Cloaked in darkness
V1 MOTO now has the Scrambler Icon Dark
Ducati’s Scrambler line has proven popular with the masses, and the factory expands its footprint further with its new Icon Dark. The “Dark” brings all the usual Scrambler-tastic charms to the table along with a custom bent meant to give would-be customizers a gentle nudge down that homegrown-bike path. It rocks the same 73-horsepower, 803 cc L-twin as the rest of the mid-range Scramblers along with the usual electronics suite, but it takes a turn toward the Dark Side with ample blackout paint and a monochromatic finish on the sheet metal.
2020 ICON DARK DESIGN
- Black-out aesthetics
- Begs for customization
- LED lighting
- LCD display
- Swappable tank cover
- Ducati Multimedia System ready
Black has always been a popular hue for custom builders in spite of the homogenizing effect it has on the overall look, so rather than using the fork stanchions, frame, and engine to add to the aesthetic on the Icon Dark, they blend together so nothing about the bike is very conspicuous. The good news here is that it’s a blank canvas and when you start adding pieces and parts, those components will instantly leap off the background at the observer. Of course, I mean as long as they aren’t flat black, as well.
Up front, a bobbed-and-flared fender contains the spray with generous vents in the topsides that improve flow and reduce drag. The uprights double as fork guards to keep the inner tubes grit free to protect the front fork seals.
LED technology lights your path through a round cyclops headlight. The compact housing keeps the front end clean and mounts standoff-style turn signals high and tight where they’re less likely to be damaged in a drop. The main projector carries a series of Daytime Running Lights that increase your visibility to the world when the headlight is off. Remember that visibility is safety, m’kay?
A round gauge packs all the instrumentation into one location, and while the single offset display imparts a classic look to the cockpit, the LCD screen delivers the pertinent metrics in thoroughly modern fashion.
The 3.57-gallon teardrop fuel tank makes another classic connection with its timeless profile, and here we find the first easily customized component. The gray aluminum tank covers are universal across the family and can be swapped for a quick-and easy-custom look..
The bench-style saddle provides seating for both you and a friend with nothing in the way of an offset to segregate the two.
If you're into a bit of jackassery with your two-wheel toy, you'll have plenty of room for weight shifts fore and aft.
To complete the pillion gear, the factory chucked on a set of swingarm-mount, fold-up footpegs, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that of the available ways to mount passenger pegs, that is the least desirable as every bump the rear wheel hits is transmitted directly to the passenger’s feet. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but it is a less than ideal arrangement.
An LED taillight rides tucked up under the back of the seat with blackout bullet housings for the rear blinkers. A cut-down rear fender makes another custom connection, as does the one-sided hugger that doubles as a plateholder.
Overall, the Dark displays the same exuberance of youth as the rest of the family in spite of its somewhat-sinister streak.
2020 ICON DARK CHASSIS
- Bosch Cornering ABS
- Kayaba front forks
- Nimble handling
- Huge 330 mm brake disc
Blackout treatment makes the frame blend into the background, but it's the same stressed-engine Trellis as used by the rest of the family with welded tubular-steel members for the main structure.
Since the engine on the Scrambler Icon Dark is used as part of the frame, a large chunk of tubing is displaced to help keep weight down without sacrificing stiffness. The steering head sets a 24-degree rake angle for the usd, 41 mm Kayaba front forks with 4.4 inches of trail to put the Scrambler Icon Dark toward the nimble end of the spectrum.
Fixed preload and damping values are part of the package up front, and out back, the coil-over Kayaba monoshock comes with naught but the obligatory spring-preload adjuster as the only mechanical ride-quality tweak. An 18-inch front rim is followed by a 17-inch rear to round out the rolling chassis, and they mount Pirelli’s MT 60 RS hoops in a 110/80 and 180/55 on the front and rear, respectively.
When it’s time to drop anchor you can count on the power of a four-piston caliper and huge 330 mm front disc with a 245 mm rear disc and single-piston binder to take care of business. This is all under the protection of a Bosch Cornering ABS feature that’ll help you keep it rubber-side down.
2020 ICON DARK DRIVETRAIN
- 803 cc L-Twin engine
- Slip-and-assist clutch
- Desmodromic valve-actuation system
- Black-out heads and brushed aluminum fins
Power comes from an 803 cc L-Twin plant to the tune of 73 horsepower at 8,250 rpm that's backed up by 49 pound-feet of torque that tops out at 5,750 rpm.
After the juice flows through the slip-and-assist clutch to provide some anti-hop protection, the six-speed transmission and the tough chain drive on the Scrambler Icon Dark drives this bike to speeds of around 125 mph, if you have the nerve for it.
It’s air cooled, so there’s no ugly radiator or water-jacket system to clutter up the look and needlessly complicate the engine. An 88 mm bore and 66 mm stroke turns out an 11-to-1 compression ratio that falls in the middle of the range but will likely require top-dollar road champagne to prevent knock, ping and run-on. Twin-poppet heads run Ducati’s signature Desmodromic valve-actuation system that substitutes a pull-closed cam for the valve springs to eliminate the possibility of harmonic valve float at high revs.
Induction control falls to the 50 mm throttle body, and between the electronic fuel injection in the intake and Lambda probes in the exhaust, the system manages to meet Euro 4 emission standards.
The Scrambler Icon Dark is priced at $8,894, check it out here.