The Ducati Scrambler 1100 is just not lengthy for this world. Quite than replace its growing old engine (initially borrowed from the Monster 1100) to fulfill ever-stricter European emissions rules, Ducati is dropping it from its portfolio altogether.
The chances had been stacked towards the Ducati Scrambler 1100 from the get-go. It gives 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 Scramler 800 when it barely resembles one, hasn’t helped.
So far as we’re involved, the Scrambler 1100 acquired a uncooked deal. It has so much going for it within the appears division, its air-cooled mill feels splendidly retro, and it’s a delight to trip. With higher numbers and a smaller price ticket, it might have been successful.
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 BikeNihira-san gravitated in the direction of the maligned Scrambler.
“The client needed a Racer espresso primarily based 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 an alternative of the CB1100, selecting the Ducati Scrambler 1100 Sport Professional because the donor.”
“After I construct {custom} bikes, I all the time take into consideration what sort of life-style the client has. What sort of garments does he put on, what sort of automobiles does he drive, and what does he wish to do with the bike? I take a look at them, hearken to them, and formulate a picture of the {custom} bike I wish to construct.”
“Even when a {custom} builder builds what he desires to, it’s meaningless if it doesn’t match the proprietor’s fashion.”
Working with a 2022-model Scrambler 1100 Sport Professional, Takashi rapidly earmarked the elements he needed to maintain and binned the whole lot else. He fell in love with the Ducati’s trellis body the second the bike was stripped, so his subsequent step was determining learn how to flip it into the centerpiece of the construct.
A lot of the Scrambler 1100’s body is roofed by its chunky gas tank, together with a twin-spar part that runs as much as the steering neck. However Takashi needed it to be totally uncovered—so he constructed a brand new gas tank that sits ‘inside’ the body as an alternative.
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 present 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 perimeters of the facet covers weren’t made by welding straight aluminum plates collectively, however moderately by welding the sides 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 beneath the body’s essential spine. Painted black to stay inconspicuous, it additionally hosts the bike’s gas pump.
The Ducati Scrambler 1100’s bodywork actually is a tour de power. The gas tank not solely makes use of the inventory gas cap but in addition encompasses a barely raised middle 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 gas tank, earlier than fabricating an all-new subframe. Set to 1 facet 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 traces from the steering neck to the swingarm, or from the bottom of the gas 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 a fantastic aesthetic improve—however this variation was motivated by efficiency. “The client didn’t desire a café racer with an emphasis on fashion alone, however needed to get pleasure from using it too,” says Takashi.
To that finish, the dual Brembo entrance brake calipers had 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 had 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 facet 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 needed to run a tiny MotoGadget Speedo as an alternative. 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 is likely to 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 Bike | Fb | Instagram | Pictures by Hiromitsu Yasui | With because of Tadashi Kono
