1970s-styled Scrambler 1100 celebrates fifty years of air-cooled Ducati V-twins
To most of us, Ducati and big desmo V-twins go together like fish and chips. But unlike, say, BMW, which has made its Boxer twins from the very start in 1923, Ducati’s twins didn’t appear until relatively recently. It was 1971 when the first V-twin road bike appeared – the 750 GT, beginning an era of incredible high-performance machines from the Italian firm.
And Ducati is now celebrating that milestone with this, the Scrambler 1100 Tribute Pro, which comes with the firm’s old 1970s logo on the tank, as well as a period retro Ochre Yellow paint scheme.
The new bike is a long way from that 1971 machine in many ways: it’s packed with high-tech electronics including cornering ABS and traction control, LED lighting, riding power modes, LCD dash, fuel injection and ride-by-wire throttle. On the other hand, the basic engine design is actually quite similar to the 1971 unit: an air-cooled 90° V-twin with two desmodromic valves per cylinder. The 750 GT used a complex bevel shaft-drive system to drive the camshafts, where the Scrambler uses belt drive, but the family lineage is clear to see. The 2022 bike makes more power of course – 86bhp from a 1,079cc capacity compared with the 50bhp from the smaller 748cc GT.
The Scrambler 1100 Tribute Pro is based heavily on the standard entry-level Scrambler 1100 Pro Dark, sharing the same engine, chassis and running gear, with a dry weight of around 194kg. The fully-adjustable 45mm USD front fork is by Marzocchi, and the rear monoshock is a Kayaba unit, while brakes are by Brembo all round, and the tyres are the excellent Pirelli MT60 RS. Black wire-spoked wheels come as standard, with an 18” front and 17” rear.
The Tribute also comes with Ducati’s Safety Pack – cornering Bosch ABS and traction control with an IMU inertial measurement unit assisting both. There are selectable riding power modes accessed via the LCD dashboard, plus useful accessories like a USB socket, gear and fuel indicators – and you even get the ultimate retro fitment: a brown leather seat…
The new Scrambler 1100 Tribute Pro costs from £11,995 and will be in dealers soon (there’s also a 47bhp A2 licence version). More info: www.scramblerducati.com