Extreme Ducati Scrambler Bike Concepts Blend Café Racer Styling with Mad Max Vibes

The Concorso d'Eleganza is not specifically aimed at a certain type of vehicle, and that's why we got to see both cars and motorcycles step under the spotlight. For two-wheeler lovers, the show must have belonged to the BMW R20 concept, which introduced the 2,000cc version of the Big Boxer engine to the world.

Bike Shed, on the other hand, is exclusively meant for two-wheelers. Born a little more than a decade ago, in 2013, the event rapidly grew in popularity and last year, for instance, managed to draw in no less 17,000 people, flocking to see some 300 unique bikes on display in the British capital.

The show presently hosts a large number of established bike makers, all of them competing for attention with designs we don't usually get to see. By all accounts, the most spectacular display this year must have belonged to Italian bike maker Ducati, which was present in London not with one, but two unique concepts based on the Scrambler.

The Scrambler is one of the most intense motorcycle families presently offered by Ducati. Tracing its roots to the scrambler-style rides the Italians used to make back in the 1960s (but introduced as a brand-new range in 2015), the range now comprises some six models: Icon, Full Throttle, Nightshift, 1100 Tribute Pro, 1100 Sport Pro, and 1100 Dark Pro.

These six are sold somewhat separately from the rest of the Ducati bikes, as if they were a brand of their own, and despite offering a little something different from one another, they also share a lot of the mechanical components.

At the core of the Ducati Scramblers in their newest interpretation sits a Desmodue engine installed inside a steel trellis frame. The powerplant has been revised to be 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg) lighter than before and to run a new clutch that is supposed to be "smoother in operation and more compact," while at the same time providing more space for the rider's foot.

It is based on this new generation of the Scrambler that Ducati devised two concept bikes to show at the Bike Shed MotoShow. And that's exactly what it did, giving us a glimpse of a pair that mixes café racer styling with Mad Max vibes.

The first concept is called the Ducati Scrambler CR24I, and this is one meant to remind people of the British subculture from the 1960s that came to be known worldwide as the Rocker.

Put together by Ducati's Centro Stile, the CR24I is technically the same second-gen Scrambler in terms of mechanical bits, but looks unlike anything else available in the range.

Ducati says the design of the bike was inspired by "the bikes that made the legend of British venues in the 60s," and that’s pretty clear as soon as one rests one's eyes on this beauty.

The first thing that catches the eye is the bodywork. It starts up front with a fuel tank-mounted fairing that's pretty narrow but somehow still manages to wrap itself around pretty much the entire front end. The design is supposed to be reminiscent of the Ducati 500 Pantah and the 750 SS.

Above the fuel tank, which seems to be an integral part of the fairing, Ducati installed clip-on handlebars with bar-end mirrors.

Where the fuel tank ends the seat begins, and there's something pretty special about it. The Italians installed a setup that can switch from single to two-seater, with the detachable cover of the passenger seat designed in such a way as to bring back memories of the so-called panettone saddles from back in the 1970s.

The entire ride rests on 17-inch wheels front and rear, and shines apart in a bronze hue that should be a nod to British rockers from decades ago.

The second Scrambler concept Ducati presented in London, the one I said has those Mad Max vibes, is the RR24I. This one was made in such a way as to follow the "aesthetic canons of post-apocalyptic sagas of cinema and TV series."

The first thing one notices about the ride is its minimalist styling. It's so minimalist, in fact, that the entire design exercise basically comes down to a frame, an engine, two wheels, and a fuel tank.

Making sure to highlight all the bits of aluminum on the ride, Ducati left most of the bike's entrails exposed for anyone to see. Even the fuel tank no longer comes with covers, but there is a frame-up there to be used as an attachment point for bags.

This permission to carry stuff is mirrored in the rear, where a portion of the passenger seat can be removed to make room for a luggage rack.

The motorcycle rides on differently sized wheels front and rear (18 and 17 inches, respectively), both of them shod in Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires.

Ducati did not say what are the plans for the future when it comes to these bikes. Our hope, naturally, is that they will not remain simply concepts, and at least part of them will actually make it into production in one form or another.