Ducati Scrambler Next-Gen Tour
The Australian leg of the Scrambler Ducati Next-Gen Tour was held recently on the back of a Ducati Dealer meeting and general end-of-year bash for the brand and its stakeholders under Brisbane’s iconic Story Bridge.
A few members of the press were also invited along to gatecrash the party and down free drinks with Ducati ambassador, Vincent Fantauzzo, a celebrated artist whose works adorn almost every wall of the Crystalbrook Vincent Hotel venue. Vincent is also a more than handy rider with a lifelong interest in motorcycling and has his own wide and varied growing collection of motorcycles.
But the primary attraction was getting up close and personal with the latest Scrambler range for the first time in Australia. This second generation of Scrambler is referred to as ‘Next-Gen’ by Ducati, and was first unveiled last year at EICMA with the ‘Icon’, ‘Full Throttle’ and ‘Nightshift’ variants.
The Aussie reveal was held after similar events staged in London, Milan, Munich, Paris, Madrid, Vienna, Tokyo and Mexico over recent months.
The new Scrambler has shed a few kilograms despite gaining a much-improved suite of electronics and rides on an all-new chassis.
A new swing-arm pivots off a repositioned Kayaba shock moved closer to the centre of the bike and like the forks, is adjustable for pre-load and offers 150 mm of travel.
A new 4.3-inch colour TFT screen features a funky and adaptable new interface.
The power (73 hp) and torque (65.2 Nm) figures are unchanged but do arrive a little lower in the rev range than before. The clutch is now lighter and more compact and Ducati has made improvements to the shift drum.
Customisation is also key with the Icon model in particular somewhat of a chameleon thanks to easily changeable 13.5-litre teardrop tanks and bodywork through nine different hues.
In recent years Scrambler has been a huge success for Ducati with more than 100,000 examples finding homes across the globe.
Ducati ANZ Director – Mr. Sergi Canovas
“Scrambler for us has always been about celebrating the joy of riding and a sense of unrivalled self- expression. Being able to present this new bike, under the stars and the amazing Story Bridge and surrounded by the incredible art of Vincent Fantauzzo, is the perfect way to launch the new Scrambler Ducati here in Australia.”
The Night Shift model instead adopts spoked rims.
All ride on a Pirelli MT60 RS 110/80-18 front and 180/55-17 rear.
A standard seat height of 795 mm is the same across all three versions, which can be bumped up to 810 mm with the tall seat accessory, or down to 780 mm with the low seat accessory.
Brakes are unchanged, with a Brembo four-piston radial caliper on 330 mm front rotor up front aided by a single-piston 245 mm rear.
The Ducati Scrambler Icon, Full Throttle and Nightshift models are now available in Australian Ducati dealerships.
2023 Ducati Scrambler 800 Specifications
| 2023 Ducati Scrambler Nightshift [Icon] (Full Throttle) | |
| Engine | L-Twin, Desmodromic distribution, 2 valves per cylinder, air cooled |
| Capacity | 803 cc |
| Bore x stroke | 88 x 66 mm |
| Compression | 11:01 |
| Max Power | 73 hp (53.6 kW) @ 8250 rpm |
| Max Torque | 48.1 lb-ft (65.2 Nm) @ 7000 rpm |
| Fueling | Electronic fuel injection, 50 mm throttle body with Ride-by-Wire system |
| Exhaust | Stainless steel muffler with catalytic converter and 2 lambda probes, aluminium tail pipes (Termignoni – Full Throttle only) |
| Gearbox | 6 speed |
| Gearing | Straight cut gears, Ratio 1.85:1 |
| Final Drive | Chain, front spocket 15, rear sprocket 46 |
| Clutch | Hydraulically controlled slipper and self-servo wet multiplate clutch |
| Frame | Tubular steel Trellis frame |
| Fork | Upside down Kayaba 41 mm fork, 150 mm travel |
| Wheels | Spoked aluminium wheel [Light alloy wheel] 3.00″ x 18″, 5.50″ x 17″ |
| Tyres | Pirelli MT 60 RS 110/80 R18, 180/55 R17 |
| Shock | Kayaba rear shock, pre-load adjustable, 150 mm travel |
| Front Brake | 330 mm disc, radial four-piston calliper with Bosch Cornering ABS as standard equipment |
| Rear Brake | 245 mm disc, single-piston floating calliper with Bosch Cornering ABS as standard equipment |
| Dash | 4.3″ TFT colour display |
| Weight Dry | 176 kg [170 kg] |
| Weight Wet | 191 kg [185 kg] |
| Seat Height | 795 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1.449 mm |
| Rake | 24° |
| Trail | 108 mm |
| Fuel Cap. | 13,5 l (3,57 US gal) |
| Electronics | Riding Mode, Power Mode, ABS Cornering, Ducati Traction Control, Daytime Running Light* |
| Warranty | 24 months unlimited mileage |
| Servicing | 12,000 km / 12 months |
| Valve. Adj. | 12,000 km |
| Emissions | Euro 5 |
