2016 Ducati Scrambler Urban Enduro

2016 DUCATI SCRAMBLER URBAN ENDURO

CHARACTERS

THE GREAT ESCAPE

DON CANET

Few motion-picture actors have possessed a cool cachet rivaling that of Steve McQueen— doubly so considering McQueen’s starring role in The Great Escape and inclusion among a cast of true-life motorcycle racing characters in the iconic motorcycle film On Any Sunday.

Call it a mild case of nostalgia neurosis, but riding the Ducati Scrambler Urban Enduro while geared up in a retro-inspired waxed-cotton combat boots and an openface helmet/goggle combo felt a bit too cool for school. Ducati’s Scrambler line of air-cooled 803CC 90-degree V-twins, made up of a halfdozen models adorned in varying trim, is an exercise promoting self-expression of an owner’s character.

The Urban Enduro, with its headlight grille, olive drab paint, wire-spoke wheels, skid plate, and vintage-look ribbed leather saddle evokes a spirit of adventure. The riding position harkens back to classic scramblers with an easy reach to the ground and mid-height off-road handlebar with a cross brace. The aggressive tread of its Pirelli MT60 dual-sport tires suggests capability beyond the paved path, and in practice, tackling fire roads and mild single-track is well within the Scrambler role.

As a roadbike the Urban Enduro excels, its engine producing plenty of low-rpm torque for ultra-easy launches from traffic lights, with a healthy midrange delivery facilitating a steady pull up through its six-speed gearbox.

Engine vibes build beyond 6.000 rpm, offering a tactile sense of when to shift. Top gear cruise at 6K nets an indicated 80 mph on the all-LCD instrument pod and a fairly smooth and rhythmic engine pulse. A pair of red shift lights illuminate to signal the impending rev ceiling at 9.000 rpm.

Handling is light and stability true with abundant steering lock making sandbox play of parking-lot maneuvers. A single large-diameter 330mm floating front rotor clamped by a Brembo four-piston monoblock caliper provide excellent power and feel with ABS included as a standard feature.

As back in the day, suspension will prove the limiting factor in determining the Urban Enduro’s off-road character. The inverted 41mm Rayaba fork and single shock are of garden variety with shock preload the only adjustment.

Short of jumping stone walls and barbed wire, the Ducati Scrambler Urban Enduro offers an affordable, stylish, and solid-performing platform upon which to launch your own great escape.

2016 DUCATI SCRAMBLER URBAN ENDURO

Base price: $10,495 Displacement: 803cc Weight: 4141b. Seat ht.: 31.Bin. Fuel capacity: 3.6 gal. Horsepower: 67.7 @ 8240 rpm Torque: 45.7 lb.-ft. @ 7010 rpm