The Ducati Scrambler 1100 will not be lengthy for this world. Slightly than replace its growing older engine (initially borrowed from the Monster 1100) to fulfill ever-stricter European emissions laws, Ducati is dropping it from its portfolio altogether.
The percentages have been stacked towards the Ducati Scrambler 1100 from the get-go. It provides much less energy than most of its rivals for a similar, or extra, cash. And the truth that it inherited the goofy ‘Scrambler’ moniker from the extra established Ducati Scrambler 800 when it barely resembles one, hasn’t helped.
So far as we’re involved, the Scrambler 1100 obtained a uncooked deal. It has quite a bit going for it within the appears to be like division, its air-cooled mill feels splendidly retro, and it’s a delight to trip. With higher numbers and a smaller price ticket, it may have been successful.
The present mannequin—the Ducati Scrambler 1100 Sport Professional—additionally boasts Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes. Mixed with its stylish trellis body, it makes it ripe for a neo-retro café racer makeover.
Takashi Nihira thinks so too. When a consumer requested a liter-plus café racer construct from the Japanese {custom} builder’s workshop, Wedge Motorcycle, Nihira-san gravitated in direction of the maligned Scrambler.
“The client wished a café racer based mostly on the Honda CB1100,” he explains, “however he additionally owns a European sports activities automobile and enjoys sporty driving. So, contemplating the client’s tastes, I proposed utilizing a European bike as a substitute of the CB1100, selecting the Ducati Scrambler 1100 Sport Professional because the donor.”
“Once I construct {custom} bikes, I at all times take into consideration what sort of life-style the client has. What sort of garments does he put on, what sort of vehicles does he drive, and what does he need to do with the bike? I have a look at them, hearken to them, and formulate a picture of the {custom} bike I need to construct.”
“Even when a {custom} builder builds what he needs to, it’s meaningless if it doesn’t match the proprietor’s fashion.”
Working with a 2022-model Scrambler 1100 Sport Professional, Takashi shortly earmarked the components he wished to maintain and binned every little thing else. He fell in love with the Ducati’s trellis body the second the bike was stripped, so his subsequent step was determining easy methods to flip it into the centerpiece of the construct.
A lot of the Scrambler 1100’s body is roofed by its chunky gasoline tank, together with a twin-spar part that runs as much as the steering neck. However Takashi wished it to be totally uncovered—so he constructed a brand new gasoline tank that sits ‘inside’ the body as a substitute.
Though the tank seems to be wedged into the body, it’s not. The primary reservoir is extensive up prime and slim on the backside, in order that it tucks into the trellis construction. The opposite bits you see are covers, designed to provide the impression of 1 steady unit.
Shaping every half to match the angle and curve of the following, whereas sustaining a uniform hole between every part and the body, took some doing. “The perimeters of the aspect covers weren’t made by welding straight aluminum plates collectively, however quite by welding the perimeters of two rounded aluminum plates collectively,” Takashi explains. “It was additionally troublesome as a result of the excessive warmth of welding causes distortion, which is troublesome to take away.”
Due to the tight areas he was working with, Takashi then fabricated a second reservoir that sits under the body’s essential spine. Painted black to stay inconspicuous, it additionally hosts the bike’s gasoline pump.
The Ducati Scrambler 1100’s bodywork really is a tour de pressure. The gasoline tank not solely makes use of the inventory gasoline cap but in addition includes a barely raised middle strip, which Takashi intentionally added as a nod to the OEM design. That element is carried by means of to the custom-built tail cowl, with a custom-made seat pad sitting within the center.
An obsessive dedication to geometric concord is on show throughout Wedge’s café racer. Takashi rebuilt the part of the body that runs beneath the gasoline tank, earlier than fabricating an all-new subframe. Set to at least one aspect to accommodate the Scrambler 1100’s left-mounted rear shock, the trellised part under the seat mirrors the body’s entrance half.
You’ll be able to hint parallel traces from the steering neck to the swingarm, or from the bottom of the gasoline tank to the tip of the tail. Out again, cutouts in each the tail cowl and body supply house for a Highsider taillight. Decrease down, a triangular electronics tray riffs off the bike’s different angular components, whereas sporting an asymmetrical design that integrates seamlessly with each the rear shock and offset subframe.
The Scrambler 1100 was additionally handled to a set of 17” carbon fiber wheels from Rotobox, wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 rubber. There’s no denying that carbon fiber wheels are an excellent aesthetic improve—however this alteration was motivated by efficiency. “The client didn’t need a café racer with an emphasis on fashion alone, however wished to take pleasure in driving it too,” says Takashi.
To that finish, the dual Brembo entrance brake calipers have been upgraded with higher-spec billet gadgets from Brembo’s catalog. The adjustable Öhlins suspension was as much as the duty, however the signature gold and yellow particulars have been out of sync with the general vibe. So Takashi had the fork uppers anodized black, the lowers handled to a titanium coating, and the rear shock spring powder-coated black.
Transferring to the cockpit, Takashi cleaned up the highest yoke and fitted a set of clip-ons. The ignition barrel was relocated to the left-hand aspect of the bike, with a {custom} headlight bracket mounted as a replacement. A Highsider LED unit lights the best way.
The Scrambler 1100 received’t run with out its cumbersome dashboard plugged in, however Takashi wished to run a tiny Motogadget speedo as a substitute. So he stripped the inventory sprint, eliminated the bits that he didn’t want, and stashed the remaining modules beneath the seat.
As with all his initiatives, Takashi dealt with the Ducati’s paint job himself. A lush teal end is augmented with tasteful pin-stripes, all of which counterpoint the traces of the trellis body. After which there’s the exhaust system; a pair of stylish headers terminating in a closely modified Leo Vince muffler.
The Ducati Scrambler 1100 could be on its approach out—but when this masterpiece is something to go by, it ought to discover new life within the {custom} scene.
Wedge Motorcycle | Facebook | Instagram | Photos by Hiromitsu Yasui | With due to Tadashi Kono
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