The Ducati Scrambler Icon is a cafe racer motorcycle from Ducati. It was launched in 2015 and is still on sale. Café racers take their look from 1960s British racers: a low handlebar, a slim tank and minimal bodywork. With a 803 cc engine it sits in the big-bike, 800 cc-plus class.
Power comes from a 803 cc twin-cylinder air-cooled engine that makes 71.87 bhp at 8,250 rpm and 65.2 Nm of torque at 7,000 rpm. Its bore is wider than its stroke (88 mm x 66 mm), a short-stroke layout that generally favours higher revs. Divide power by kerb weight and it has about 394 PS per tonne; by that measure, it is genuinely fast, well beyond everyday traffic speeds. The claimed top speed is 299 km/h. It has electric start.
It has a 6-speed manual gearbox with a 1-down, 5-up shift pattern, and a chain carries drive to the rear wheel. Its slipper clutch lightens the lever and stops the rear wheel hopping when you downshift hard.
It is built around a tubular steel trellis frame. Suspension is by upside down kayaba 41 mm fork at the front and kayaba rear shock, pre-load adjustable at the rear. Braking is by a disc at the front and a disc at the rear, with dual-channel ABS. ABS on both wheels keeps either tyre from locking under hard braking. It rides on 18-inch front and 17-inch rear alloy wheels with tubeless tyres — 110/80 - R18 at the front and 180/55 - R17 at the rear.
The seat is 795 mm off the ground, which is about average and suits most riders. It weighs 185 kg ready to ride, which is on the heavy side, so moving it by hand takes some effort. Ground clearance is 176 mm — enough for most speed breakers. It is 2,100 mm long, with 1,449 mm between the axles. Its 13.5 L fuel tank and claimed mileage of 19 kmpl work out to roughly 257 km per tankful on paper; real-world range is usually lower.
Equipment includes a digital instrument console, an LED headlamp, USB charging port, turn-by-turn navigation, call and SMS alerts, distance-to-empty readout, gear position indicator, riding modes, average speed indicator and daytime running lamps, among others. Safety equipment includes engine kill switch, hazard light switch, traction control and automatic headlamp on.
The manufacturer's warranty is 2 years/Unlimited kms. For the Ducati Scrambler Icon, Mechiee offers a fixed ₹11,999 doorstep service.
It is best suited to riders who want retro style as much as performance. With this much performance, it is better as a step-up bike than a first bike.
Recommended tyre pressures are 36 psi front and 36 psi rear riding alone, and 36 psi front and 42 psi rear with a pillion. Its chain drive needs regular cleaning, lubrication and slack adjustment.
