Ducati has officially acknowledged its well-known Scrambler model today, after giving its employees an sneak peak over the machine at Borgo Panigale. A 2015 model year machine, the Ducati Scrambler is being pitched as a fun motorcycle that hearkens back to the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Debuting in autumn of this year, the 2015 Ducati Scrambler is tipped to use one of the company’s smaller air-cooled v-twin motors. Said to have wide handlebars and off-road inklings, Ducati describes the machine as “simple” – perhaps signaling the company’s intention for an affordable two-wheeler that will appeal to both motorcycle enthusiasts, and those outside the industry, alike.
Creating a dedicated Tumblr blog for the new Scrambler model, Ducati seems to be targeting both the surf and hipster crowds, with nods towards both the surf culture (the company built a mini beach at Borgo Panigale for its employee teaser), along with notable longing for a nostalgic past.
The move can’t help but feel too like a push for a “Honda Nicest People” moment, where a machine that offers a more generally understandable proposistion of being fun and approachable for new riders is being built and marketed.
No thrills, basic, and affordable seem to be Ducati’s M/O here — it will be interesting to see what electronic packages are made standard on the Scrambler, if any.
Grabbing some stills from their promotional video, we can see the flat track styled tires used for the Scrambler, as well as the cooling fins for the air-cooled motor (which we can also see in the bike’s sketch below).
Punching out the exposure on the bike silhouettes, we can see a two-tone fuel tank that has metallic accents — very retro. Lastly, Ducati’s graphic (top of the article) makes us think an LED halo-eyed headlight, built to look like a classic headlamp, will be employed.
In all, the Ducati Scrambler feels like the Steve McQueen inspired summer dream a hipster Italian would have about a motorcycle. Things could get interesting.
Source: Ducati
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