The suspension blew my mind, way more plush than my Street Twin. Same for the brakes, they drop anchor in a jiffy.
BHPian shabih recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Hey guys,
After many years of relentless skimming through Team-BHP threads, ownership reviews and initial impressions, I’m finally writing one myself! I recently became the proud owner of a 2021 Ducati Scrambler Icon in this eye-popping yellow colorway. Thought I’d share my journey from my older bike, to test rides, to finally adding this Italian stallion to my garage.
My Previous Ride – The Trusty Street Twin
I was riding a 2017 Triumph Street Twin before this. Lovely torque, perfect for city riding, and smooth as butter on mountain trips/weekend rides. It’s a tame monster with duality in character. You are a gentleman one minute, and a hooligan the next. As the nature of these bikes are, you tinker with it, add/remove bits and make it your own. I was really enjoying my time with this modern classic. I had upgraded the suspension with YSS front and rear, removed the cat, padded the seat, made some cosmetic changes like bullet indicators and bar end mirrors, you name it. Honestly, I had no complaints. But somewhere deep down, the itch began… partly because of my idiot friends pestering me with the eternal question of what next (and calling my bike Hunter 350).
Why Change?
You know how it is, even when the bike is good, you get bored, you want something different. Motorcycling is never rational, so I won’t even bother with justifying why I wanted something else. I wanted something with more presence, something that felt different from the Triumph but didn’t go overboard with power. A lot of suggestions came my way, like a sportbike or an ADV, but I prefer stripped-back naked bikes, preferably with a round headlight with a hint of retro. I wanted more personality, more drama, and a new garage poster! (Yes, I am quite vain)
Why Ducati? Why Scrambler?
I’ve always admired Ducati for its design and road presence, but always from a distance. All the stories of Italian reliability (the lack of), exponential ownership cost, and poor heat management kept me from ever considering one. In fact, when I was picking up the Street Twin, my friends did suggest to me the Ducati Scrambler, but because of the aforementioned reasons, I kept it off the list. This time as well I wanted to go for the CB650R. It was a sensible, practical choice. 4 cylinders, Japanese reliability, not wallet breaking and neo-retro, check check and check. But its so hardobtanium. Very rare in the used market and brand new pricing made no sense to me, also the wait time was excruciating. I was considering the Street Triple as well, it has been my dream bike since teenage days thanks to Tom Cruise ji but its pillion seat is a joke and I’d like my wife’s nod to live a healthy life.
Enter this lovely ownership post by my now good friend Rahul who goes my the handle @waspune who picked up a Tangerine Icon recently. I must have read his post a zillion times (5 times actually) to go through each and every detail and fine print. Then I decided to leave him a DM and he responded. His inputs carried such clarity that it did not take me much time to be convinced. I think he has a great career in sales.
The Hunt BeginsI
Hunted TBHP classifieds, OLX, Instagram like a man possessed. Found a few duds, red flags everywhere or way out of budget. Went through crazy unhealthy amount of Youtube reviews, read through uncountable ownership experiences wherever I could find – Reddit, TBHP, Ducati forums and made notes. Then one day, boom, this clean 2021 model popped up at NS.One, only 3700 km on the odo, single owner, no crazy mods, original paint, it looked like Rahul’s prayers were working.
Test Ride & Delivery Day
Went down to the dealership, saw the bike, found out about the owner, thorough due diligence that only a boomer aunty will do when looking for a bride for her son. Took the bike for a short spin and came back with mixed feelings. Yes, the bike looked and felt a lot different from my Street Twin, so one thing checked, but the engine sort of kept me wanting for more. Like the Triumph was love at first spin but something told me this would be an acquired taste. Came back and shared notes with Rahul, and he said, “Bro, ride it for a few hundred more km. This engine has barely been run and it needs to go through heat cycles to open up and once it does you will be addicted to the Ducati pull post 6k rpm. Trust me.”
I trusted him.
Also the wife approved, she loved the yellow color and found the overall stance refreshing (Actually I must have said this to her so many times that she said yes it is lovely, just to get me to stop yapping about it and let her watch something else on the TV that was not Ducati Scrambler related) . I went ahead with the booking and everything. The NSone guys were good to deal with. Transparent and honest, good communication and I hope going forward I’ll have a good experience with them.
Initial Impressions
Rode it back home through peak evening Delhi traffic, flyovers, a bit of forest road, and even muddy patches in 38-40 degree heat. The suspension blew my mind, way more plush than my Street Twin. Same for the brakes, they drop anchor in a jiffy. The view from the saddle is brilliant, and because of the high handlebars, I felt in command, very ego-satisfying. There was heat, but it didn’t bother me much as opposed to what I had been told, pretty manageable/liveable.
The engine is still a bit reluctant to rev, but I’m hoping with more saddle time, we’ll become friends. By the time I was near my place in Noida, I had clocked 53 km and it felt like it was getting easier to climb revs. The throttle is snappy and reminds me that I am an Italian punter not a British gentleman. It is in a good way cuz I wanted a different experience. And oh boy the way this thing looks, that tank, those dual sports tires, the stance, it’s like a brawler wearing a leather jacket with too much perfume just to annoy the heck out of others (Again, I am quite vain). This definitely has a lot of character and road presence.
A Funny Moment
I park it in my society. Uncle walks up and asks, “Yeh Royal Enfield ka naya model hai kya?” (Is this a new RE model)
Me: No no Uncle, its a Ducati.
Uncle: Accha Bugatti Ab Bike Bhi Banati Hai (Oh Bugatti Makes Bikes as Well).
Me: Facepalm inside my head. Went on to explain what Ducati is. Then had a short chat in the lift about this bike vs my old one as he quite liked my old Triumph.
Closing Thoughts
It’s not perfect yet, but it’s got soul. It’s a vibes bike, it feels alive and keeps you engaged.
More updates coming soon as I ride more and get to know it better. Planning some mods maybe, will keep the thread updated.
Cheers,
Shabes
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