Surf, skate, pop music, motorcycles…
Sounds like a great idea for one of those list T-shirts, right? But it is actually the approach from Ducati for its Scrambler Sixty2, and it represents a major deviation from the racing heritage the marque has successfully built and maintained in recent times.
Scrambler has been set-up by Ducati as a brand to stand on its own.
A separate entity, a return to Ducati’s more innocent roots. Late in 2015, Ducati identified multiple directions forward and this one appears to be based around the late ’50s and early ’60s eras – like a post-modern take on Gidget, the 1959 film starring Sandra Dee and James Darren.
It’s somewhat kitsch – especially the Scrambler’s social media campaign in the form of a head-scratching cartoon series chronicling the adventures of Bart, a skateboard riding gorilla who also rides a Scrambler and his attempts to woo Betty, a BMX bandit – and it’s supposed to be.
Where it draws parallels with the film is both attempt to make what has been previously seen as a ‘counterculture’ mainstream.
What impresses me straight away about the Sixty2 for all intents and purposes is it looks exactly the same as the 800cc Scrambler released in 2015 – one of the most popular bikes at Cycle Torque last year, if not the world.
Only discerning Scrambleristi will be able to tell them apart… mostly by the colour variations.
The whole Scrambler range hangs its hook on fun performance and impressive looks which are androgynous, adventurous and expressive, appearing intent on capturing the new and ever-growing younger and female markets.
Does this mean Ducati’s Sixty2 Scrambler has only been produced to smell like teen spirit? Or, is it something more?
The engine and performance
The 400cc air-cooled and fuel-injected engine isn’t the prettiest looking thing you will ever see from the Italian marque.
It looks like the engine has been repurposed from an older bike.
That’s because it has.
From the exterior, it’s the same engine as the 800cc Scrambler but machined differently.
The power-plant is based on the 796 Monster made from 2010-14. Internals have been redesigned to halve the capacity.
Besides the Frankenstein-esque looks, the performance of the 399cc L-twin stands out and exceeds expectation.
There is a good spread throughout the bottom-end of the rev range which provides a great lesson for riders in how to use it to your advantage.
This means you can be a bit lazier than normal, able to enjoy time spent in heavy traffic because it’s so much fun short-shifting the first three gears to get out in front of other road users.
You can also keep a higher gear in turns because the Sixty2 has no troubles accelerating out of them in lower revs.
The mid-range engine response gives the impression the smaller-capacity Scrambler will run out of puff but this is not the case – take the engine up towards its redline and you are in the meat of the bike’s torque and power.
All of this means the potential for fun on the Scrambler Sixty2 is available at both cruising and near redline speeds, which will suit most buyers just fine.
Cornering ease and flick-ability is balanced with a safe feeling of stability throughout turns.
The brakes, like most of the top bikes in the mid-capacity LAMS category are safe and reliable, ABS comes standard, is non-obtrusive and works in an emergency stop.
Scrutiny is found in initial bite when pushed harder.
The same goes with the suspension in the form of non-adjustable Showa forks and a Kayaba rear shock with preload-adjustment only.
It’s perfectly acceptable in city situations and enables riders to enjoy themselves in the twists, again once it is pushed to the edge of its design brief, both ends will start to complain.
It’s a complicated equation the 400cc-and-under market finds itself in because they weigh next to nothing and the engines are easily capable of licence-losing speeds.
If Ducati provided more stopping power by increasing the initial bite of the front brakes on their lightweight Sixty2, it will more than likely cause the wheel to lock sooner because weight cannot be shifted to the front wheel in a time which slows the bike down, which means changes to the suspension and so on…
Getting everything ‘right’ is simply impossible.
It is a delicate balancing act which Ducati has pretty well got covered on the Sixty2.
The seating position is upright and comfy, with a good distance between the seat, ‘pegs and ‘bars for a 190+ cm rider.
The seat height is quite low and makes it easy to throw a leg over and put your feet down. For any long distance, day after day stuff like motocamping,
I would consider the Comfort seat from the Sixty2 accessory catalogue to raise the seat height and provide a bit more comfort. Initially, I found an issue with the location of the ‘pegs – they are in that ‘kick your shin’ zone when putting a foot down and locating the ‘pegs.
You soon ‘learn’ where they are.
It is an ephemeral tradeoff for the natural and relaxed position.
How you like it…
I like the fact Ducati has designed a standard exhaust for the Sixty2 Scrambler that looks good straight off the bat.
In fact Ducati has over 50 accessories to make the Sixty2 your own, so it’s being marketed as a highly customisable bike.
Unlike a lot of others, the exhaust is one thing which doesn’t need replacing before the bike turns a wheel.
If I owned the bike and felt compelled to change it, I’d go all out and put the high-swept Race Line accessory exhaust on.
For me, living near the coast this bike screams out to get the surf-style treatment.
Putting on a set of waterproof side bags or a rear bag for the wetsuit/boardies and towel, plus I’d either look at a set of spoked rims for extra style, with a set of road-focussed tyres.
I’d also source a helmet lock and surfboard rack.
People say the rack would make the bike unsafe, but living on the coast you see countless scooter-riding surfers living the dream, so I’m sure where there’s a will, there’s a way.
That would make the Scrambler Sixty2 the ultimate lifestyle-bike in my opinion.
This is what the Scrambler Sixty2 is all about, and a huge reason for buying one – you can make it ‘yours’.
Is it too cool?
The other big range of Scrambler accessories is the lifestyle gear – riding jackets, boots, pants, gloves, T-shirts, hats, coffee mugs, camping gear…
You name it, Scrambler has its name all over it.
It is all undeniably cool, but it should only be worn sparingly or it might end up having adverse affects, like some very passionate brand lovers – you know who they are.
We took the Sixty2 down to the beach for a photo shoot and it was surprising how often people were stopping us to talk about the bike.
A few were familiar with it because they were riders, but the majority weren’t riders at all.
The Scrambler is a bike which peaked their interest in motorcycling.
Yes, this bike creates a certain type of teen spirit.
It might make Kurt Cobain roll in his grave, but that doesn’t take anything away from Ducati, who has identified something people want to feel a part of.
From the perspective of Cycle Torque’s audience as a motorcycle magazine review, Ducati’s Scrambler Sixty2 is a peach of a motorcycle in the under 400cc market – it’s easy to handle, begs to be customised, looks great and provides reliable performance. But is it for you?
Who is it for?
As a package, it is so much fun to ride. But the jury is still out on whether Ducati’s Sixty2 Scrambler will attract the wallets of people who have been traditionally labelled as ‘real’ motorcyclists – learners or otherwise – and whoever they may be, it isn’t being squarely aimed at them.
In that school of thought, the Sixty2 is a bit too expensive at $11,990 plus on-roads considering there are other bikes which provide just as much fun with similar levels of performance, available for roughly half the money.
But they aren’t Scramblers.
The Scrambler buyer wants one because they want one and nothing else will do.
It’s marketed as a bike for those who aspire to ride not because it dominates their way of life, it compliments it.
Little will they know how quickly the passion can take hold.
Modern-looking motorcycles do not and cannot provide the same attraction.
Bikes are seen by these others as an appliance used to get through the daily grind.
The Sixty2 is a great escape for those who want to feel like they are living for today more than tomorrow – surfing, skating, whatevering their way up and down the coast to the next music festival or other boat-floating activity (and perhaps working from time to time, too).
The big question is would you rather create those memories and filterless photos in a Wicked Camper around OZ or on a Contiki tour abroad?
Or, would you rather spend similar money doing it on something like this?
I pick the Scrambler hands down!