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The 2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled Has Arrived At EICMA

Ducati has expanded its Scrambler range with the new 2017 Desert Sled, an iteration that reminds of the oldschool American-born bikes that appeared in South-West California and in Mexico’s Baja California in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled 24 photos
Photo: Ducati
2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled2017 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled
These were road bikes with engines over 500 cc, stripped of any non-essential accessories and body panels, fitted with off-road tires, wheels, and having modified suspension systems and engine skid plates, the latter being the source for the ‘desert sled’ name.

Over the years, these bikes became a motorcycle category of its own, and the new Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled has the right equipment to be part of it. The new bike comes with a reinforced frame, a bash plate, two side plates that hug the engine and support the new swingarm which is reinforced too and longer than on the smaller Scrambler 800.

The fork yokes feature a wider inter-fork clearance and an augmented offset, while the whole suspension has been designed to tackle rough terrain. The front has 200 mm of travel thanks to upside-down 46 mm Kayaba adjustable forks, while the rear uses a shock absorber from the same company with a separate gas cartridge.

The Desert Sled also rocks a 19-inch wheel at the front, a Brembo braking system with a Bosch 9.1 MP ABS, a single 330 mm disc paired with a 4-piston monoblock caliper at the front, and a 245 mm disc with a 32 mm diameter piston caliper at the rear.

In the middle of the bike sits an 803 cc air and oil-cooled Desmodue engine delivering 75 hp and 68 Nm of torque, tweaked for smooth running and fluid acceleration throughout the rev range. Needless to say, it has a cool raised exhaust system and is Euro 4 compliant.

Other features include a teardrop gas tank with interchangeable side panels, front headlight with mesh guard, high front mudguard, extended rear mudguard, high plate holder, tapered handlebars with reinforcement strut and a dedicated seat with a height of 860 mm.

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