Ducati & Fasthouse Celebrate In Style

They did indeed win the Hooligan class and to ensure admirers can join in on the big win, they’re producing a limited run of 800 machines just so you can be one of the gang, too. What makes this ‘special’ then? First off, the colours, and in absolute fairness it looks utterly fabulous. It’s harder than you think to put great paint on a bike of this style and make it stand out, with so little real estate for natty slap. Also expect the ubiquitous plate with a number on it, as per usual, plus a different seat and black spoked wheels.

So does anything else make this limited model special? Well, it’s based on the extremely excellent Scrambler Desert Sled and, erm… Okay, okay, it’s basically one of those with a flash paint scheme and an incy bit of by proxy race success kudos.

But that’s not really a bad thing because as mentioned, the Desert Sled is already one pretty fine example of the Scrambler ethos. This means an 803cc motor wanging out around 70 gee gees and a healthy dose of traditional L-twin torque. We still miss the big 2-valve motors of the old Monsters et al, so this is like a blast from the past in many ways.

The chassis is properly loaded with fully adjustable suspension, while the four-piston brakes are complimented with high-spec Bosch cornering ABS. When the 13.5L tank is topped up they weigh in around 209kg, and the 860mm seat height can be dropped a further 20mm if desired. It’s got everything you need for whatever job you care to throw at it, essentially.

Like with many off-road type bikes though, the chances of most of them ever even seeing dirt is low, yet this does kind of play into the whole Scrambler vibe. Everyone knows these bikes are from Ducati, but they do try and keep it as a separate brand as much as they can. Biking is very different in many countries, so the lifestyle heavy aspect of the Scrambler range is realised to a greater degree in the Mediterranean areas. In colder climes, the ‘Friends’esque’ vibe is a much harder sell outside of cities, however the Scramblers still fly out of the doors.

Consistent sales across hugely varying markets speaks volumes about how good a machine is, and how well it’s accepted in general biking terms as being a solid buy. A special that’s mostly just paint seems to irk more than a few folks. Yet, so what if this is just a spruce up? It looks great and it has the goods to back up the new ‘cut’n’shoes – what’s the problem?

If there is a problem, it’s likely because you want one, as do others, and there’s only 800 to go around. Point being, if this particular version of the Scrambler floats your boat, you may want to weigh anchor and start making waves towards your nearest dealer tout suite. Or rather, your nearest access to the Interweb because, oh yeah, pandemic…