2018–2020 · Scrambler · Buyer's Guide
The Scrambler Look, Done Right
The 1100 is the heavyweight of the Scrambler family. A 1079 cc air-cooled L-twin sits in a steel trellis frame for 86 hp and 65 lb-ft, and the torque arrives early enough that you ride it a gear high and let it pull. Underneath the period styling there is more electronics than the bike admits: Ducati Ride-by-Wire Power Modes, ride modes, traction control, cornering ABS. Upside-down fork, adjustable at both ends, 320 mm front discs, twin under-seat pipes. It looks like something from an old photograph and is built like a current Ducati.
In use it behaves like a big roadster wearing scrambler clothes. The 18-inch front wheel slows the steering just enough to feel deliberate, and at 454 lb wet the bike stays planted when the road opens up. The finish ages well too; paint, welds and switchgear still look expensive years in. This one is for riders who want presence and a real engine under classic bodywork, not a dirt tool. Travel stops at 5.9 in front and rear, so graded gravel is the honest ceiling. The 4.0 gal tank keeps stints shorter than you might like.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 86 hp (63 kW) @ 7,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 65 lb-ft (88 Nm) |
| Displacement | 1079 cc |
| Engine | L-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 320 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-18 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-17 |
| Front travel | 5.9 in (150 mm) |
| Rear travel | 5.9 in (150 mm) |
| Seat height | 31.9 in (810 mm) |
| Wet weight | 454 lb (206 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.0 gal (15 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Drivetrain
Lighting
Safety
The first thing you get is noise, before the bike has moved an inch. Air-cooled L-twin clatter, dry and mechanical, with the exhaust note stacked on top of it. At idle the whole machine shakes gently in your hands. Pull away and that settles into a steady pulse through the pegs and the seat that never fully disappears, and honestly that pulse is most of the appeal. The bar is wide and high, the seat broad and flat at 31.9 in, and you sit on top of this bike rather than down inside it: wrists loose, elbows out, knees with room to spare. Heat off the cylinders finds your shins in slow traffic. At real road pace the wind starts pushing on your chest and you tuck down a little behind the bars without thinking about it.
None of this is my own ride impression. It comes from years of listening: paddock talk, owners flagging me down in parking lots, club nights, and the messages that land in my inbox from people living with the bike. The pattern here is lopsided. Praise is broad and repeats itself; the complaints are real but come from smaller corners.
Two things dominate the chatter: the way it steers and the twin underneath. Riders consistently call it light and easy to place, with a chassis that builds confidence once the road starts bending, and they praise the air-cooled motor for its character and its clean throttle response. Build quality comes up nearly as often. Brakes and comfort are raised by fewer people, always favorably: strong, progressive stopping and a seat that suits tall and short riders.
The gripes are thinner. The one that surfaces most often is the standard suspension on broken pavement, described as jittery and unsettled; owners of the Öhlins-equipped Sport do not report it. After that: the plain LCD dash reads dated, the price sits above the Japanese retro competition, and a few owners say the engine takes more than one attempt to fire.
Exhaust flapper cable short-circuit risk (recall)
The exhaust valve cable can contact the battery positive wire, causing a short circuit and possible fire. 2018-2021 Scrambler 1100 models recalled; dealers install a cable guide and tie.
Piston slap on 2018 models
Some early 2018 units developed piston slap noise; Ducati has addressed it under warranty.
Shift lever bolt loosening
The shift lever retaining bolt can vibrate loose; applying thread locker prevents the issue.
Where this Ducati Scrambler 1100 pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Scrambler 1100 is actually built for.
Small towns, old routes, unhurried pace: that is exactly this bike's rhythm, and it looks right everywhere you park it. Plan your stops around the 4.0 gal tank and it works.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
It carries speed through Hill Country sweepers without demanding much, and the low-rpm torque lets you stay in top gear between towns. Quick enough, without pretending to be a sportbike.
Made for Austin / Texas Hill Country · Twisted Sisters · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show
You get the sound, the presence and the attention. But this is an upright twin with a 31.9 in seat, not a cruiser, so if feet-forward comfort is part of the ritual it will feel foreign.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
The Ducati Scrambler 1100 also comes in these variants, models and special editions. Each has its own page covering only what differs from the standard Scrambler 1100 — equipment, electronics, specs and used price.
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Ducati Scrambler 1100. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2020–2022
The Big-Bore Italian Purist
Roughly $3,000 pricier used than this bike at 6 yr
Successor · 2019
Italian Soul, Öhlins Backbone
Roughly $1,500 pricier used than this bike at 7 yr
Competitor · 2018–2024
Z1 Soul, Modern Muscle
Roughly $1,800 pricier used than this bike at 6 yr
Competitor · 2014
Pure Boxer Soul, No Compromises
