2016 Ducati Scrambler: Nearly perfect.

Back in my single days my buddy and I would on occasion relate to one another experiences in courtship using automotive analogies. A Ferrari, for example, is very impressive by way of looks but the drawbacks are obvious – with high performance comes almost unbearable maintenance. When you’ve got such accentuated strengths, the weaknesses that accompany can be a real drag. Ferraris only carry 2 people comfortably, should never ever tow a trailer, get bad gas mileage, need a valve adjustment every 10k miles, and scrape on every speedbump. Sure a BMW 3-Series won’t do 12 second 1/4 miles or give you a stomach cramp doing a 0-60 run, but they’re pretty dang fast, come with a great stereo, can outrun a surprising number of cars on a twisty track, and can tow a decent sized trailer with a couple dirtbikes! And they’re less likely to cheat on you 😉

I give you the BMW 3-series of motorcycles: the Ducati Scrambler.

Is it the fastest 0-60? No. 3.4 seconds on a motorcycle is like 6.0 seconds on 4 wheels but the truth is you can beat 80% of cars on the road. Is it the fastest flat-out? Not even close, sorry. 120mph is kinda lame for a bike these days. BUT, it does weigh less than 400lbs and it DOES do a 12.0 second 1/4mi; you’ll smoke nearly anything under $200k! AND it can drift in the dirt while carrying a passenger (if you’re both a little nuts). That’s serious versatility, folks. If you own one 2-wheeled creation, I dare say this is it. The seating position is very comfortable, the footpegs are in the right place, the bars aren’t too low or too high, and it gets 43 mpg.

Did I mention it’s a wheelie machine? Since you’re more upright and have a nice wide grip on the bars this bike is really quite easy to rear with a modest degree of control. The very torquey v-twin makes just the right amount of power to get you in the air at low speeds and have a little fun. Props to Ducati on choosing an air-cooled setup on this bike, too. One less thing to worry about that lets you spend more time on the road and less in the garage.

I kind of feel like an old man now that I may have enjoyed a ride on a “standard” style bike instead of a thoroughbred racer, but this Duc is way too much fun.