Goodwood Test: 2021 Ducati Scrambler Nightshift Review

Ducati brought the Scrambler name back in 2015, after an absence of just over four decades. Rather than a straight-up off-roader, as the name’s provenance would allude, the new bike was more of an entry level to the Ducati lifestyle, and has since evolved to be an entirely separate brand.

While clearly designed to look like it’s a rugged, go almost anywhere machine – and with a name that suggests it will – the new bike was thoroughly more about the looks than the abilities. While it will scurry around gently off road, this was more or a bike for the everyday rider this was more a bike for the everyday biker who wanted a Ducati, but wasn’t ready to step up to the big stuff.

Now the range has been simplified, with a base model called Icon, this rather fetching Nightshift and the more off-road styled Desert Sled.

The Scrambler Nightshift is clearly designed to bridge a gap between that more rugged traditional scrambling bike, and a naked road bike. With chunky looking tyres, spoked wheels, an open front and those rather racey bar-end mirrors it certainly looks the part, and the dual black and matte grey paintjob only complements the look. 

The indicators have been pared back to what look like single diodes, with even the housing for each taking up very little space both front and rear. Paired with the side-mounted number plate, this complements the look quite nicely and the DRL around the outside of the single headlight unit also looks adds a modern air to the retro-styled bike.

While it looks quite radical, it’s actually a sporty casing hiding a very relaxed motorbike. The 800cc engine isn’t going to be impressing too many passing Panigales, but 75PS (54kW) is available pretty easily and is perfectly acceptable on a bike ready to be used by those who want a taste of the Ducati life without outlaying any serious money. The power is usable, with a decent amount of torque low down should you stay in an unnecessarily high gear. Peak power and 66Nm (49lb ft) of torque come at relatively low levels (8,250rpm and 5,700rpm respectively) so there’s no need to absolutely rag the engine to the absolute limit. In fact if you keep the throttle pinned without shifting up there is a feeling of tailing off toward the top, so it’s much better to keep it in that idealised range of 5-8k and just use all the torque.

Helpfully the twin exhausts also sound much better in this range too, with a slight drone beginning to creep in as you move toward the higher levels. Stick in the sweet spot and it’ll sound much more meaty than it actually is (matching the performance-defying looks), a nice low rumble rather than the drone at higher levels from the L-twin motor.

The Pirelli tyres give decent amounts of grip through both wet and dry and the bar-end mirrors are actually surprisingly good, although the wide and semi-low nature of the handlebars does leave a taller rider feeling a little awkward. The handling is also a little compromised by the cramped positioning, meaning some more effort goes into a turn than you might hope for. However it’s nothing that can’t be overcome, and anyone shorter than my 6’2” shouldn’t find the same issues.

The suspension has been softened from the old Scrambler, and while I never rode that bike it does feel like it rides bumpier roads with a sufficient amount of ply. At times this means it reacts to a bump for longer than you might hope for, but in reality just helps it to be a comfortable around town or long trip cruiser.

The single brake at the front is more than sufficient on such a light bike (179kg) that isn’t ever going to be arriving to corner entry at significant speeds, and the ABS is unintrusive, and designed to modulate it’s interference for the situation, so welcome for an early rider or someone returning to a bike after time away.

As mentioned the bars slightly awkward position makes it slightly less easy for someone of larger stature to find a good riding position – you’re half way between hunched forward and relaxed upright. But the bench seat is extremely comfortable, conveying very little of the road or bike’s vibration to the rider.

The lack of weight makes the bike relatively easy to move around, although that middling riding position makes moving the bike around more difficult than it should be. While you feel like you need to lean into the corners, a taller ride will find themselves a bit crunched with knees toward chest with the 79cm seat height and semi-low bars, and at times that makes the lean feel less trusting than it should be.

The stylised choice to put the instruments slightly to one side on a single small LCD-only screen is striking at first, but makes no difference to riding, so close to centre that your eye easily flicks across to find it without much notice. Inside that computer is basic, giving range and other normal functions through a control on the left bar. The slightly annoying thing about that is that the reset button is the same as the indicator cancel, and seeing a big RESET notification on the screen can be slightly distracting if you’ve just exited a corner and cancelled the indicators.

It has a USB socket for charging on the go as well as LED daylight running lights up front. Those tiny indicators are surprisingly effective despite their miniscule stature, too.

A ride of the Scrambler Nightshift is never going to set the world alight, but then it really doesn’t need to. Perhaps not ideal for those of us of a taller size (as mentioned), it still remains an excellent choice for someone stepping into the Ducati world or perhaps returning to a bike after some time away. Easy to control in and around town with an eminently usable engine it’s more than just a good looker too, although no doubt most looking to buy will have been tugged in by those excellent features and the rather fetching paint job (of which there is just a single choice).

The only real problem might be the price, as coming in at just under the £10,000 mark it feels like a steep climb when its competitors struggle to knock past the £9k mark. But what you get for that is a premium looking and feeling bike that is a bit special to look at on your driveway and manages to inject a smile on the road.