If you’re looking to buy your first Ducati, chances are you’re looking at the Scrambler - the company’s most affordable and accessible machine. What may throw a spanner into the works is the fact that it is offered in five variants with a wide price band separating the most affordable from the most expensive. Here, we’ll explain in detail what each variant brings to the table in terms of price and equipment.
All prices ex-showroom, India
Ducati Scrambler variant breakdown
Icon Dark
The most affordable way to buy a brand-new Ducati is to purchase the Icon Dark version of the Scrambler. It may be the base variant but you get essentially the same mechanicals and largely the same styling as the higher versions. As the name suggests, the Icon Dark variant can only be had in one colour - black - and most of the components on the bike also have a blacked-out finish.
Common to the entire Scrambler range is the air/oil-cooled, 803c, V-Twin Desmodue engine making 73hp and 65.2Nm of torque, which is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with a slip/assist clutch. The steel trellis frame and non-adjustable KYB suspension - save for rear preload adjustment - are also shared across all five variants. At Rs 10.65 lakh, the Icon Dark is the most affordable Ducati on sale.
Icon
If you’re not a fan of the stealthy, blacked-out Icon Dark, the Icon is the Scrambler variant for you. While it is mechanically identical to the Dark, the Icon is offered with an option to choose from eight dual-tone colour options and three multi-tone, graphic-heavy paint schemes. At Rs 11.66 lakh, the Icon is a little more than one lakh rupees more expensive than the Icon Dark.
Full Throttle
The sportiest variant in the Ducati Scrambler lineup is the Full Throttle. It also gets one of the highest levels of equipment in the entire range. A road-legal Termignoni slip-on exhaust and Ducati’s bidirectional quickshifter are standard on the Full Throttle - these parts are accessories on the other variants. Only one colour is on offer - black with gold wheels. At Rs 13.47 lakh, the Full Throttle is nearly 2 lakh rupees more than the one below it.
Nightshift
If you want your Scrambler to take the form factor of a retro cafe racer, then the Nightshift is the variant to buy. It has a lower, flatter ‘bar and relatively rearset footpegs compared to the other variants. Bespoke cosmetic touches include a pair of wire-spoke rims (these thankfully permit tubeless tyres), a tan brown quilted leather seat, bar-end mirrors and a unique green colour. The Nightshift is priced the same as the Full Throttle, at Rs 13.47 lakh.
10° Anniversario Rizoma Edition
Built to celebrate a decade of Ducati’s most affordable model in the modern age, the Scrambler Rizoma edition is mechanically identical to the other variants but gets a generous smattering of Rizoma components and a new colour scheme. Parts like the fuel filler cap, handlebar-end weights, brake and clutch levers as well as the footpegs are CNC machined from lightweight aluminium.
This edition is also draped in a bespoke colour called Stone White / Metal Rose, with some parts, such as the windscreen, timing belt covers, frame covers, engine case covers and rider foot pegs, finished in ‘Metal Rose’. Limited to just 500 units, it is more of a collector’s item than a standard-issue variant in the Scrambler lineup. At Rs 17.10 lakh, it is priced to reflect that and costs significantly more than some 1000cc machines from established Japanese brands.
Ved Janve
Vishal Venugopal
Azaman Chothia
