Bikes

The Ducati Scrambler 400 Spotted?

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Italian magazine Motociclismo has what it says are the first spy shots of the rumored Ducati Scrambler 400, the small-displacement sibling to the current Ducati Scrambler.

While normally it is easy to distinguish a new motorcycle model when it’s on the street, the photos from Motociclismo offer us little insight into how the Scrambler 400 is different from its 803cc kin. Checkout the photos on Motociclismo.it, and you will see what we mean.

This would suggest that we can expect to see a very familiar looking motorcycle make its debut at EICMA in two weeks’ time, with the most noticeable different being the Scrambler 400’s lack of upside-down forks.

Of course, the whole point behind the Ducati Scrambler 400 is to tap into the A2 licensing structure found outside the USA, which limits learning riders to machines of 47hp or less, with a minimum weight of 175 kg (385 lbs).

Since the current crop of Ducati Scramblers make 75hp each, they are not suited to bringing motorcyclists who are still stuck with the European Union’s tiered licensing system.

It is therefore obviously to Ducati’s advantage to make a machine that fits within the A2 license structure, as well as the tiered licensing systems found outside of the EU, like in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, etc.

Of course, what will be really interesting to see is if Ducati develops something that fits within the A1 license scheme, namely a 250cc/300cc motorcycle.

No credible rumors of such a bike have been heard yet, but has to imagine that Ducati is considering such a project, especially with all the movement that we’ve seen in that space recently.

Source: Motociclismo

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