interest from BMW you may not know about the company and the the motorcycles it produces. With BMW celebrating its 100th Birthday, there’s a lot to choose from, but here’s five past and present factoids.