Someone with a real taste for the classic look of the original scramblers cannot go wrong with the SCR950. Yamaha gets a little back at the till with its $8,699 sticker, a sight less expensive than the $10,495 tag on the Classic. While the Scrambler cranks out 54.1 pounds of grunt and 48.5 ponies, Ducati's Desmo spanks it at the dyno with 50 pound-feet of torque and 75 horsepower. How does that work out, you ask? Better than you might expect. The oversquare Duc mill runs an 88 mm bore and 66 mm stroke, with a fairly hot 11-to-1 compression ratio, but only 803 cc total displacement that leaves it 139 cubes short of the 942 cc Yamaha motor. Power output is always important, and Ducati shows its experience with the L-Twin, 90-degree, Desmodromic engine. Yamaha offers no ABS equipment on the '17 SCR, but there's always next year I suppose. Inverted, 41 mm front forks and a preload-adjustable, rear monoshock, both from Kayaba, float the Classic on 5.9 inches of wheel travel, quite a bit more than the 4.7-inch front, and 2.8-inch rear travel on the SCR950.ĭucati also wins out on brakes, with a 330 mm disc and four-pot caliper up front and a 245 mm disc and single-pot caliper in back, all with ABS as standard equipment that allows you to use those big brakes safely. A tubular Trellis frame keeps the bones strong but light. There is no doubt the Duc is capable in the role, but it comes off looking like a concept or tribute bike, whereas the Yamaha is a standard cruiser made by a Japanese manufacturer for sale in the U.S., and it has been modified for off-road use, just like the originals, so I guess you could say the SCR950 comes off as the more sincere of the two.ĭucati does pack on the off-road performance in the standing rigging. I adore the Duc Scrambler family, I really do, and the Classic is a cute little ride with a decidedly Italian flair, maybe too much. In the end, I decided to look at one of my personal favorites, the Scrambler “Classic” from Ducati. With so many scramblers to choose from, it was tough to narrow down the field. A five-speed transmission uses that power to wring 51 mpg out of the rig, and a belt-and-pulley drive makes the final connection to the rear wheel. This mill cranks out 54.1 pound-feet of torque at 3,400 RPM and 48.5 horsepower at 5,400 RPM, not terribly impressive given the 547-pound curb weight, but it's built for controlled technical riding, not big jumps or complicated tricks. The 85 mm bore and 83 mm stroke, ceramic-composite coated cylinders define a nearly square engine, and the relatively low, 9-to-1 compression ratio will keep it from running too awful hot while preventing the forged aluminum pistons and bearings from taking a beating.Īll this adds up to a 942 cc (58 cubic-inches) displacement motor, and as usual with V-twins, the power comes on early. Yamaha kept things simple and light with air cooling, and a single over-head cam to actuate the four valves within each pent-roof combustion chamber. Unlike most early scramblers out there, the SCR950 runs a 60-degree V-twin engine. After all, you only have so much traction available off-road, and there's no sense carrying more brakeage than you can effectively use. Not real impressive figures for road riding, but sufficient for its intended purpose. The calipers are definitely sized for off-road riding, with a twin-pot, piston-and-anvil binder up front, and a single-piston in back. Laced aluminum rims mount dual-surface hoops with a 100/90-19 up front and a 140/80-17 in back, and not only do the spoke wheels add to the old-school charm of the SCR, they serve to take the edge off some of the bumps and jostles associated with off-road work.Ī wave-cut profile on the outside edge of the 298 mm rotors provide a certain self-cleaning ability that's handy on loose surfaces, and a bit of extra heat dissipation to boot. None of this is even close to dirt bike, or even dual-sport capabilities, but it isn't meant to be used like that, and a skilled rider should be able to tackle some pretty tough terrain at low to moderate speeds. Standard, 41 mm front forks and dual, coil-over shocks float the bike on 4.7-inches and 2.8-inches of travel, respectively.
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