It was only a matter of time until Ducati introduced us to the big brother in the Scrambler family. Meet the 2018 Scrambler 1100, the largest, most powerful, best equipped Scrambler yet, designed to offer current Scrambler owners an upgrade path as well as appeal to more experienced riders looking to enter what Ducati gleefully calls the Land of Joy.
While it bears a distinct family resemblance to its 400 and 800cc siblings, the Scrambler 1100 looks to be almost entirely a new machine…albeit one that also shares a lineage with some other distinctive Ducatis of the past. The engine is an evolution of that used in the Monster 1100, last revised in 2012 before being supplanted by the more powerful, liquid-cooled Monster 1200 in 2014. This air/oil-cooled 1,079cc 2-valve-per-cylinder Desmodue L-twin was redesigned with machine-finished aluminum covers for a sharper look and a larger 55mm throttle body with two sub-injectors and throttle-by-wire for smooth power delivery. Ducati claims a peak power output of 86 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 65 lb-ft of torque at 4,750. The old dry clutch has been replaced by a wet, hydraulically-actuated assist-and-slipper clutch with an adjustable lever (the brake lever is adjustable, too).
The new Scrambler 1100 also benefits from new electronics, with the aforementioned throttle-by-wire and an IMU allowing for 4-step Ducati Traction Control (DTC) that can be disabled, three Riding Modes (Active, which allows crisp throttle response and traction control for sport riding; Journey, which still allows full power but with a smoother throttle for everyday riding; and City, which reduces output to 75 horsepower and ups traction control intervention) and Bosch 9.1 MP Cornering ABS (which cannot be disabled). Radially mounted Brembo Monobloc M4.32 4-piston calipers bite down on dual 320mm front discs and a single-piston caliper grabs a 245mm disc at the rear.
