Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled: All You Need To Know

The Desert Sled gets its name from the original off-road 'desert sled' bikes from the 1960s and '70s when street bikes were stripped of their bodywork and got reinforced suspension and cycle parts to race in the desert of southern California. The Ducati Scrambler line also follows the original 'scrambler' style off-road design, but the standard Scrambler and its existing variants are more a case of 'looking' the part than have any real off-road capability. So, enter the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled, a bike which has been in the making since the new 'Ducati Scrambler' brand was launched in 2014.

Ducati India has just launched the 2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled in India, with prices starting at Rs. 9.32 lakh (ex-showroom). The Scrambler Desert Sled is available in two colours - 'Red Dusk' and 'White Mirage' with black frame and spoked wheels with gold rims. What is the Scrambler Desert Sled? And what does it offer to the Indian buyer? Is it as good as it looks, and is it worth the extra you pay over the standard Ducati Scrambler Icon? Here's a look at all you need to know about the new Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled.

The Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled gets '60s dirt bike styling

1. What is it?

As mentioned earlier, the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled gets '60s style desert racer look and several changes to give it genuine off-road ability. It sits taller, gets a little beefed up and has wider motocross style handlebars. The new front mudguard sits higher and longer, and the rear mudguard is higher as well, with the number plate mounted high. It gets a bash plate for exploring rocky terrain, and gets the same instrument panel. What is new is a wire mesh headlight over to protect the round headlight from rocks and the like. Overall, the Scrambler Desert Sled looks stylishly retro, yet manages to express genuine classic off-roader looks.

The biggest change is in the suspension and a larger front wheel

2. What has changed?

The biggest change in the Scrambler Desert Sled is the suspension and wheel size. The suspension gets 200 mm of travel, both front and rear - and that's more suspension travel than the BMW R1200GS. The suspension is higher-spec than the standard Scrambler, offering a fully adjustable fork and a rebound and preload adjustable shock. The swingarm is also new to accommodate the extra suspension travel. The triple clamp design is also new, to keep the trail and rake, as well as handling similar to the standard Scrambler. The increased suspension travel means, the seat height has gone up to 860 mm, but Ducati also offers an optional 20 mm lower seat version. The front wheel is bigger with a 19-inch wheel for off-road use, and rear tyre is narrower and a 17-inch number. The wheels come shod with specially-designed Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres for both on-road and off-road use.

The Scrambler Desert Sled shares the same 803 cc L-twin with the other Scrambler variants

3. Does it get more power?

The Ducati Scrambler has a peppy engine, and the Scrambler Desert Sled shares that same mill. The 803 cc, L-twin makes 72 bhp at 8250 rpm and 67 Nm of torque at 5,750 rpm, and now meets Euro 4 emission regulations. It also gets better on/off throttle power delivery, so the snatchy nature of the Scrambler's throttle response is expected to be smoothened out on the Desert Sled.

The Scrambler Desert Sled costs over Rs. 2 lakh more than the Ducati Scrambler Icon

4. How much does it cost?

The Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled is priced at Rs. 9.32 lakh (ex-showroom) for the 'Red Dust' shade. The 'White Mirage' shade will set you back by Rs. 9.45 lakh (ex-showroom). It's certainly not one of the less expensive Ducatis, considering the standard Ducati Scrambler prices start at Rs. 7.23 lakh (ex-showroom). For about Rs. 2 lakh extra, the Scrambler Desert Sled promises genuine off-road ability, with its better specced, long travel suspension. The question that remains is - are you willing to shell out that kind of money for a little retro style and go-anywhere ability.

The Scrambler Desert Sled offers a great looking package with genuine off-road ability

5. Should you buy it?

Depends really on what you want to do with the bike. If you've always fancied the Ducati Scrambler, by all means take a good look at the Desert Sled, if you're willing to shell out the extra dough. The Ducati Scrambler is a fun bike, and we quite like it the way it is, and the Scrambler Desert Sled just makes it more capable, more versatile. Slap on a couple of panniers and hand-guards, and the Scrambler Desert Sled can do all of what your standard adventure bike is capable of. At 192 kg dry weight, it still isn't what you'd call a lightweight bike, and the wind blast will have you backing off the throttle on the highway, long before you explore the full capability of the engine. But it sure promises to be a lot of fun, and we'd say, take a very close look at it, if you have the budget of around Rs. 10 lakh and like retro-looking bikes.