Ducati Scrambler Commuter, Trailbike, and Racer All Rolled into One

After logging more than 100,000 miles on his 2004 Triumph Bonneville daily rider, Heath Cofran fell in love when the Ducati Scrambler was announced for 2015. After riding it, he knew he had to have one. "To me, it felt like how I wish the Bonneville would feel," he said. "It is nimble, light, has more power, and I was drawn to its cool retro/sporty/modern feel."

After racing it in a scrambles (!) and taking it to a roadrace trackday in stock form, it dawned on him that with a couple of mods he could race the bike in AHRMA’s Battle of the Twins class. “I immediately did my homework to see who made what parts for the bike,” he said. “The biggest challenges were the low exhaust, the footpegs, and tires.” The custom Shift Tech Carbon slip-on exhaust now tucks neatly up and out of the way, while Gilles Tooling’s adjustable footpegs solved clearance issues. As for tires, he chose Pirelli’s Angel GT because of the 18-inch front wheel size. He then fitted Rizoma clip-ons and levers, a custom belly pan fabricated by Arch Motorcycles, and number plates and various protective pieces for track duty. Two second-place finishes at the Sonoma, California, round of AHRMA was the payoff.

Next up, Cofran wants to tackle the stock suspension, which isn’t cutting it on track in race conditions. He also needs to further modify the seat he customized to hold him in place better. “I am very pleased with this bike in so many ways,” he added. “It has been my commuter, my trailbike, my track bike, and now my racebike all in one year. I can’t wait to dial it in just a little bit more. Until then, I had to bolt the headlight and taillight back on so I could get to work!”