In 2019 Ducati revised the suspension, increasing the static sag on the rear to improve the ride, making it more forgiving with added travel. With an 18-inch front and 17-inch rear shod with off-road-looking rubber, it shouldn’t really work that well, but it does. I like it, though the riding position encourages you to tuck in and push the lightweight chassis a little more. You feel more compelled to hang off the Scrambler mid-corner rather than sit back and simply turn in a traditional manner. The Scrambler Nightshift encourages a more aggressive riding style I’ve ridden numerous miles on different variants of the Scrambler over the years, and I’m always pleasantly surprised by its sprightly and well-measured performance, which generally proves more than enough for the road, while also comfortably cruising at highway speeds without it feeling out of breath. That flat torque curve gives great drive from anywhere and, combined with typical Scrambler lightness, you soon realise this is anything but a slow bike. Peak torque is at just 5700 rpm so there’s no real need to rev the twin instead, short-shift and enjoy the usability of the Desmo motor. Power delivery is smooth and friendly, and there is a lovely connection to the throttle, even at low speeds. The Scrambler 800 still features the L-twin based on the old Ducati Monster 796 (803cc) engine, with a quoted power output of 72 and 66.2 Nm. Ducati could have gone searching for more power with a modern, water-cooled engine but it wouldn’t have had the visual charm and character of the simple air-cooled L-twin.
These figures may not impress your mates down the pub, but the engine is bulletproof, eminently usable and, importantly in this market, attractive. The single brake at the front is more than sufficient on such a light bike (179kg) that isn’t ever going to be arriving to corner entry at significant speeds, and the ABS is unintrusive, and designed to modulate it’s interference for the situation, so welcome for an early rider or someone returning to a bike after time away.The ‘base’ of the engine is over 10-years-old and outputs 72 hp at 8250rpm and 66.2 Nm at 5700 rpm. At times this means it reacts to a bump for longer than you might hope for, but in reality just helps it to be a comfortable around town or long trip cruiser. The suspension has been softened from the old Scrambler, and while I never rode that bike it does feel like it rides bumpier roads with a sufficient amount of ply.
However it’s nothing that can’t be overcome, and anyone shorter than my 6’2” shouldn’t find the same issues. The handling is also a little compromised by the cramped positioning, meaning some more effort goes into a turn than you might hope for. The Pirelli tyres give decent amounts of grip through both wet and dry and the bar-end mirrors are actually surprisingly good, although the wide and semi-low nature of the handlebars does leave a taller rider feeling a little awkward. Stick in the sweet spot and it’ll sound much more meaty than it actually is (matching the performance-defying looks), a nice low rumble rather than the drone at higher levels from the L-twin motor. Helpfully the twin exhausts also sound much better in this range too, with a slight drone beginning to creep in as you move toward the higher levels. In fact if you keep the throttle pinned without shifting up there is a feeling of tailing off toward the top, so it’s much better to keep it in that idealised range of 5-8k and just use all the torque. Peak power and 66Nm (49lb ft) of torque come at relatively low levels (8,250rpm and 5,700rpm respectively) so there’s no need to absolutely rag the engine to the absolute limit. The power is usable, with a decent amount of torque low down should you stay in an unnecessarily high gear.
The 800cc engine isn’t going to be impressing too many passing Panigales, but 75PS (54kW) is available pretty easily and is perfectly acceptable on a bike ready to be used by those who want a taste of the Ducati life without outlaying any serious money. While it looks quite radical, it’s actually a sporty casing hiding a very relaxed motorbike.
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