Launch: Ducati Scrambler Sixty2

There are a lot of motorcycles which become far more than the sum of their parts — through legendary racing or sales successes morph into standalone brands of their own. The bikes that, for both the right and the wrong reasons, become two-wheeled icons and earn a place in the hearts and minds of bike lovers everywhere.

In a genius display of foresight and planning, Ducati managed to write this process into the development plan of its Scrambler. What was once an organic process that required years to germinate and grow before the iconic fruits of a well-executed motorcycle design might become evident, the iconic subculture that is the Ducati Scrambler existed on a spreadsheet in Bologna well before pencil hit paper on the first design sketches.

Maybe even more remarkable is that it worked. In 2015, thanks to its Scrambler range, Ducati sold more bikes in a 12-month period than it ever had in its history. It wasn’t an incremental increase either: it was a 22 percent hike over the 2014 period which equates to nearly 9700 more units.

In its first year of production, a total of 16,000 Scrambler models found new homes in garages around the world, and the figure shot the 803cc bike into the top 10 list of the world’s best-selling bikes of 2015.

Twelve months after the original Scrambler made its public debut at the 2014 Cologne motorcycle show, Ducati broadened both the appeal and the audience of what was already an incredibly successful motorcycle by unveiling the entry-level 399cc Ducati Scrambler Sixty2 at last year’s EICMA motorcycle show in Milan.

SCRAMBLER SIXTY2 IN BIKE SHOWROOM

With the recent scratching of Ducati’s rather successful Monster 659 from the Aussie line-up, the Scrambler Sixty2 is now Ducati’s sole LAMS-approved offering. Compared the Monster it’s 260cc smaller, 11hp (8kW) less powerful and $1000 less expensive. But is it enough to win over the cash-strapped newbies? You bet your waxed-tache it is.

KEEPING UP APPEARANCES
While the ageing riding population is becoming of increasing concern to motorcycle manufacturers it’s becoming more and more important for them to engage riders early, in a bid to get them hooked on the brand for life. This is the very reason why, unlike the built-for-Australia M659, the Scrambler Sixty2 is a true global product. Bound for each and every international market Ducati sells into, the Sixty2 is much more than just a learner-approved offering. With its lower price tag, lower intimidation levels and hipster street-cred, the Sixty2 is the bike the Bologna firm is pinning its future Ducatisti hopes on.

By building a motorcycle that shares the same architecture as the full-powered model, would-be (and let’s face it, fashion conscious) riders are getting what appears to be the same bike but with less power and for less money. Ducati isn’t paving new ground by doing this — Indian did a similarly clever thing with its recently released Scout Sixty — but what Ducati is doing is its best to ensure the Scrambler family books a spot in the list of its most significant models.

MORE OR LESS
The Sixty2 might share its silhouette with the five-bike 803cc model family but there are subtle and significant differences used to reduce both its power and price tag.

The bore and stroke has been reduced to 72mm x 49cc (from 88mm x 66mm) to achieve a capacity of 399cc which gives the Sixty2 a peak power output of 41hp (30.2kW) and 35Nm of torque. Both of these figures chime in in the vicinity of 8000rpm, but around town I found anywhere between 4000-6000rpm to be usable and responsive before looking for another gear. Get your traffic-light GP on and a couple of red shift lights will let you know when you ought to be looking for the next cog, which is a neat touch.

The 41mm Kayaba upside-down front fork has been replaced with a conventional one of the same diameter matched to a preload-adjustable rear shock. All variants offer the same 150mm of travel at both ends and, while our test ride didn’t include any fast open-road riding, it was more than adequate on inner-city dashes atop Sydney’s less-than-adequate surfaces.

It’s a similar story with the two-channel Bosch antilock braking-actuated Brembo brakes. What is a four-piston Monobloc affair adorning the front of the 803cc models, the Sixty2 gets a twin-piston caliper gripping a 10mm-smaller 320mm disc. While both the power and feel is rather basic, a day in Sydney’s demanding traffic didn’t ask any questions that the Sixty2’s braking system couldn’t answer.

A narrower 17-inch rear wheel (160/60 compared to 180/55) is mounted in a similar, but frankly cheaper-looking steel swingarm and the whole shebang weighs in at just 3kg (dry weight) less than full-powered Icon model (167kg versus 170kg).

Looks wise, the Sixty2’s tank features a painted-on non-swappable logo and the swoopy header-pipe design and stainless silencer are ditched for a more traditional under-engine affair as well as a rather unremarkable looking can. Moves, I assume, which not only contribute to the Sixty2’s lower price tag but also go a long way in helping it over the Euro 4-compliant line.

FUNCTION OF THE FORM
As well as the aura of hipster Ducati has engineered into the Scrambler model, the other widely-regarded genius surrounding the Scrambler is the compact way it managed to package the motorcycle. Easier said than done, it not only gives the bike the ultimate retro look and feel but it makes the Scrambler hugely accessible to, well, nearly all riders.

It’s low 770mm (+/- 20mm accessory available) seat and low centre of gravity makes for very intuitive and unintimidating handling. This, combined with the high, wide ’bars makes it especially true at low speeds. If I owned the bike, I’d definitely replace the high retro handlebars with the lower dragbar option from the accessories catalogue, and I’d expect anyone with a similarly shorter torso would consider the same in a bid to achieve more comfortable ergonomics for longer days in the saddle.

The only gripe I had with the bike is the snatchy cable-operated throttle, particularly evident in the stop-start urban environment, but the fuelling was typically Ducati clean. The off-set single-face instruments are straight off the bigger siblings and are really informative while still being minimalist in their execution.

Priced at $11,990 plus on-road costs, the Sixty2 is at the pointy end of the LAMS price scale but you really are receiving a premium European-built product that just also happens to tick a whole lot of hipster boxes, too.

It’s a cleverly designed product fresh out of Bologna, but the fact that Ducati has built one product that will capture both the on-trend hipster market as well as the highly lucrative LAMS market is where the true genius lies for me.

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 41hp (30.2kW)
Claimed maximum torque: 34.6Nm

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Front suspension: 41mm non-adjustable telescopic forks, 150mm travel
Rear suspension: Preload-adjustable monoshock, 150mm travel
Front brakes: 320mm disc with twin-piston caliper, ABS
Rear brake: 245mm disc with single-piston caliper, ABS
Wheels: Front – 18 x 3.0, rear 17 x 4.5
Tyres: Front 110/80-18, rear 160/60-17

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed wet weight: 183kg
Rake: 24 degrees
Seat height: 790mm (+/- 20mm)
Wheelbase: 1460mm
Fuel capacity: 14 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $11,990 plus on-road costs
Colour: Ocean Grey, Atomic Tangerine, Shining Black
Bike supplied by: Ducati Australia, ducati.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres