First ride: Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle

As if Ducati’s Scrambler needed any help in the popularity stakes, the Italian firm went and themed its Full Throttle version with another popular trend which has gripped the biking world of late, flat track. Little wonder the four original variants of the Scrambler model, released well over 12 months ago now, are already accounting for a considerable spike in Ducati’s sales figures.

It’s not surprising Ducati released a couple more at the EICMA motorcycle Expo in Milan last November, either, and this Full Throttle version is the bike used as the base for the newly announced Flat Track Pro variant, Ducati’s two-wheeled tip of the hat to Troy Bayliss’ 2015 AMA Pro Racing Flat Track campaign.

DUCATI SCRAMBLER FULL THROTTLE IN BIKE SHOWROOM

It’s built around the same engine and chassis platform as the now six-bike 803cc range and, like the others, the differences which set the Full Throttle model apart from its siblings are primarily aesthetic. The most obvious and the best is the standard-fitment Termignoni silencer which epitomizes the racing heritage Ducati has aimed to highlight in this model. More compact and better sounding, it’s homologated for road use but still adds a certain gnarl to the sound, especially under deceleration.

Speaking of gnarly, the all-black with yellow highlights colour scheme looks the toughest of the lot, even the chrome side panels which define the model blacked out. The racing heritage is picked up again in small white panels on the side of the rear of the seat, added to mimic the race number plates which adorn flat track race bikes and, as far as guards go, it’s the race bike less-is-more affair. The rear is non-existent and the front tiny, letting the unique look of the 10-spoke cast wheels shod with the retro-inspired chocolate-block pattern tyres do the talking.

Ergonomics change slightly on the Full Throttle and smaller riders will be thankful for the low-tapered bar, while the sculpting of the seat is moderately different, also, allowing for more flexibility for moving around during a spirited ride.  

It’s powered by the same 803cc Desmodromic air-cooled V-twin sourced from the firm’s Monster 796 and, like all variants, mounted in a tubular-steel trellis frame. Braking is by way of an anti-lock braking-equipped single disc set-up at the front, but don’t scoff. It’s one half of the firm’s flagship Panigale front-end brake package, a radial-mounted four-piston Brembo monobloc caliper matched to a single-piston caliper at the rear, and considering the bike weighs 170kg (dry), it’s more than enough to scrub off as much speed as you need, whenever you need.

While its suspension package is a rather basic affair, with a non-adjustable 41mm upside-down front-end and a preload-only adjustable Kayaba unit at the rear, and makes for a very soft and plush ride but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it’s the sheer lack of bells and whistles on this and the entire Scrambler range which has been the ingredient behind its success.

In a tech-laden age where even our electronics have gone three dimensional, the Scrambler is a refreshing example of including simply the tech a rider might need and including nothing he or she might not.

In terms of technology, there’s a rather useful two-channel anti-lock braking system which you can turn off if you don’t agree with its practicality, and that’s about it. Unless of course the ring of LED running lights surrounding the old-school circular headlight is regarded as high-tech these days? If so, the taillight is an LED number and there’s a handy USB charging port hidden away under the seat, too, which ought to be counted.

The real modern-day technology though, is hidden away in the non-tangible feats you don’t see. The fact that Ducati managed to package a modern 800cc V-Twin capable of 75hp (55kW) and 68Nm into such a diminutive unit is remarkable in itself. As is, I must say, the level of grip available from those retro-looking Pirelli MT60RS tyres.   

Because after a few hours on the plushly sprung Scrambler, life slows down a little and you start to remember the charm of back-to-basics motorcycling. You get used to the slightly slower reactions of the 18-inch front tyre, you like the fact that your engine mapping is as it comes and you give it a bit more rounding that gravel corner for that unfamiliar loss of traction in this time of electronic regulation.

But that only lasts so long and when the tree canopy thickens and the road tightens, it’s the suspension (and the ground clearance) that will tend to slow you down — not the tyres. Pirelli has done a superb job of modernising retro.

And so has Ducati. But it hasn’t modernised the Scrambler to the point of tarnishing the 50-something year-old heritage of the model. The Full Throttle may the least retro looking of the range, but it celebrates old-school oval racing and for that alone I reckon makes it the coolest of the lot.

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 75hp
Claimed maximum torque: 68Nm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six speed
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Tubular-steel trellis
Front suspension: Kayaba. 41mm USD, non-adjustable
Rear suspension: Kayaba monoshock, preload adjustable
Front brakes: Brembo 330mm disc, radial four-piston caliper with ABS
Rear brake: Brembo 245mm disc, single-piston caliper with ABS

DIMENSIONS
Claimed dry weight: 170kg
Wheelbase: 1445mm
Seat height: 790mm (770mm, optional)
Fuel capacity: 13.5 litres