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• Off-road scrambler
• Lots of traction even on asphalt
• Traction control can be dispensed with
• Almost every third Ducati is a scrambler
• The differences to the Scrambler Classic
• Ugly is not possible

Ducati

18th photos

Ducati

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The makers of Desert Sled (from left): Designer Jeremy Faraud, Marketing Manager Angelo Marino, Product Manager Rocco Canosa, Vehicle Developer Antonio Zandi and Head of Design Andrea Ferraresi

Ducati

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled

Ducati

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A stroke of luck: A fine motorcycle that can actually handle easy terrain

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Put something away: striking Kayaba strut with expansion tank

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Enduro legacy: handlebars with cross brace, rudimentary display instrument

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Chic: Spoked wheels with gold rims and a thick, hollow axle

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Power on: wide Crosser fender, lamp behind bars (with ABE)

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Hottie: jagged enduro pegs (extra), clumsy stamped steel brake pedal

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Great: Good-natured driving behavior meets strong Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires

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This scrambler drives well and good-naturedly, making it really easy for its driver

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in the driving report

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in the driving report

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in the driving report

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in the driving report

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in the driving report

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in the driving report

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in the driving report

Ducati

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in the driving report

Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in the driving report

Off-road scrambler

The Scrambler series is expanded to include the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled, i.e. the desert sled. A stylish machine with serious off-road ambitions.

Ducati has pulled out all the stops and presents the D.ucati Scrambler Desert Sled – the “desert sledge” – in the only desert in Europe. It is located near Tabernas in the south-eastern corner of Spain and has been used as a backdrop for many films: “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” or “For a Fistful of Dollars”. A great setting: the base camp has moved into quarters in the discarded western town “Fort Bravo”. Between the saloon, post office and “Grand Central Bank” there are 30, 40 beautiful motorcycles, quasi modern XT 500 with a crisp, powerful design – but unfortunately in pouring rain and bitter cold.

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Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in the driving report
Off-road scrambler

Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled with 19-inch front

The wide enduro handlebars with stylish cross braces are great at hand, maybe a little far ahead. The sitting position is relaxed, with a narrow knee and jagged enduro foot pegs that provide good contact with the machine. The Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled should weigh around 210 kilograms with a full tank. She is not a blender, even if the conditions are tricky. In deep ruts, the front and rear wheels quickly run in separate lanes. Logical consequence: the load turns sideways. Doesn’t matter, because a brave throttle is enough, and as if by magic, the rear wheel falls back into line again. The good leadership qualities of the 19-inch model taken over from the Multistrada Enduro are helpful; furthermore the wheelbase, which is 25 millimeters longer, has been extended to 1505 millimeters.

This scrambler tells you a lot, while looking at it and while driving. Ducati donated completely new suspension elements at the front and rear with a full 20 centimeters of suspension travel. They are easy to swallow and respond delicately enough. The reinforced shock absorber with expansion tank can easily handle smaller jumps. For the first time in the Scrambler series, the upside-down fork from Kayaba is fully adjustable, plus a stable 46 instead of a narrow 41 millimeters. The Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled 30’s upper and lower triple clamps are 22 centimeters apart instead of the other scramblers.

Lots of traction even on asphalt

A full 238 millimeters of ground clearance take away the fear of stones the size of a child’s head in the rubble. But be careful: the short aluminum engine guard is striking, but leaves the front cylinder head and manifold unprotected. With the wide but short enduro mudguard, the preppy Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled gets pretty tough. The steel tubular space frame no longer supports the V2. And is reinforced by an additional longitudinal strut to the left of the stationary cylinder. Well, as the crowning glory of the Scrambler series, the Desert Sled continues Ducati’s off-road tradition: In 1969, a single-cylinder scrambler from Bologna won the famous Baja California.

The ABS can be switched off somewhat laboriously via the on-board menu, but only completely at the front / rear. Now the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled can be hired on gravel and well controlled. The rear brake, which is important off-road, can be precisely adjusted despite the clumsy stamped pedals, while the front four-piston caliper looks a bit muddy on the lever. Compliments for the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires, which are specially designed for the Desert Sled: Their beautiful tread pattern actually offers a lot of traction. After muddy passages, the negative profile quickly cleans itself on a dry surface. And these coarse sticks stick great even on soaking wet, cold asphalt.

Traction control can be dispensed with

The Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled circumnavigates alternating curves in a neutral and handy manner, stays exactly on course, does not fold further than desired. The centerpiece is also appealing: it feels like the mechanically unchanged 90-degree V2 engine is running even smoother than before. It pulsates very gently. Admittedly, we almost never board really higher speeds today. But annoying vibrations are completely non-existent. Good running culture meets even power output. Gears two and three, which are particularly important for the terrain, offer enough power from far below at all times. The V2 can be controlled gently and finely via the ride-by-wire throttle, which is now progressive, no longer linearly translated, simply “driving over the throttle”: First, the opening angles on the twist grip are translated to a few degrees of the throttle valve, but disproportionately towards the end.

All 800 scramblers now have the new throttle, it can be retrofitted on previous machines. On asphalt, the minimum speed in sixth gear is around 80 – below that, the V2 jerks. That is around 3,500 tours in the unfortunately very poorly readable digital tachometer. No mistake: with 75 HP peak power and usable power, this is a fine, perfectly adequate country road engine. The Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled doesn’t crack particularly hard, but it doesn’t break your arms either, and it always delivers enough torque. The air-cooled two-valve engine is alive! There is only one motor mapping. No problem, it works. Traction control is also a nuisance, but it can be dispensed with.

Almost every third Ducati is a scrambler

If you don’t shift carefully on the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled, especially with bulky enduro boots, you can get stuck between two gears in the somewhat wobbly six-speed gearbox. The gear lever on the pre-production motorcycle was mounted a little high. The cable coupling can be pulled smoothly. Too bad: unlike the brake lever, the clutch lever is not adjustable. Thanks to the large collector, the exhaust sounds pleasantly discreet from the two short organ pipes. Don’t worry: it denies acoustically
Never a fine staccato, being a V2, even snorting heartily in push mode. But with its cozy V2 stroke, it always remains friendly to the residents. Fine. The distinctive hammering from the airbox only reaches the driver’s ear.

What exactly is the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled? Soft enduro, funduro, lifestyle off-roader? The message is clear: to be out and about between sand and city bustle. What really matters is easy drivability. “Born Free” is embossed on the elegantly made cover over the tank cap. Yes, this motorcycle is a free spirit.

The Desert Sled is an important motorcycle for Ducati and a funny one for its owner. Beautiful and stylish, this motorcycle gives even pilots with little off-road ambitions a lot of confidence. With plenty of accessories and pretty panniers, the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled can be expanded further. Well, a base price of over 11,000 euros for the top model from Ducati’s yellow sub-brand is a lot of wood. In addition, the Desert Sled kicks the “Urban Enduro” from the program. A total of 32,000 scramblers tumbled off the production lines in Bologna in the past two years – almost every third Ducati. This rate is likely to increase now.

The differences to the Scrambler Classic

• As with all Scrambler models, the motor is homologated to Euro 4: longer catalytic converter, progressive throttle grip, filter against evaporative emissions
• new suspension elements at the front and rear, each with a suspension travel of 200 millimeters
• reinforced tubular steel frame, 25 millimeter longer aluminum swing arm, longer wheelbase, greater ground clearance
• Spoked wheels, front / rear 19/17 inches with new Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires
• modified stainless steel exhaust with aluminum end pieces
• Enduro mudguard at the front, modified splash guard at the rear
• Aluminum engine protection
• Lamp with homologated stone guard
• differently contoured seat
• wide handlebar with cross brace
• Footpegs, brake pedal and license plate holder changed

Ugly is not possible

Ducati

The makers of Desert Sled (from left): Designer Jeremy Faraud, Marketing Manager Angelo Marino, Product Manager Rocco Canosa, Vehicle Developer Antonio Zandi and Head of Design Andrea Ferraresi

The success story of Ducati’s Scrambler series continues: The new Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled is causing a stir – also because it is very similar to the Yamaha XT. Ducati doesn’t like to hear that; Nevertheless, MOTORRAD asked the factory why this is so.

At Ducati, they usually like to talk about the look of their own motorcycles. This time, however, it is a sore point in some respects, because the new Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled may look exciting, but inevitably reminds every motorcyclist of a certain age of the Yamaha XT. “No, we didn’t use the XT as a guide during development,” said Head of Design Andrea Ferraresi in an interview with MOTORRAD at the same time. “Rather, the basis was our own Urban Enduro, which we trained to be easy off-road, with a classic look.” But finally it bursts out of him: “It’s just like this: The XT was a style icon of the 80s. And an enduro with the look of those years that doesn’t look like it risks being ugly. ”Of course, Ducati doesn’t get ugly. Hence the golden anodized rims, the high front mudguard, the butted aluminum handlebar with cross brace and the seat that tapers towards the tank – components that all reinforce the similarity to the XT. The fact that the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled has a prominent X on the tank and Ducati also offers it in plain white, as the XT once came along, suggests a certain calculation.

In addition to off-road fans and nostalgics, the Italians want to use it to get motorcyclists on the Scrambler “for whom the previous models were too small and too petite,” explains marketing manager Angelo Marino. With the reinforced frame, the longer swing arm, the thicker fork (46 instead of 41 mm) and the 70 mm higher seat, the new one actually looks much more mature than the other Scramblers. Ducati is therefore hoping for growth in the German market in particular; the similarity to the glorious XT shouldn’t harm the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled – on the contrary.

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