[Odeen12]

Hey Guys,

Hope all good with you'll.

Decided to hop across to the Ducati showroom, it's close to work . I wanted to see the Scrambler in the flesh.

It looks nice, sounds good and is extremely competitive on its pricing. I did not take a test ride because it would have been futile at 2pm on linking road. The fit and finish is Ducati. I mean those guys know what they getting into. Its a nice balance between the old and new. Old being, i guess the handlebar shape, rest seems super new to me. The seating and ergonomics feel good. Its a relaxed Sunday ride motorcycle. And honestly, though it might seem you could do some dirt with this thing, i would only take it over some gravel and loose mud.

It's a "cool" bike. For me it's like, i have a more serious bike in the stable then why not buy this as a second machine to have some fun with. And if you see the commercial as well, it's targeted towards that TG. A more relaxed, casual, new biker sort of thing. And the good part is they want women to ride it too. I feel that's a good proposition to have for a "lifestyle" vehicle. So yes, i like it but would i spend 8 lacs on it?. I don't think so. I'd rather buy something more with a little bit of meat on it. Like the "hypermotard" Woohoo, that's so much more fun. Yes, i am sorry it's a different league of motorcycle but that's how i like them. Hooligan and character.

The Scrambler is easy, refined and hipster. Hope to see them on the road. Only yellow available for now. The guy at Ducati mentioned July onwards they'd start with the bookings for the red as well.

Cheers and ride safe.
Rahul

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Odeen12

I'd rather buy something more with a little bit of meat on it. Like the "hypermotard" Woohoo, that's so much more fun. Yes, i am sorry it's a different league of motorcycle but that's how i like them. Hooligan and character.

I too like the Hypermotard a lot. There was a journalist riding it during the first IBW group ride. A black one.

But its nearly twice the price of the Scrambler and the Monster, isn't it?

[Odeen12]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I too like the Hypermotard a lot. There was a journalist riding it during the first IBW group ride. A black one.

But its nearly twice the price of the Scrambler and the Monster, isn't it?

True to that Ebonho. The Hypermotard is crazy fun. I think it is 4 lacs more. Not sure, sorry. But for that money you get more the motorcycle, more the fun and the big thing is, you can also take it to the track and ride sideways!

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Odeen12

you can also take it to the track and ride sideways!

Yes Rahul, its a very good jack of all and it weighs around 176 kilos which means it can be thrown around fairly well across all terrains.

Originally Posted by ebonho

But its nearly twice the price of the Scrambler and the Monster, isn't it?

Bro,

As Rahul mentioned Scrambler is more of a fun bike but a serious fun bike at that. Hypermotard is 10.15 Ex Showroom their basic edition but it still has a lot of electronic gizmos.

It has an amazing Service Interval as well. 15000 Kms or 12 months

[Odeen12]

[quote=ku69rd;3706740]Yes Rahul, its a very good jack of all and it weighs around 176 kilos which means it can be thrown around fairly well across all terrains.

Hey ku69rd. Hope all good with you.

I just hope someone gets it. The power to weight ratio is insane. And just to put things in perspective, here's a link to a video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJPQva0Ujgs

Sorry off topic, but i can't stop talking about this bike.

Have fun.

Rahul

[ebonho]

Nice video Rahul!

Poor 2 stoke motocrosser. LOL

[outofthebox]

Took the Yellow Duck out for a longish test ride around Delhi roads on Saturday evening courtesy the local dealer. They really are making genuine efforts to 'heal my pain' so a heartfelt thanks to them for 'walking the talk'.

Temperature was a gentle 36 degrees (by Delhi standards in mid-May) and it dipped to 28 degrees by the time I got back close to midnight. Most everything about the bike has been nicely covered by the OP voyageur and crazybiker, so I'll just stick to ride impressions and India specific bits.



First Impressions
WOW! A wolf in a sheep’s clothing!

This bike has an out & out contemporary sporty DNA, there is nothing retro about the way it handles and rides. Brakes are fantastic - the best I’ve ever used and inspire a lot of confidence in typical indian conditions.

Switchgear, clutch, gears & throttle function with the smoothness, consistency & precision of a fine Swiss watch. A sheer joy to operate. Clutch action is reasonably soft. Thanks to its nimble and flickable nature I had no trouble riding this 'Italian Stallion' in typical bumper to bumper traffic tonight.

My only extended ride impression of a Ducati prior to this was a Singapore specific model - a Monster 400. All I can say is that the Scrambler is a huge step up from the M400 in every possible way.



India specific Observations
The bike’s engine and horn are as audible as the gentle purr of a kitten in a thunderstorm, so IMO an aftermarket exhaust and a proper horn should top the upgrade list of every Indian owner of a Scrambler.

Scrambler is as comfortable (or uncomfortable) as other naked sports bikes in our typically bumpy urban patches. Nothing unusual or unexpected there.



Rode with a pillion for a couple of hours too. Feedback from the pillion: they enjoyed the sporty ride and it was generally a comfortable one. I wouldn't stretch pillion riding beyond a few hours though - this ain't no cruiser.

The heat under the seating position is indeed something to worry about in our typical conditions, when the bike is stationary. No issues when it's on the move.

Topped it up with Speed 97 fuel today. There is a sticker on the tank which says 'use only RON95 and above'. Tank capacity is only about 13 odd litres. Indian highway warriors, please take note.



Parting Thoughts
The way Scrambler rides, the oodles of power & torque on offer and more importantly, the way they are delivered are IMO ideal for Indian riding conditions. Although this is no Monster, this bike should satisfy and exceed the riding expectations (and fantasies) of a very wide range of Indian riders - beginners to old hands alike.

Ducati indeed have a winner on their hands, there is no doubt about it. Now if only my Red Icon shows up soon enough …

So that’s it for now. Hope this will help those who are 'on the fence'. I will take her out for an early morning ride tomorrow and will report back here if I observe any additional relevant tid bits.

[outofthebox]

Did manage a few more hours early morning rides on the 'Yellow Ducky'.




Only two more minor things to add:

1. A visual comparo with a HD Street 750 - definitely a competitor from a price ball bark point of view if nothing else.

When I stopped by for breakfast at a local cafe, chanced to spot this old friend and decided to park alongside:




By the time I got back from my breakfast, someone had decided to park their dream riding machine between us! Still a good enough shot for a comparo:



2. Front & rear mudguards - although MRF rain day is still weeks away, I did go through a couple of wet patches at very slow speeds. The wet muck landed up on the rectifier heat sink and other engine parts in the front and also painted an artsy pattern on my pillion's jacket and helmet!

My bad that I forgot to click close up shots of the rectifier area before I sprayed it clean. The heat sink definitely needs to be kept muck free for it to dissipate heat efficiently. I have a fear of the rectifiers overheating and leading to electrical failures.

A Extenda Fenda type of a aftermarket extension for the front mud guard is surely required for our conditions:

[ku69rd]

Hello,

That's a nice comparo you have put in the pictures, were you able to take any photos which also showz the length of the bikes in a similar comparison?

How flickable is the bike and its ease of use?

[outofthebox]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Hello,

That's a nice comparo you have put in the pictures, were you able to take any photos which also showz the length of the bikes in a similar comparison?

How flickable is the bike and its ease of use?

Thanks mate. Much as I tried with my limited smartphone photography skills I couldn't capture the length comparison. The HD 750 is definitely longer, but not by much, maybe 3-4 inches and very hard to tell visually.

I have never tried a HD750 so I can't compare the riding characteristics directly, but as I already mentioned, Scrambler is more like a sports bike in terms of ride & handling. IMO, there is not much merit in comparing it with a retro cruiser type of a machine. They both have their own complimentary set of uses.

I found the Scrambler to be an imminently flickable, light weight urban commuter. It's a sheer joy to ride in the city and I'm sure it will do even better on the highways.

Thanks to its flickability, superb acceleration and rock solid braking abilities, I have already added some new manoeuvres to my urban riding repertoire which I would never dare to execute on my Classic 500!

[outofthebox]

Had a Monstrous visitor for the weekend - a 795. Unfortunately the rides were curtailed to very early morning and late night due to the prevailing ‘awesome’ weather in Delhi.

Monster and Scrambler are both street bikes, but designed for different lifestyle preferences & roads. Please read the rest of this comparison with that thought in mind - these bikes shouldn’t really be compared to each other.

Specifications
As most Ducati fanatics would know by now, both bikes use the same desmodromic engine but tuned differently and the M795 develops 10 HP more and slightly higher torque than the Scrambler. For detailed specs comparison, head over to axelgeeks.com

Price
I’m told M795 is available for INR 750k OTR Delhi, till stocks last, as it has been discontinued globally, and is making way for the much more talented M821 very soon.

Sight & ‘sounds’
The twin exhausts bring out the heartbeat of the Desmo engine way better than the solo end can of the Scrambler. Both bikes weigh almost the same, but the Monster definitely looks a lot bigger. The Monster design is of course the most recognisable and the poster child of Ducati's fame and fortune over the last decade or so.


Ride, handling & comfort
The headline news here is that the seat & suspension of the M795 felt plush compared the Scrambler in our potholed conditions. It should have been the other way round IMO, given the semi-off road credibility of the Scrambler. Dual front disk brakes of M795 are superb but I preferred the Single disc setup of Scrambler with ABS in actual usage.

1st & 2nd gear of M795 are also much different than the Scrambler. One can have a lot more fun here on the right stretch of road. But compared to the Scrambler, the M795 really complains and stutters at lower revs. I had to constantly remind myself to rev it harder than I’m used to.

M795 shines in 3rd gear and upwards near the ton, but relative to the Scrambler it’s a pain in low speed bumper to bumper traffic. Despite weighing nearly the same as Scrambler it feels much heavier and awkward in traffic. Also, the handlebar full lock positions are shorter than the Scrambler so tight u-turns in traffic are a bit of a strain.

Some personal preferences & very subjective opinions, parting thoughts
Riding the M795 I realised that putting my feet down frequently from a slight bent forward, feet-folded back position in stop & start 1st gear traffic bothers me a lot more now than it did a few years back!

Cornering and short bursts of acceleration on the M795 are no doubt fun and very addictive. But somehow I’ve grown tired of the ball-of-the-feet, tucked in riding position for longish urban commutes and I much prefer the relaxed riding stance and equally comparable dynamics of the Scrambler now at typical urban speeds in such situations.

So in a nutshell, I’m really satisfied with my choice of the Scrambler 803 and test riding the M795 did not tempt me at all to reconsider my decision! YMMV

[outofthebox]

Things have been a bit quite here. Here's an update on my Scrambler situation:

Finally took delivery of my Red Devil earlier today. The dealer very sweetly agreed to open up at 7am today specially for the delivery, keeping the record breaking weather in mind. (~43 °C last few days).

A very smooth & effortless transaction and the weather gods pitched in too - cloudy weather, thunderstorms & intermittent showers throughout the day today!

[shiraz]

Congratulations Amit, the red and black looks classic Ducati. Their Gurgaon chapter seems to have been quite active today. I was at the city club in phase v this evening and a couple of bikers came in riding what appeared to be a hypermotard and a monster.

[outofthebox]

Thanks buddy. Clicked some pics of the showroom and other two wheeled Italian beauties today while waiting for the paperwork to be completed. Will post them in the other Ducati thread.

[Cyborg]

Congratulations Outofthebox, all the best with your red beauty! The Ducati red is simply smashing.

Look forward to your ownership thread.

Ride safe pal.

Cheers