The Ducati Scrambler 1100 isn’t lengthy for this world. Reasonably than replace its growing older engine (initially borrowed from the Monster 1100) to satisfy ever-stricter European emissions laws, Ducati is dropping it from its portfolio altogether.
The chances have been stacked in opposition to the Ducati Scrambler 1100 from the get-go. It affords much less energy than most of its opponents 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 bought a uncooked deal. It has quite a bit going for it within the seems division, its air-cooled mill feels splendidly retro, and it’s a delight to journey. With higher numbers and a smaller price ticket, it might have been a success.
The present mannequin—the Ducati Scrambler 1100 Sport Professional—additionally boasts Öhlins suspension and Brembo brakes. Mixed with its elegant 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 shopper 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 shopper’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 all the time take into consideration what sort of life-style the shopper has. What sort of garments does he put on, what sort of automobiles does he drive, and what does he need to do with the bike? I have a look at them, take heed to them, and formulate a picture of the {custom} bike I need to construct.”
“Even when a {custom} builder builds what he desires to, it’s meaningless if it doesn’t match the proprietor’s type.”
Working with a 2022-model Scrambler 1100 Sport Professional, Takashi rapidly earmarked the components he wished to maintain and binned every thing else. He fell in love with the Ducati’s trellis body the second the bike was stripped, so his subsequent step was determining the best way 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 absolutely 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 principle reservoir is huge 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 subsequent, whereas sustaining a uniform hole between every part and the body, took some doing. “The sides of the aspect covers weren’t made by welding straight aluminum plates collectively, however quite by welding the sides of two rounded aluminum plates collectively,” Takashi explains. “It was additionally tough as a result of the excessive warmth of welding causes distortion, which is tough to take away.”
Due to the tight areas he was working with, Takashi then fabricated a second reservoir that sits beneath the body’s fundamental spine. Painted black to stay inconspicuous, it additionally hosts the bike’s gasoline pump.
The Ducati Scrambler 1100’s bodywork actually is a tour de power. The gasoline tank not solely makes use of the inventory gasoline cap but additionally contains a barely raised heart strip, which Takashi intentionally added as a nod to the OEM design. That element is carried by 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 1 aspect to accommodate the Scrambler 1100’s left-mounted rear shock, the trellised part beneath the seat mirrors the body’s entrance half.
You’ll be able to hint parallel strains 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 area 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 a terrific aesthetic improve—however this alteration was motivated by efficiency. “The shopper didn’t desire a café racer with an emphasis on type alone, however wished to get pleasure from driving it too,” says Takashi.
To that finish, the dual Brembo entrance brake calipers have been upgraded with higher-spec billet objects 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.
Shifting 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 gained’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 below 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 enhance the strains of the trellis body. After which there’s the exhaust system; a pair of chic headers terminating in a closely modified Leo Vince muffler.
The Ducati Scrambler 1100 may 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 | Photographs by Hiromitsu Yasui | With due to Tadashi Kono
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