Intermot 2014: Ducati Scrambler revealed

IF there's one new bike at this year's Cologne motorcycle show which may not come as a suprise to all of you, it's Ducati's Scrambler.

After a drip feed of teaser images lasting months, Ducati has finally unveiled the whole thing, and some specifications.

That puts us in a position to finally tell you firmly that, as we predicted, it's powered by the air-cooled 803cc V-twin engine from the Monster 796, which has been 'redesigned to give smooth acceleration throughout the rev range' and makes 75hp and 50lbft.

Ducati's press release insists the Scrambler's 'not a retro bike'. However, it patently is, with its teardrop shaped steel tank with aluminium side panels.

It's got a twin-spar steel trellis frame, a die-cast aluminium swingarm, an 18-inch 10-spoke alloy front wheel and 17-inch rear, 'enduro-derived' Pirelli tyres and Brembo brakes with a single disc up front and two-channel ABS as standard.

The suspension, from Kayaba, consists of a 41mm upside-down fork and a monoshock with adjustable spring preload.

According to Ducati there's 'spacious under-seat storage' hidden somewhere, with a USB socket.   

It's got a low seat height of 790mm and also a low-centre-gravity according to Ducati, while the claimed dry weight is a fairly trim 170kg.

Wide bars give a 'relaxed riding position' and it's got LED lights front and rear and a digital instrument panel.

While Ducati acknowledges it's a 'comtemporay take' on the 250 and 450cc Scramblers it made in the '60s and '70s, the firm says it's 'post heritage' rather than retro, showing 'just how the legendary motorcycle would be today if Ducati had never stopped building it'. 

It certainly feels like they never stopped marketing it.

It comes in yellow or red, with a black seat and frame either way.

Ducati's release said: 'The Scrambler name has much in common with the verb to scramble - mixing up, blending, letting the imagination run free, sharing with others. Ducati Scrambler, the two-wheeled alter ego of those who ride it, is a cultural movement in and of itself. It’s free-spirited, positive and anti-conformist, open to encounters with other philosophies and styles. Ducati Scrambler isn’t just a bike, it’s a world.'

Okeydokey.