Ducati fills out its large-displacement Scrambler lineup ahead of MY2020 with the Scrambler 1100 PRO that also doubles as the platform for the top-shelf 1100 Sport PRO. The 1100 PRO serves as a gateway vehicle so both new and experienced riders have a capable machine for their entry into the scrambler-tastic lifestyle. A liter-plus mill delivers 86 ponies, and the electronics include corner-sensitive safety features to help you keep it rubber-side down regardless of your experience level and the prevailing conditions.

2020 Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO Design

Many of the early scrambler-type machines were home-builds, and the newest branch on Ducati's Scrambler tree seeks to tie into that old-school custom vibe and take it to the bank. Right up front, the fender on the Scrambler 1100 PRO is heavily bobbed to give it a trim profile and minimize unsprung weight at the front axle. As is usually the case with inverted front ends, the fender mounts to the fork feet and the uprights multitask as grit guards for the inner forks and as a wind shunt to combat turbulence and drag.

Blackout treatment reinforces the custom vibe, and it looks like nearly everything that could be painted black, was painted black. Rims, fork stanchions, and tripleclamps join the headlight can, instrument housing, and handlebar in the monochromatic finish that spreads back to the frame, drivetrain, and swingarm. Overall, this gives the 1100 PRO a custom flavor with just a hint of a somewhat sinister spice. In another nod to the past – specifically the seventies – a black metallic “X” rides behind the round headlight lens for a distinct look, and this is compounded by visual impact of the DRL ring.

LED tech provides the illumination all the way around for maximum visibility in any and all light conditions. Short-standoff blinkers finish off the forward lighting, and since they're mounted on the headlight housing, they're well out of harm's way in a drop or slide.

Up top, a paired round/oval instrument cluster delivers all the pertinent metrics and act as the rider interface for the top-drawer electronic features. A classic teardrop tank defines the flyline with 3.96 U.S. gallons and the usual interchangeable tank inserts on each side. The rear of the tank wanes sharply to leave a knee pocket and form a narrow waist to give your inner thighs a break and leave room for a bit of body English if you like to get down like that.

A compact taillight and short turn signals finish out the subframe from their position tucked up under the p-pad, but the tail is kinda bobbed so the tag and taglight are relocated to the hugger behind the rear wheel to finish off the gear in the rear. To the right side of the rear end, the upswept angle and high location of the dual mufflers lend it a sporty/racey air that is entirely in keeping with its performance personality.

2020 Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO Chassis

Welded steel tubing members on the Scrambler 1200 PRO make up the exposed Trellis frame, what little there is, anyway. Much of the frame is displaced by the stressed engine cases to keep weight to a minimum, and this effort is reinforced by the aluminum subframe. A boomerang-shaped, cast-aluminum swingarm finishes out the standing structure with a Kayaba monoshock on suspension duty that comes with adjustable rebound damping on top of the obligatory spring-preload feature.

The steering head sets a rake angle of 24.5 degrees, and that interacts with the 18-inch front wheel for 4.4 inches of trail, all of which adds up to make the 1100 PRO maneuverable and agile. A set of inverted, 45 mm Marzocchi forks float the front end on the full trinity of tweaks, so you can count on near-complete ride-quality control.

Out back, a 17-inch rim rounds out the rolling chassis with a 245 mm disc and single-piston caliper to manage the speed, but the bulk of the braking comes from the dual, 320 mm discs and four-pot anchors up front. ABS coverage comes from Bosch, and its of the cornering variety that calculates the available traction and modulates its levels of intervention accordingly.

2020 Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO Drivetrain

Power for the Scrambler 1200 PRO comes from the L-Twin plant to the tune of 83 horsepower at 7,250 rpm with 66.7 pound-feet of torque that come on fully at 4,750 to give plenty of usable grunt down low in the range. It's a Desmodromic, which means that the valve springs are replaced by a pull-closed cam in order to eliminate harmonic valve float and the loss of power and damage it can cause. Each head sports a pair of poppets to control the combustion chamber. Bore and stroke mike out at 98 mm and 71 mm respectively, to give the engine its 1,079 cc displacement and 11-to-1 compression ratio. That'll put you at the premium hook come fill-up time, but that's the price to pay for the power and Euro 5 emissions rating the mill adds to the mix.

Throttle control falls to a ride-by-wire input and single throttle body, but that's just the start. A trio of riding modes lets you dial in the delivery of the power to suit, and as a last layer of safety net, the 1100 PRO comes stock with the Ducati Traction Control that prevents loss of traction due to spinout.

Old hands should certainly appreciate the level of confidence such fandanglery brings. A six-speed transmission and chain final drive turns in a top speed of 130 mph.

2020 Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO Pricing

The 2020 Scrambler 1100 PRO rolls for $13,495, which may be prohibitive as a first bike, but positions is as a good first upgrade. The unique two-tone livery Ducati calls “Ocean Drive” is white with black and yellow pinstripes over generous blackout treatment.

2020 Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO Competitors

One scramble-tastic ride deserves another, so I went straight to Triumph for its street-wise Scrambler 1200 XC.

Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC

Like Ducati, Triumph has its own history with scramble-tastic designs, and the 1200 XC bears a number of the features from the old-school bikes. Laced wheels start things out in a decidedly-dated fashion, as does the round cyclops headlight, and ample blackout treatment makes the same sort of connection with the custom culture as the Duc model.

The 1200 XC's shotgun exhaust furthers its classic chops, as does the faux tuck-and-roll bench seat and teardrop tank, so it's safe to say that the British bike pays appropriate homage to its past. Even the engine is of the vertical-twin persuasion like the old Trumpets, but it's liquid-cooled so it has a radiator that identifies it as a contemporary engine.

Triumph packs in some extra cubeage with 1,200 cc to give it a slight edge in power with 89 horsepower and 81 pounds o' grunt against 83/66, and that kind of difference will definitely register on the old heinie-dyno. The engine rocks a series of Rider Modes to match the flexibility of the Duc with ABS and traction control as stock equipment. However, the ABS is not the lean-sensitive variety, and that gives the Italians the edge, but the Triumph has switchable ABS, so edge canceled. To add another point to the Brit, Triumph has the full trinity of adjustments front and rear against the slightly less tuneable Ducati stems.

When you get to the checkout counter, Triumph is slightly more proud of its product with a $14,000 MSRP, but the $505 difference is unlikely to sway a buyer one way or the other.

Read our full review of the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC.

He Said

“Ducati sure is getting some mileage from its Scrambler line with three different engines and a host of models. Now with the new 1100 PRO near the top of the food chain, the Scrambler family has far outstripped the scope of the originals. In fact, I have to wonder at what point displacement and electronics make it into something other than a Scrambler?”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “The 1100 PRO is lighter than the previous Scrambler 1100, so a more favorable power-to-weight ratio, plus a myriad of niceties. The “new” exhaust is stacked on the right side, which puts it back in the traditional Ducati configuration and the seat is special for the PROs. You have the retro touch of the black “X” in the headlight, mimicking the “X” of tape used to protect the headlight lens, which was a thing in the '70s. All-in-all, it's a nice bike, but the Scrambler line is moving beyond the affordable models that Ducati introduced just a few years ago, so when does this stop being a scrambler and start being something else?”

2020 Ducati Scrambler 1100 PRO Specifications

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