Ducati has been rapidly expanding and refining its Scrambler lineup, and the “Icon” variant was on the receiving end of some of the latter. That's right; the Icon took a beating from the buffhammer as part of Ducati's “Joyvolution” initiative, and it rocks a new color to go with updated lights and reworked ergonomics for MY2019. The new safety electronics come off the top shelf, as does the Multimedia System that networks your bike and your smartphone for a host of new infotainment possibilities. There's more, but as always, the devil is in the details, so let's dive right into this second-generation Scrambler and see what else Ducati has cooking over there.

2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon
  • Engine/Motor: L-Twin
  • Horsepower: 73
  • Torque: 49
  • Transmission: 6
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon Design

Well, it's a scrambler, so it maintains the youthful exuberance that pervades the line, but this new Icon rocks beefier, brushed-aluminum sideplates on the 3.57-gallon, teardrop fuel tank as a somewhat subtle improvement. Ya' know what isn't subtle? The new Atomic Tangerine paint that, as its delightfully clever name suggests, is a bold orange color that plays against the black details, such as the pinstripe and the tank badge and the overall blackout treatment. If the '62 Yellow is more your speed, it can be had as well over the same achromatic treatment as the orange model.

Right off the bat, the Icon reinforces the custom vibe with a heavily bobbed front fender that wastes not an ounce on unnecessary coverage. The fender uprights serve as guards for the swept area of the inverted forks in a bid to protect the fork seals from grit and grime, and a single round headlight keeps the front end clean with a new LED DRL feature that improves your visibility to the rest of the world. Standoff LED turn signals finish off the forward lighting; too bad the factory didn't combine the blinkers with the mirrors or use bar-end mirrors, or some combination thereof.

All of the instrumentation is stuffed into a single round can with an LCD screen and ring of idiot lights, and it comes pre-wired and ready to accept Ducati's proprietary Multimedia system that lets you pipe in your favorite tunes, answer calls on the go and communicate with your passenger via wireless intercom.

The teardrop tank cover looks to be about the same as on the previous gen, but the sideplates are definitely beefier and are still interchangeable, though I can't imagine why you'd want to swap 'em out. A bench-style seat rides up the inclined subframe with no break whatsoever between pilot and pillion so you're free to shift your weight fore and aft for technical work. Oh, and under the saddle you'll find a small dry-storage space with a USB port that let's you charge your devices on the fly.

An LED taillight and standoff blinkers ride up on the seriously bobbed rear fender, but the plate mounts to the one-sided hugger that handles the bulk of the spray control and you can pencil me in as a fan 'cause I love what that does to the look.

2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon Chassis

Tubular-steel members make up the Trellis frame, and the structure is kept to a minimum through the use of the engine as a stressed member that ties it all together. The steering head rides at 24 degrees from the vertical with 35 degrees of steering, lock-to-lock, and 4.4 inches of trail over a compact, 56.9-inch wheelbase. Seat height measures in at 31.4 inches off the deck, and if that taxes you too much, you can opt for the 30.6-inch “low” seat.

The front stems are 41 mm usd forks from Kayaba, and out back, a coil-over shock from the same marque supports the rear. Both ends ride on 5.9 inches of travel with a preload adjuster as the only ride-quality tweak. Alloy rims round out the rolling chassis with Pirelli's MT 60 RS hoops in a 110/80-18 and 180/55-17 on the front and rear, respectively. They're what you might call stealth knobbies that carry generous street flats with shallow grooves to gain purchase on soft surfaces.

A four-piston Brembo caliper bites a 330 mm disc up front opposite a single-piston anchor and 245 mm disc, and new for this year is the Bosch cornering ABS that measures the forces acting on the bike and modulates the strength of the intervention.

Frame:

Tubular steel Trellis frame

Front suspension:

Upside down Kayaba 41 mm fork

Rear suspension:

Kayaba rear shock, pre-load adjustable

Rake:

24°

Trail:

4.4 in (112 mm)

Total steering lock:

35°

Wheel travel, Front/ Rear:

5.9 in (150 mm)/ 5.9 in (150 mm)

Front wheel:

10-spoke in light alloy, 3.00" x 18"

Rear wheel:

10-spoke in light alloy, 5.50" x 17"

Front tire:

Pirelli MT 60 RS 110/80 R18

Rear tire:

Pirelli MT 60 RS 180/55 R17

Front brake:

Ø330 mm disc, radial 4-piston caliper with Bosch Cornering ABS

Rear brake:

Ø245 mm disc, 1-piston floating caliper with Bosch Cornering ABS


2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon Drivetrain

Duc powers the Icon with its 803 cc L-Twin plant. At a glance it seems to be an unsophisticated engine with its air-cooled architecture and two-valve heads, but it's a Ducati and so the best is hidden away inside. Ducati's signature Desmodromic valvetrain times the poppets with a pull-closed cam in lieu of valve springs, and that makes it utterly immune to harmonic valve float for a bit of insurance against damage from over-revs.

In spite of that protection, the horsepower maxes out surprisingly low at 8,250 rpm with a total of 73 ponies on tap and torque comes on fully at 5,750 rpm with 49 pound-feet. Bore and stroke measure out at 88 mm and 66 mm, respectively, but that 11-to-1 compression ratio will require top-dollar road champagne to prevent the problems associated with low octane.

A 50 mm throttle body manages the induction with Lambda probes to read the exhaust gasses and a catalytic converter to burn off any free hydrocarbons that make it out of the combustion chamber to give the mill a Euro 4 emissions rating. A slipper clutch couples engine power to the six-speed transmission and delivers another layer of traction protection for the rear wheel along with a lighter lever pull for a win-win situation. In that top gear you can expect to reach something in the neighborhood of 120 mph, which is plenty fast enough for civilized roads.

Engine:

L-Twin, Desmodromic distribution, 2 valves per cylinder, air cooled

Displacement:

803 cc

Bore x Stroke:

88 mm x 66 mm

Compression ratio:

11:1

Power:

73 hp (54 kW) @ 8,250 rpm

Torque:

49 lb-ft (67 Nm) @ 5,750 rpm

Fuel injection:

Electronic fuel injection, 50 mm throttle body

Exhaust:

Exhaust system with single stainless steel muffler, aluminum silencer cover, catalytic converter and 2 lambda probes

Gearbox:

6 speed

Ratio:

1=32/13 2=30/18 3=28/21 4=26/23 5=22/22 6=24/26

Primary drive:

Straight cut gears, Ratio 1.85:1

Final drive:

Chain, front spocket 15, rear sprocket 46

Clutch:

Hydraulically controlled slipper and self-servo wet multiplate clutch


2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon Pricing

The 2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon rolls for $9,395 to give it the lowest price point of all the new-for-'19 Scrambler products. If the Icon hasn't hit showrooms near you yet, it won't be long since the Icon is scheduled to land on our shores sometime in the first quarter of 2019.

Standard equipment:

Steel tank with interchangeable aluminum side panels, headlight with DRL by LED light-guide and interchangeable aluminum cover, LED rear light with diffusion-light, LED turn indicator, LCD instruments with gear and fuel level indications and interchangeable aluminum cover, under-seat storage compartment with USB socket, ABS cornering, machine-finished aluminum belt covers, black engine with brushed fins.

Icon equipment:

Dedicated logo, dedicate handlebar, matching mudguards, aluminum muffler cover

Warranty:

24 months unlimited mileage

Color:

’62 Yellow, Atomic Tangerine

Price:

$9,395


2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon Competitors

No doubt, retro is in right now, and while Ducati's Scrambler doesn't target a specific historical machine, it does carry some old-school attitude. In light of that, I decided to grab another neo-classic and wound up with the Z900RS ABS from Kawasaki. Unlike the Icon, the “RS” does have a specific patron machine to which it pays homage: the 1973 Z1 900. Oh, and I would point out that was a big engine back then.

Kawi manages to give the RS an old-school profile from the teardrop tank to the tuck-and-roll seat and the bullet instrument housings. Out back, the fender/mudguard arrangement is reminiscent of the old British style, though the hidden rear shock and usd front forks immediately give it away as a modern machine. The suspension on the RS trumps the Ducati with the full trinity of adjustments up front and a rebound-damping tweak to go with the spring preload adjustment. Kawi also packs on the brakes with dual front discs versus the Icon's single disc, but Duc gets some back at the ABS since the Kawi doesn't come with the fancy, lean-sensitive anti-lock protection.

The Z900 rocks a 948 cc plant that generates 72.3 pounds o' grunt against a paltry 49 pound-feet from the Icon's mill, and that makes me wonder why. It seems like too big of a gap for just the raw displacement difference to be at fault, but whatever. Both will go faster than any of us have any business doing on public roads.

Ducati leaves Kawasaki looking a little too proud at the checkout. The Z900 ABS rolls for $11,199, and that's a difference that may be a dealbreaker for someone looking for their first upgrade.

He Said

“Meh, it's a Scrambler. What can I say? I'm not really feeling it any more than any of the others from that line, and maybe a little less than the Café Racer, but there's nothing actually wrong with this machine. Obviously built for someone younger than myself, though I love what the hugger does for the rear end.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “These Scramblers have been best-sellers for Ducati and the Icon leads the field. This second generation just makes a good thing better. The remapped engine feels much more refined than last year, but keep in mind that last year was still pretty awesome. I'm not sure I would trade in last year's Icon for a new 2019, but if you're in the market for a Scrambler, I think the new Icon is definitely worth a look. It has a lot of features, such as cornering ABS, self-canceling turn signals, more sophisticated instrumentation, USB charge port and connectivity between bike and smartphone, and just a whole list of improvements still at a nice price point”

2019 Ducati Scrambler Icon Specifications

Engine & Drivetrain:

Engine:

L-Twin, Desmodromic distribution, 2 valves per cylinder, air cooled

Displacement:

803 cc

Bore x Stroke:

88 mm x 66 mm

Compression ratio:

11:1

Power:

73 hp (54 kW) @ 8,250 rpm

Torque:

49 lb-ft (67 Nm) @ 5,750 rpm

Fuel injection:

Electronic fuel injection, 50 mm throttle body

Exhaust:

Exhaust system with single stainless steel muffler, aluminum silencer cover, catalytic converter and 2 lambda probes

Gearbox:

6 speed

Ratio:

1=32/13 2=30/18 3=28/21 4=26/23 5=22/22 6=24/26

Primary drive:

Straight cut gears, Ratio 1.85:1

Final drive:

Chain, front spocket 15, rear sprocket 46

Clutch:

Hydraulically controlled slipper and self-servo wet multiplate clutch

Chassis:

Frame:

Tubular steel Trellis frame

Front suspension:

Upside down Kayaba 41 mm fork

Rear suspension:

Kayaba rear shock, pre-load adjustable

Rake:

24°

Trail:

4.4 in (112 mm)

Total steering lock:

35°

Wheel travel, Front/ Rear:

5.9 in (150 mm)/ 5.9 in (150 mm)

Front wheel:

10-spoke in light alloy, 3.00" x 18"

Rear wheel:

10-spoke in light alloy, 5.50" x 17"

Front tire:

Pirelli MT 60 RS 110/80 R18

Rear tire:

Pirelli MT 60 RS 180/55 R17

Front brake:

Ø330 mm disc, radial 4-piston caliper with Bosch Cornering ABS

Rear brake:

Ø245 mm disc, 1-piston floating caliper with Bosch Cornering ABS

Dimensions & Capacities:

Wheelbase:

1,445 mm (56.9 in)

Fuel tank capacity:

3.57 gallon (13.5 l)

Fuel Economy:

47 mpg (5.0 l/100 km)

Dry weight:

381 lb (173 kg)

Wet weight:

417 lb (189 kg)

Seat height:

31.4 in (798 mm) - low seat 30.6 in (778 mm) available as accessory

Max height:

45.3 in (1,150 mm) (brake reservoir)

Max width:

33.7 in (855 mm) (mirrors)

Max length:

82.7 - 85.2 in (2,100 – 2,165 mm)

Number of seats:

Dual seat

Quarter mile:

12 seconds (est)

0 to 62 mph:

3.7 seconds (est)

Top Speed:

120 mph (est)

Details:

Standard equipment:

Steel tank with interchangeable aluminum side panels, headlight with DRL by LED light-guide and interchangeable aluminum cover, LED rear light with diffusion-light, LED turn indicator, LCD instruments with gear and fuel level indications and interchangeable aluminum cover, under-seat storage compartment with USB socket, ABS cornering, machine-finished aluminum belt covers, black engine with brushed fins.

Icon equipment:

Dedicated logo, dedicate handlebar, matching mudguards, aluminum muffler cover

Warranty:

24 months unlimited mileage

Color:

’62 Yellow, Atomic Tangerine

Price:

$9,395


Further Reading

Kawasaki Z900RS

See our review of the Kawasaki Z900RS.

Ducati

Read more Ducati news.