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Metisse-Ducati CR 800 in the driving report

Ducati Scrambler is also different

Team Metisse has transformed the Ducati Scrambler into a piece of sports equipment made from real shot and grain. We were allowed to drive the Metisse-Ducati CR 800.

D.he man has a soft spot for cafe racers. Coherent creations based on the BMW R 1200 R, Harley-Davidson XR 1200 or Triumph Bonneville are proof of this. His radical KTM Duke conversion also earned great enthusiasm last year. But Horst Edler, head of the accessories supplier Team Metisse from Leiferde near Gifhorn, knew exactly: Something is still missing. 

Metisse-Ducati CR 800 in the driving report

Ducati Scrambler is also different

Scramblers appeared, Edler suspected that his time for a Ducati conversion had finally come. A call to the Braunschweig factory and one of the first copies to be delivered to Germany was promised.

Humps, stubs and elongated tank

That was just right to astonish the visitors at the spring fair in Dortmund: Most of the people at the Ducati stand had just seen the Scrambler for the very first time when they already encountered their mutation, the Metisse-Ducati CR 800. / The oil -cooled L-Twin works here in the usual technical environment. Injection, brakes, suspension elements – everything unchanged, right down to the rocky Pirelli MT 60 RS. Only the exhaust gases take other routes for an additional charge and then no longer escape via the collector pot and exhaust stub, but via a stately Remus silencer. The avowed esthete Edler devoted himself to the optical ingredients much more radically. Instead of sweet temptation with echoes of old and modern design, he has tried-and-tested ingredients that are especially popular with big boys. Namely, the hump seat and elongated tank, both of course handcrafted from polished light metal. Instead of the sail pole, the driver’s fists grab the handlebars – and that’s it.

Chassis stability is impeccable

Okay, not exactly. LED taillights, indicators in the neat aluminum housing or crash pads and ProBolt screws should also be mentioned, and the fork protectors and even more the side covers must be appreciated. But the fact remains that the above-mentioned main components of the Metisse conversion are sufficient to give the Ducati Scrambler not just a different, but an extremely coherent face. As if the manufacturer had planned such a variant as the Metisse-Ducati CR 800 from the start. 

Seen from the saddle, this impression is reinforced. The gaps between the tight but high-quality upholstered seat and the handlebars and footrests fit perfectly. Where tall pilots complain about a slightly tight knee angle with the Ducati Scrambler, the newly designed arrangement helps to achieve a nicely assembled riding posture. Special requests can be met with different heights of the handlebar halves and a lowering by 20 millimeters using modified spring plates. Also on request and at an additional cost, high-quality and fully adjustable North German spring goods from Wilbers will soon be available. The use of the Metisse-Ducati CR 800 on country roads should once again sweeten this, because properly tackled routes quickly push the underdamped original part to its limits (see also the top test of the Ducati Scrambler in MOTORRAD 6/2015). The upside-down fork, on the other hand, plays well, and the very good single-disc front brake fits perfectly. Appropriately contoured tires would improve the handling, which is already good, and enable more precise turning, but the chassis stability is flawless. 

75 hp is fun as hell

The engine is clearly at the center of the experience. For years they have sold us mountain-and-valley performance curves or bitchy responsiveness as emotional, and now we are experiencing a sure-footed, predictable and powerfully revving unit, whose civilization has only one goal: pleasurable locomotion. The great sound has a psychological effect, the "short" final translation like physical doping, the conclusion is quickly drawn: 75 hp can be fun as hell.

This of course applies equally to Ducati Scrambler and Metisse-Ducati CR 800, but that’s the way it is: some read flowery social novels to relax, other crime novels – and the difference is comparable here too. Those who prefer the harder version can contact selected dealers. They deliver a Metisse-Ducati fully assembled, including a factory warranty. Or they install the corresponding parts. 

Of course, you can also screw it on yourself and then have everything duly entered with the enclosed test certificates. If you choose the uncut version with slightly wider seating instead of the version shown here with a slightly shortened rear frame and narrow bench, you can even upgrade it if necessary. Because there are phases in life in which a flowery social novel is just the thing. In theory, anyway.

Information and technical data

Siemer

Horst edler.

About the person: Horst Edler (in the picture behind the Metisse-KTM CR 690) has always liked fast things, for years he was an importer of Harris chassis. The 55-year-old rock lover now runs a well-known accessories company. At www.metisse.de there is more information on the modifications.

Technical data Metisse scrambler

Engine: air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 90-degree V-engine, 803 cm³, 55 kW (75 PS) at 8250 rpm;

Chassis and body: Tubular tubular steel frame, upside-down fork, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum, spring strut, directly hinged, hump seat made of polished light metal

Wheel and tires: Cast aluminum wheels, 3.00 x 18 front, 5.50 x 17 rear, tires 110/80 R 18 front, 180/55 S 17 rear, Pirelli MT 60 RS; Tank: polished light metal, capacity 11.5 liters

Top speed: about 200 km / h

Price: completely from 12,990 euros
Basic kit, consisting of seat including LED taillight and license plate holder and lighting and tank including all brackets: 2995 euros

Extras: Among other things, carbon side covers and lower panels (399 euros), aluminum handlebar stubs (275 euros), lowering 20 mm (129 euros) 

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