EICMA 2015 FIRST LOOK: 2016 Ducati Scramber Flat Track Pro & Sixty2

Ducati's very successful Scrambler line has been extended for 2016 with the inclusion of two new models: the spirited Flat Track and the hip, new Sixty2, which at 399cc is the smallest Ducati in a generation.

Possibly the neatest and most fitting variation on the Scrambler theme, the Flat Track is patterned after the racebike former World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss rode at select AMA Grand National Championship races this past season. Bayliss rode the Flat Track onto the stage at its unveiling while behind him a video played showing him broadsliding the bike around a dirt oval in a perfect drift. Befitting its name, the bike features a short, 2-into-1-into-2 exhaust system, front and side number plates, semi-knobby tires, mini fenders front and rear, and very neat-looking cast-aluminum 10-spoke wheels. Joining Bayliss and CEO Claudio Domenicali on stage were MotoGP racers Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone plus World Superbike racer Davide Giugliano, finally out of a cast and back in his leathers.

But what will make the Scrambler even more popular will be the new Sixty2, the most accessible variant powered by a 41-hp, 399cc (72mm x 49mm) version of the venerable Pantah-based SOHC air-cooled V-twin. This version is equipped with a classic-looking fork and single 320mm Brembo front disc brake that should prove more than adequate. The look is right and will attract more youngsters around the world. Ducati is trying to create a cult around the Scrambler, and to that end a featuring the bike in a series of Bart & Betty comics.