I often poke fun at Ducati for the number of versions of the Scramblers it offers. The Scrambler is a great bike, it’s just becoming increasingly difficult to choose with all the different iterations of the model there are. If you like having the choice, you’ll be glad to know that there’s yet another version of the Scrambler coming to the lineup in 2020 and this time, the Icon is going dark.Â
Also New For 2020:
Launched during Ducati’s big lineup announcement, the new Scrambler Icon Dark is a black twist on the bright orange (or yellow) Icon the firm introduced last year. In reality, it pretty much only is a blacked-out version of the model. Or just black—the Icon is already equipped with mostly blacked-out features; the Dark adds a matte black livery to the mix.
Just like on the standard the Icon, the Icon Dark features a tubular trellis frame, topped with a tear-drop tank and a floating single-piece saddle. The 18 and 17-inch wheels are wrapped in Pirelli MT 60 RS tires and armed with a four-piston caliper with a 330mm disc at the front and a single-piston caliper with a 245mm disc at the back. Support is brought to you by Kabaya with a 41mm inverted fork up front and an adjustable single shock out back. Of course, everything is clad in black—only the stainless steel exhaust pipes ending on an aluminum silencer cover create a silver-on-black contrast.Â
At the core of the Scrambler Icon Dark, the same 803cc L-twin engine beats, rated at 73 horsepower and 49 lb-ft of torque—a great engine, by the way.Â
In Europe, the model launched with a smaller price point than on the regular Icon, making it the most affordable Scrambler 800 of the lot. For instance in the U.K., the Icon Dark comes in at ÂŁ7595 (US$9,800), which is ÂŁ700 less than the standard Icon. U.S. pricing hasn’t been announced yet but we can expect (or hope for) a similar pricing structure on this side of the pond.Â
Sources: Ducati, Motorcycle News