Ducati’s homage to the “revolution of free spirit and style” is the 2020 Scrambler Café Racer. The bright blue frame stands out under the matte silver tank while the number plate, bar-end-mounted rearview mirrors, seat cowl, and nose fairing make it look like it belongs in the ’60s café movement. Modern componentry includes the radial front brake pump, LED lighting, cornering ABS, and its 803cc L-twin engine. The Café Racer is a fitting selection for those in need of a café racer-styled machine straight off the dealer floor. This type of rider would want to hit the town or the canyons while giving a tip of the hat to one of motorcycling’s monumental moments.
We ran last year’s Scrambler Café Racer on our in-house dyno to find that the 803cc L-twin produced 68.23 hp at 8,300 rpm and 45.66 pound-feet at 5,710 rpm at the rear wheel. In past reviews of the 2017 Scrambler Café Racer we stated, “Like the other Scrambler variants, the Café Racer is a base-model Scrambler with a little flavor. The tall, one-piece handlebar is replaced with clip-ons and bar-end mirrors, for example, and there’s a removable seat cowl out back. Add number plates and a 17-inch front wheel and you have a more classic-looking Scrambler that’s not all that far off from the stuff you’ll see filling your Instagram feed on a daily basis.”
With the café racer’s explosion in popularity over the last couple of decades you definitely have some shopping around to do. Competition includes: Triumph Street Cup, BMW R nineT Racer, Kawasaki W800, Royal Enfield Continental GT, Suzuki SV650X, Yamaha XSR700 or 900, and Moto Guzzi V7 III Racer LE to name a few.
No major updates for 2020. The only color option available is the Silver Ice Matte.
