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BMW R nineT Scrambler and Ducati Scrambler 1100 (2018)

Scrambler comparison

The two retro bikes BMW R nineT Scrambler and Ducati Scrambler 1100 are two robustly styled two-cylinders for everyday use. One question arises: boxer or V-twin? Which one kicks more?

Rollin ’and Tumblin’ is one of THE blues classics and is now almost 90 years old. In the 1950s it became world-famous through the version by Muddy Waters and has since been covered or reinterpreted countless times by various artists. Among others in 2001 by guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck, accompanied by Imogen Heap. What does this have to do with the scramblers? Just read on. When hearing the said piece for the first time, the author of these lines, an avowed friend of power guitar-dominated music of various genres, found it quite bulky and disharmonious. Only after listening to it several times did the whole charm of this idiosyncratic interpretation unfold, and head and gut, second much sooner, said: Yeah, that’s how it has to be! What we do at BMW R. nineT Scrambler. 

BMW R nineT Scrambler and Ducati Scrambler 1100 (2018)

Scrambler comparison

Scramblers are the current must-have!

Now you have to go back briefly: In terms of functionality, current production motorcycles are really good across the board, but sometimes they come across as a little soulless. But there are customizers who don’t seem to have any problems at the moment, lucratively bringing their often less useful but fascinating individual pieces to the two-wheeled folk. Obviously there are a lot of people out there whose joy of driving is completely detached from scoring.

Jacek Bilski

Chic look: both models impress with their design.

At BMW, this was recognized and set to work to combine both worlds. Successful, as we know today, because since 2014 the R nineT has been attracting customers like nocturnal light has attracted moths. Nevertheless, the beauty ideal of the puristic driving machine for the hip city dweller has changed a bit: Scramblers are the current must-have! If you ask a dictionary, it translates the term “to scramble” with terms such as “scramble”, “crawl” and “climb”. This explains why scramblers like to pull coarse rubber onto the rims, regardless of the asphalt layer that is usually unbroken in urban habitat: You could, if you were allowed to and, above all, knew where? Most of all, of course, it looks good.

Chic, undisguised and puristic

This little digression was important, because the test motorcycle rests on the Metzeler Karoo 3 tires, which are available ex works instead of the standard Metzeler Tourance Next tires, which are available at no extra charge. They immediately catch the eye with their coarse profile and ensure the three-day beard look. How the first driving impression turns out depends heavily on what the driver last moved before and how long ago that was. In this case it was the recently introduced Ducati Scrambler 1100 five minutes ago.

Jacek Bilski

The Scrambler 1100 is the most powerful scrambler model in the Ducati range.

This is, the insertion is permitted at this point, the logical consequence of the success of the Scrambler 800 presented in 2015. It is also a plain, undisguised street motorcycle in the best sense of the word, with a classic, purist look. The eye doesn’t even know where to look first: the mudguards and various panels are made of brushed aluminum, this material is also popular in cast form. The driver’s leather armchair posts four letters 810 millimeters high, while the hands can be held on the butted handlebars when they are slightly bent over. The eye, in turn, first delights itself on the black brake line, which stretches in exactly the right radius over the fully digital instrumentation, which in turn provides modern information about all the essentials, on the other hand would not have been noticed unpleasantly on board the spaceship "Enterprise".

Ergonomics completely different

So mentally aligned, you drive off, enjoy the bassy, ​​yet not too loud sound of the air-cooled V2, step through the six-speed gearbox, which can be precisely and precisely positioned thanks to the smooth, hydraulically operated clutch and let the 86 horses and 88 Nm run on a long leash. In addition to various driving modes and cornering ABS, ground control is also provided by Pirelli goods that not only look like the legendary Supermoto rubbers from the 1990s, but also have the same name: MT-90. This year with the addition RS. The current state of tire technology is hidden under the classic look, and so the Italian pulls her way in a handy, neutral and otherwise largely free of abnormalities. Appearance and functionality do not have to be mutually exclusive. If you disregard the ineffective aluminum fenders, which are far too short but pretty. Say: In the rain you get wetter from below than from above.

Jacek Bilski

In comparison, the footrests on the BMW are mounted further forward and higher.

So back to the BMW: The completely different ergonomics are noticeable even when you sit down. The higher (850 instead of 820 mm) of the two available bench seats positions the rider on the motorcycle, and the footrests are mounted further forward and higher than on the Ducati, which in combination with the handlebars that are also high and reach far towards the driver a sitting position that seems strangely passive at first. After the start, the boxer wraps the environment in an equally bassy, ​​but rather thinly woven sound carpet. In other words, the BMW is loud, but we already know that from the normal R nineT. The next surprise comes right after you set off: crap, double puncture! Doughy and sluggish you start the next gas station, but lo and behold: Nix flat feet, air pressure fits. The Karoos not only look rough, they also drive that way. You have to go through that now.

Ducati is setting the pace

But people get used to everything else in addition to the dative, and so horse and rider are increasingly picking up the pace. Once the studs have been kneaded warm and you have got used to the doughy driving behavior, considerable inclines can be achieved, at least in the dry. We were spared the wet test on the BMW. But reality catches up with you again when you brake. The Karoo tends to block suddenly and suddenly. Thanks to ABS, this is no longer a real problem, but short braking distances are definitely different. So if you prefer to ride a motorcycle instead of posing, it is better to use the Tourance rubbers. They are also much smoother. Because at the latest at three-digit tempos, the coarse sound combination of engine hum and tire whirring sounds strongly like piston-powered fighters from the Second World War.

Jacek Bilski

Adjusted for equipment, both models are about the same price.

Under these circumstances, the formidable boxer cannot really show itself off despite the measured plus of 20 hp and Newton meters. He quasi starts at idle speed and pushes powerfully in the middle. This is how it should be for a country motorcycle. The trailer in the full-load performance curve does not play a role in practice, at least with the coarse stollers, their limit is reached much earlier. And so it is ultimately the BMW that has to stretch for the ceiling when riding out together. Even if the measured values ​​determined with the Tourance, that much test is allowed, speak a different language: Acceleration from 0 to 100/140 km / h: 3.5 to 3.8 and 6.0 to 6.8 seconds. 50/100 and 100/150 km / h pull-through: 4.7 / 5.2 and 5.2 / 5.9 seconds. The result has something of the Bundesliga: Bayern always win. Here 4: 0. Depending on how hard you pull the cables, between five and seven liters gurgling out of the tanks.

Which model is better?

The BMW has the better, because more lively, engine, the Ducati the more homogeneous driving behavior and with cornering ABS the more modern technology on board. Adjusted for equipment, both are the same price at around 15,000 euros, and if you had to characterize them in one word: Ducati: Rolling, and a little tumbling the BMW. Both of them are great fun.

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