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Ducati Scrambler Classic, Moto Guzzi V7 II Scrambler and Triumph Scrambler

All just show?

What are scramblers? The predecessors of enduro bikes at the time, the current models are at first glance little more than street bikes. So all just show? Or is there something going on? MOTORRAD tries it out.

We are in the Italian Alps, somewhere between Turin and Grenoble. The sun peeks shyly from behind the mountain ridges. The thermometer reports slight plus degrees. Three tired faces look to the day. Very different from the scramblers before us. They’re just waiting to finally fill their combustion chambers with fuel. Scrambler? I agree. Kraxler in the literal sense. No sophisticated enduro rolls. Why? Quite simply: none of the trio of travelers is a real scree professional. Before the fun goes down through being overwhelmed, we prefer to make it one size smaller and with style. Because the street model-based rough toller category is just really blossoming. Triumphs S.crambler (9840 euros) has been part of the English program for ages. Ducati launched its own version in 2014 (here: Classic 9790 euros) with the old, air-cooled monster engine. And for the V7 models, Moto Guzzi has recently started offering a scrambler conversion kit (basic model Special 9,190 euros plus parts kit for around 4,400 euros). So all three are not yet suitable for hair-raising jumps or tricky, rock-riddled passages. It should be enough for fun paddling over unpaved ground. So now enough of the preface. Gentlemen, start your engines.

Ducati Scrambler Classic, Moto Guzzi V7 II Scrambler and Triumph Scrambler

All just show?

Ducati Scrambler Classic set the pace. Speed ​​through the countless hairpin bends with ease and verve. More work is required on the Triumph Scrambler. Every kilo can be felt during curve dancing. We haven’t put a meter of gravel under our wheels yet. The Englishwoman tries stubbornly to stay tuned. Your engine is doing its best. But no luck. Better to run relaxed, the British. That fits better into their concept. In front of us, the tar ribbon stops spontaneously. From now on, concrete is only available in cuboid form to limit the route to the valley side. Better stay on top. The Triumph takes its place in the back, allowing the other gentleman-like way to go. And will be punished for it immediately. Dust fills the air. Crap, rookie mistake. The English scrambler grants the other lead, the view improves.

Triumph Scrambler is practically indestructible

Straight ahead, the Triumph Scrambler wipes almost weightlessly over the slope, cleverly concealing its 235 kilograms live weight. Decent studs (Bridgestone Trailwing) and the 19 inch front wheel work wonders. Until the first turn. Just think of the rear brake and the tire is already there. At the front it doesn’t look much better with the dosability. The driver’s brain works at top performance. It can’t go on like this. Relax, take the path as your goal, let me walk on the long leash, the Brit intervenes. Yeah, that’s it. The Triumph Scrambler paves its way like a trialer, responds gently to gas commands, masters every tricky passage. Not quickly and certainly without speed. But she’s getting through. And best of all, it’s practically indestructible. Like the thick metal jacket on an icebreaker, massive motor protection prevents cold deformation. He hits hard several times. But as a driver you know very well that there was nothing except a few scratches.

Break. Thick fog pushes over the top of the pass. Moisture penetrates the clothes. The clouds just stick to the ridge. We exchange the motorcycles. When visibility is zero, the next stage leads a bit downhill. The twin of the Moto Guzzi V7 II Scrambler thunders as nicely as a marine diesel. Of course, he too is running out of breath at the top, even sooner than triumph. In return, he pushes like a Lanz Bulldog from idle. At least felt. A characteristic made for these paths, on which no two large enduro bikes are allowed to meet. The old V2 still exudes the legendary flair of a cement mixer. This does not make the eagle ruler of the mountains, but it turns on. Stones fly through the air. Short intermediate sprint over an asphalt passage, then unpaved terrain awaits us again.

Minitrail insert from the Guzzi Scrambler

Now the tree line is the next target. Cold spreads. And yet you smile. Deep down inside you. Feel satisfaction. You know: Right here you have to be now. With exactly these bikes. As if the Moto Guzzi V7 II Scrambler had heard that, it turns off a mini trail as a small special test. Here it mercilessly shows its weight advantage over the Triumph Scrambler. A good 30 kilos less is a word. The Englishwoman prefers to stand still. Just watch – all to yourself enough. That’s enough. The Guzzi easily swings up the slope. Benefit from the full blow of their cylinders at the bottom. Once at the top, it’s even enough for a little hop over a bump. Demand, not overwhelm. That counts here and now today. The Guzzi is the right partner for this.

Oil filter and having fun a hole

And the Ducati Scrambler Classic? Instead of following the Moto Guzzi V7 II Scrambler through the washed-out stream bed, it looked for and found the long way outside. Too exposed your oil filter peeps out between the beautiful manifold pipes, too sharp-edged the rocks threaten with fatal impact. But up the curved gravel pass, in the liquid passages, you don’t fool anyone. The queen of the ice cream parlor makes the most daring scrambler. Lighter, stronger, handier, more modern. And that applies to every surface.

The Pirelli MT60 RS digs well when dry. It’s sprung hard, almost too hard, so bottoming out is definitely not an issue – so the Scrambler-Ducati hops lightly up the Colle, whirling up the dust that takes the view away from the others. Sure, it too will soon reach its limits, but they are a good deal higher up. In spite of all the cosiness, this arouses a bit of sporting spirit – deactivates the ABS, lets the yellow mountain goat find the way with gas while standing in the pauses, downshifts before the bend, steers in, legs out, gas. And straight out of the curve in flat tracker style. Then again, turn by turn, she mills her way up the mountain. Apparently nothing can stop them, except – plonk! – a fat Wacken the size of a nice smoked ham. Where did that come from? The angular cracks around, the V2 vomits its lifeblood, a long black line in the gravel, oil filter and having fun a hole. End of story, nothing to add. Overwhelmed?

Street bikes with a bit of off-road chichi

The Triumph driver stands below, grinning. The stumbling block packed, now gravity has to carry the chic Ducati Scrambler Classic into the distant valley – for the purpose of repair work and dutiful NaBu donation. The lesson? Climbing in a sporty way is better than expected, almost good. But it doesn’t go well for long. At least not here and not without engine protection. But just like its ancestors, the heartbreakingly beautiful single-cylinder scramblers of the 60s and 70s, which unfortunately never made it to Germany officially, this Ducati doesn’t want to be a performance motorcycle at all. It stands for proven monster functionality in a trendy, minimalist, retro-charming outfit. You look great on it even when rolling downhill. And you just feel good, so carefree with a jet helmet and sunglasses. Even the pitying looks of the EXC drivers and their malicious grins I could have told you right away bounce off. 

Soon the Ducati Scrambler will be re-filtered and refilled, the boldness has got rid of its wetness, and then with the necessary care, it swings up the Assietta in a row with the others. Isn’t it much nicer together anyway?? 

The last ridge breaks through the clouds in front of us. Now just quickly find a flat piece for the mobile hut made of fabric. The scramblers have worked enough for today. Their elbows with a crackling sound announce the day’s work. The tent is up. You could only go higher on foot. But that would be a different story. Bread and ham circle against hunger, the good red one helps against the chill. We let our thoughts wander, hang behind what we have experienced. From a factual point of view, with all the fun we have already misappropriated them a little, the scramblers. At heart they are street bikes with a bit of off-road chichi. A serious scrambler should be slimmer, more robust, with more ground clearance, more single-cylinder – and above all cheaper. The latter is especially true for the ambitious total price of the Moto Guzzi V7 II Scrambler. Just like our camera vehicle, an old Honda SLR 650. Those at Honda guessed what was coming 20 years ago. But that’s another story, too. In any case, we had the greatest fun today, precisely because our Kraxelmaxe with their manageable terrain expertise drove away any performance ideas. Asphalt cowboys, in boots and jeans instead of a protector vest and cross helmet, with style over hill and dale. If you want to achieve something, there are often many paths that lead to the goal. There was only one for us. And that was exactly the right one. With exactly these motorcycles.

The scrambler

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Out and about with Ducati Scrambler Classic, Moto Guzzi V7 II Scrambler and Triumph Scrambler.

Triumph scrambler

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Triumph scrambler

Air-cooled two-cylinder in-line engine, 865 cm³, 43.0 kW (59 PS), 69 Nm, steel double loop frame, front / rear disc brake Ø 310/255 mm, wheelbase 1500 mm, steering head angle 62.2 degrees, spring travel v./h. 120/106 mm, seat height 825 mm, weight with a full tank of 235 kg, tank 16 liters. 

Ducati Scrambler Classic

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Ducati Scrambler Classic

Air-cooled two-cylinder V-engine, 803 cm³, 55 kW (75 PS), 68 Nm, steel space frame, disc brakes front / rear Ø 330/245 mm, wheelbase 1445 mm, steering head angle 66 degrees, spring travel v./h. 150/150 mm, seat height 790 mm, weight with a full tank of 189 kg, tank 13.5 liters.

Moto Guzzi V7 II Scrambler

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Moto Guzzi V7 II Scrambler

Air-cooled two-cylinder V-engine, 744 cm³, 35 kW (48 PS), 58 Nm, steel double loop frame, front / rear disc brake Ø 320/260 mm, wheelbase 1435 mm, steering head angle 62.5 degrees, spring travel v./h. 130/111 mm, seat height 790 mm, weight with a full tank 205 kg, tank 21 liters.

Data and measured values

MOTORCYCLE

Power on the crankshaft. Measurements on the Dynojet roller test stand 250, corrected according to 95/1 / EG, maximum possible deviation ± 5%

Similar performance curves, completely different characters. Right at the bottom, the Moto Guzzi pushes pretty powerfully, the maximum torque is at a diesel 3100 revs. After that there is not much left. The Triumph is completely different: on paper it delivers a nice torque plateau up to 6000 rpm. In reality, however, you hardly notice it, it feels lethargic across the entire speed range. Why is it? The many pounds that slow you down noticeably. The Ducati is clearly the most fiery scrambler – pressure in the basement, strong middle, revving and top performance far beyond the other two. Fun off-road and on the road.

Ducati Scrambler Classic Moto Guzzi V7 II Scrambler Triumph scrambler
Top speed 195 km / h 160 km / h 165 km / h
0 – 100 km / h 4.1 s 6.0 s 5.7 s
0 – 140 km / h 7.6 s 12.5 s 10.9 s
60 – 100 km / h 4.2 s 5.6 s  5.4 s
100 – 140 km / h 4.5 s 9.7 s 8.3 s
Consumption passes test 5.6 l / 100km 5.7 l / 100km 6.4 l / 100km
Range passes 241 km 368 km 250 km

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