Ducati has announced details for the new 2023 Ducati Scrambler family, which includes the Icon, Full Throttle, and Nightshift. The company says the Scrambler has always combined fun, technology, safety, and ease of use, and adds that the new generation continues this trend.
See all of Rider’s Ducati coverage, including other new 2023 models, here.
The 2023 Ducati Scrambler Function and Form
The 2023 Ducati Scrambler range will still feature the air-cooled 803cc L-Twin with a desmodromic valve system making a claimed 73 hp and 48.1 lb-ft of torque at 7,000 rpm (compared to the 2022 Scrambler Motard’s claimed 48.5 lb-ft at 5,750 rpm) with a 6-speed gearbox (Ducati Quick Shift is standard on the Full Throttle), a slip-assist clutch, and chain final drive.
The new engine is 5.5 lb lighter than the previous generation and has been equipped with a new eight-disc clutch, which Ducati says is softer in operation. The clutch is also more compact, which has made it possible to reduce the size of the right side cover and offer more space for the rider’s foot. The new Ducati Scrambler is also equipped with a transmission shift drum mounted on bearings.
The 2023 Scrambler frame is still a trellis design but has also been updated and lightened, with a redesigned swingarm and a repositioned shock absorber. And for custom bike builders, the rear sub-frame is now easily removable without modifying the frame.
The 2023 Ducati Scramblers now have electronic management of the Ride by Wire throttle, which Ducati says “makes the engine response ready at every throttle position, but always progressive and easy to manage at all revs.” It allows the adoption of Ducati Traction Control and two Riding Modes: Road and Wet. The standard equipment is completed by ABS Cornering.
Riding improvements also come from a slightly increased steering angle. The wheels are a completely renewed design with 18 and 17 inches respectively at the front and rear (light alloy on the Icon and Full Throttle and spoked aluminum on the Nightshift).
All said and done, the bike has been lightened by 8.8 lb for total wet weights of 408 lb. on the Icon and Full Throttle and 421 lb. on the Nightshift.
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Perhaps as important when it comes to the Scrambler is the style, and Ducati says the design of the 2023 Scrambler range keeps “the soul of the Ducati Scrambler family intact, preserving its distinctive elements.” The front headlight, now full LED, keeps the iconic “X” but has been redesigned with an even more recognizable style. The new taillight design is now with a semi-circular line, always full LED, along with the direction indicators.
The steel tank has been redesigned and equipped with an interchangeable cover that, along with the fenders and details on the headlamp, gives the bike its color and allows easy and quick customization. Anodized aluminum covers below the tank complete the renewed design of the front of the bike.
New instrumentation includes the 4.3-inch color TFT and dedicated HMI. The Ducati Multimedia System is available as an accessory, allowing you to listen to music and make calls by connecting your smartphone.
2023 Ducati Scrambler Icon
The 2023 Ducati Scrambler Icon version with the new tank design and interchangeable covers offers the three standard colors (’62 Yellow, Thrilling Black, and Ducati Red), and a further six are available as accessory kits that include tank covers, front and rear fenders, headlamp covers, and wheel tags to complete the customization.
The Icon features a revised handlebar that is lower and closer to the rider, and the seat has been redesigned with a more tapered, streamlined shape. Completing the design of this new generation of Icon are black under-seat side panels with Ducati Scrambler graphics.
The Ducati Scrambler Icon will arrive to the U.S. in spring 2023 starting at $10,995.
2023 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle
The 2023 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle was inspired by U.S. Flat Track competitions on dirt oval tracks. The side number plates have the number 62 in Tracker style – representing the 1962 debut year of the first Ducati Scrambler – combined with the sump guard for what Ducati says is “a decidedly grittier aesthetic for those who do not want to go unnoticed.”
The Full Throttle’s sporty character is underlined by the sport-look seat cover, a dedicated livery in GP19 Red/Dark Stealth, and the black finish of the exhaust heat shields and front side covers. A shorter front fender, a tail without a rear fender, red tags on the alloy wheels, a street-legal Termignoni silencer, Ducati Performance LED turn signals, and standard Quick Shift up/down complete the package.
The riding position is also different than the Icon thanks to a variable section handlebar, and the Rosso GP19 seat cover is available as an accessory for a single-seat look.
The Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle will arrive at U.S. dealerships in spring 2023 starting at $12,195.
2023 Ducati Scrambler Nightshift
Ducati says the 2023 Ducati Scrambler Nightshift is “the most elegant of the proposals” in the 2023 Scrambler range. Like the Full Throttle, the Nightshift features side number plates, a sporty front fender, the absence of a rear fender, and compact LED indicators.
The Nightshift has a Nebula Blue color scheme and spoked rims, now completely black, and the same flat-shaped, variable-section handlebar and bar-end mirrors in café racer style as the 2022 model.
The Ducati Scrambler Nightshift will arrive to U.S. dealers in summer 2023 starting at $12,195.
Scrambler Customization
To allow enthusiasts to express their personality in the best way possible, Scrambler offers a wide choice of accessories, including three exhaust proposals made by Termignoni. There is the street-legal silencer with black finish and contrasting ring available in yellow, red or blue. The complete steel exhaust is not street legal and is mounted in a high side position in Flat Track style, with black finish and accompanied by dedicated mapping for the ECU (not homologated for road use). The third exhaust accessory is a street-legal short silencer, also in steel, again with black finish and accompanied by dedicated map. All three choices have a contrasting ring available in yellow, red, or blue.
Other accessories include saddles, many details machined from billet – footpegs, mirrors, tank caps – and soft bags, all viewable via the online configurator.
For more information, visit the Ducati website.
I like how they evolved the motorcycle. I am now ready to finally purchase one. I also like that they left it with an air cooled motor. But it would be nice if it was also equipped with a kick starter.