THEGAYUK

Tag: Ducati

  • MOTORCYCLE REVIEW | Ducati 1100 Scrambler Sport

    MOTORCYCLE REVIEW | Ducati 1100 Scrambler Sport

    ★★★★★ | Ducati 1100 Scrambler Sport

    With the decline is sports bike sales, manufacturers have had to look elsewhere. They have had to find more creative ways to sell motorcycles and one of the ways has been to develop categories such as adventure and retro bikes. That’s brilliant for me, I love both.

    Ducati has arguably one of the most distinctive retro models on the market at the moment with the scrambler range of motorcycles. They have created a stylish, alluring range that is modern with a provenance that can be traced back to the Ducati Scramblers of the ’60s & ’70s, for many of us these were the bikes of our youth. It’s all in the genes.

    The Scrambler 1100 range consists of; standard 1100, the Special and the Sport. Our test bike was the sport which means it had fully-adjustable Öhlins suspension all ‘round, very sexy.

    Ducati has fitted fully adjustable 48mm USD forks at the front and a fully adjustable Öhlins unit at the rear. Both are superb and needed little or no adjustment apart from a sniff more preload at the rear as I am probably best described as ‘well built’.

    For the Sport, Weight is up very slightly from the standard bike’s 186kg to 189kg, probably due to the Öhlins suspension which is well worth it.

    Brakes are excellent, very progressive and incredibly capable. They lack a bit of initial bite but this is typical of modern bikes with ABS. Ducati has fitted twin 320mm discs with Brembo radial monobloc callipers at the front and a 245mm disc, with single-piston at the rear. As you would expect, cornering ABS is standard equipment.

    Styling is a real focus of this bike, we’ll come back to this point shortly. A steel teardrop fuel tank with interchangeable aluminium side panels dominates your view. It’s unique and looks great in my opinion. Wheels are machine-finished 10-spoke, flat-track style and really work for me.

    With the comfortable, flat seat, wide bars and retro styling, the Scrambler is gorgeous. It’s thoroughly modern but beautifully retro. Simply, the best of both worlds.

    I even found myself wearing different riding gear to suit the style of the bike. Tucano Urbano Sneaker Marty motorcycle boots, Richa Infinity 2 jacket and Richa black motorcycle jeans. This definitely suited the style of bike and riding and was really comfortable.

    Ducati has used the 1100cc (1,079 cc) air-cooled L-twin engine which has been around for a while now but is dripping with character and is a punchy engine.

    As is usual with modern motorcycles, there is a full suite of electronics to keep us safe. Traction Control, 3 Riding Modes (Active, Journey and City), Ducati Safety Pack (Cornering ABS + DTC- traction control), RbW (fly by wire throttle).

    I never changed the rider modes. It doesn’t make crazy power so I just left it in the top mode, Active.

    Off-road I think it might help to soften the power to gain traction. By the way, the underside of scrambler sport is completely unprotected, so if you do go off-road, be mindful.

    Power is a relatively modest 85bhp and 88Nm of torque. This coupled with the retro styling did concern me a little before I picked the bike up. I was worried it could be a little form over function. I didn’t need to bother, it’s a great bike.

    I’m not sure how Ducati have done it. Or even if it is intentional, but the Scrambler is dripping with character. In the morning, when you first fire it up, it has a reluctance that our bikes of old used to have. After a few moments it’s perfectly on song but, first thing, it’s like waking a grumpy teenager. This is not a complaint. In a world where everything works perfectly all the time, it’s a welcome characteristic and makes the bike feel alive.

    While we’re on the subject of character, Ducati has done a great job with the standard exhausts. They bark and pop and generally make a lovely noise. I don’t know how they have done it with ever-tightening legislation, but good for you Ducati.

    What’s it like to ride? It’s really good fun. The gearbox is excellent, with easy clutchless up changes through the ‘box. The suspension is very good and the bike loves to lean.

    Brake hard for a roundabout, pitch the bike on its side in 2nd gear and accelerate hard out again and you’ll be smiling from ear to ear. Leant over, under power, it’s very sure-footed, even on the Pirelli MT60RS semi knobbly tyres. The bike doesn’t move around or feel twitchy at all. This is a very friendly bike to ride at any speed.

    On a motorway, it’s fine up to the legal limit or a bit above. On a private road we got it up to 120mph but after about 90mph, with no wind protection, it gets a bit hard work.

    Where this bike comes alive is everywhere else! B-roads, A-roads, city centres, everywhere. It a hooligan but is made to make you smile.

    The throttle response is excellent and nicely progressive and the wide bars felt a little high at first, but after a few miles, you feel completely at home.

    One of the key features for me is that It’s very friendly. The Scrambler 1100 Sport doesn’t have massive power, but easily enough to have a lot of fun. It is great at low-speed manoeuvring, it’s comfortable, it’s a bit of a hooligan but completely predictable and it looks amazing. What’s not to like. This is a massive win in my book, I’m a big fan.

    Power: 85bhp@7500rpm
    Torque: 65ftlb@4750rpm
    Weight: 189kg (dry)
    Fuel capacity: 15 litres
    Front suspension: Öhlins 48mm USD fully adjustable forks
    Rear suspension: Öhlins fully adjustable single shock
    Engine: 1079cc air-cooled 4 valve L-twin
    Front brakes: 2x320mm discs, 4-piston Monobloc Brembo calliper with cornering ABS
    Rear brake: 245mm disc, single-piston calliper
    Seat height: 810mm
    Price: Scrambler range starts at £10,795

  • MOTORCYCLE REVIEW | Ducati Monster 797

    MOTORCYCLE REVIEW | Ducati Monster 797

    ★★★★ | Ducati Monster 797

    Ducati’s Monster has been credited as the genesis of the naked bike niche. The bike that started the street bike revolution.

    Ducati introduced the Monster in 1993, designed by Miguel Angel Galluzzi.

    Famed motorcycle designer, Glynn Kerr, described the Monster design as having “all it needs and no more.”

    With Monster sales eventually accounting for two-thirds or more of Ducati’s output, the bike became the company’s best selling and most profitable model line, essential to the company’s success.

    The Monster has gone down in folklore as the bike that saved Ducati. You simply can’t underestimate the significance of the Monster to Ducati.

    The Monster 797 is the most accessible Ducati with a starting price of just £7,995. This is often considered the entry point to Ducati ownership, the Ferrari of motorcycles.

    Of all the motorcycles I’ve ridden, I’ve never ridden a Ducati. Often admired, always revered, but never had the opportunity to experience it for myself.

    On the way to collect the Monster 797 press bike, I felt the weight of expectation bearing down on me. I was on my way to one of the most illustrious and celebrated motorcycle manufacturers of all time, to collect arguably one of the most significant models in their long and distinguished history, a Monster.

    Thumbing the start button brings the 73 bhp and the 803 cc 90 degree (L) twin-engine to life. Ducati L twins have a very distinctive sound and feel. They sit somewhere between a smooth Japanese V twin like the SV650 and the irregular, lumpy idle of a Harley. The Ducati has an uneasy but alluring murmur.

    Our press bike only had 250 miles under its belt when I collected it, so mechanically was still very tight. 1st gear engaged with a clunk and my journey began with a ride into the sunny, Northamptonshire afternoon.

    Bars are wide which help the bike turn very well. Immediately you feel at home with the little Monster. It’s such a pretty motorcycle, elegant and muscular, with those wide bars, sculpted, flowing tank, exquisite trellis frame, graceful seat unit and curvaceous double-sided swingarm.

    I found myself looking for reflections at every opportunity, just to see the Monster from someone else’s eyes.

    The heart of the Monster 797 is the 90-degree twin cylinder, 803cc air-cooled engine, with 2 desmodromically actuated valves per cylinder.

    Electronic fuel injection delivers its elixir through 50mm throttle bodies.

    Front forks are 43mm Kayaba USD non-adjustable units, complemented by a rear Sachs monoshock, adjustable for preload and rebound.

    Tyres are Pirelli Diablo Rosso II and worked very well in all conditions.

    Overall I thought the bike was fairly softly sprung, with a bit of dive on the front end under initial braking. This isn’t entirely fair though as I’m a 47-year-old overweight guy, not exactly representative of the typical Monster 797 owner.

    Front brakes are 320mm semi-floating discs with radially mounted, 4 piston Brembo Monobloc callipers. ABS is standard of course.

    The rear brake is a 245 mm disc with single piston calliper. Brake feel is excellent and the front Brembo’s are superb.

    Instrumentation is basic. There is no gear position indicator or fuel gauge. I missed the fuel gauge but the gear position indicator is more of a luxury that we have come to expect, rather than a necessity. Having no fuel gauge, I opted to refuel every 100 miles. The fuel tank capacity is 16.5 litres and after 100 miles of spirit riding, the fuel light wasn’t ever on, I was just being cautious.

    I’ve covered around 1,000 miles on the Monster 797 on all kind of roads from motorways to A roads, from sprawling urban streets too narrow, winding country lanes and everything in between.

    There are bikes that are better suited to long motorway journeys, but it handled them with ease.

    Where the little Ducati did excel was everywhere else. Wide bars, a nimble and refined chassis and that torquey engine make it a great urban bike. Cutting through the city streets with ease, carving through the winding country lanes and revelling in the flowing A roads, and all with an abundance of character and style.

    My lasting memory of the Monster 797 is how easy it is to ride. This is a very friendly and familiar bike but with passion and vigour.

    The clutch is easy to use, it’s has a seat height of just 805mm, it looks fantastic and is an ownership experience that offers more than most. Placing the keys of a Ducati on the table feels special.

    The Monster 797 is also available for those with a restricted licence, as a version with 35 kW of regulated power.