[Pete4]

Hi everyone,
It's been nearly a year and almost 6000 miles since I took possession of my Classic.
I have some recommendations if anyone is struggling as these modifications have made my bike much better to control and enjoy.
1.
Maxton suspension upgrades front and rear
I think the discussions about stock suspension can be seen numerous times elsewhere on this forum, the original may suit a small number of people but I think anyone over 90kg fully kitted out will struggle to keep both tyres on the road when the surface becomes challenging. A jarring shocking experience in my opinion. An upgrade front and /or rear from any of the 10 or so providers mentioned on this forum will probably be money well spent for most.
Front and rear measured, set up to suit individual rider and fitted to bike by factory about £950
2.
Boosterplug install
This has made such a difference to the snatchy throttle and the bike pulls better from lower revs. You still cannot easily cruise around at low revs in high gear around urban stop /start low speed environments but the bike will now pull no problems from about 3000rpm rather than 4000rpm as it was prior to the install.
DIY installation , cost £150
3.
Gel pad insert for the seat
Unpick the staples from the front half, peel back and fit your own gel pad , I had a spare one lying around from a previous project but they might cost about £20, shape the foam with a carving knife and fit the pad in use a staple gun to refit the cover
These 3 mods in my opinion make the bike what I wanted it to be and to do. I think all bikes will need some modification to suit the individual and the scrambler is no exception.

 

[Slaine]

I am over 90 kg, I find the suspension more than adequate, an upgrade is a very expensive thing and in my opinion not a must. The same goes for the booster plug, I have no issues with the throttle And think there are perhaps many more that feel the same.
At the end of the day this forum is only a small slice of the total scrambler base.

 

[lakeSTLDUC]

Those are all smart upgrades. I recently installed the booster plug and feel the same way you do. Snatchy throttle gone and better acceleration. Most people will agree with us on that......

 

[Slaine]

I think there are certainly a few owners with the booster plug but manymore without it who are the same opinion as me.

 

[Joe Bar]

I would say that ignorance can be bliss, and if you're more than happy with your Scrambler as s standard then that's great. But, these bikes can be transformed for not much more than the price difference between the basic Icon and and the UE / FT / Classic.

 

[gcduc]

Well put Joe re ignorance being bliss. I agree with Slaine in that I am happy with the stock throttle (either it is getting better as it runs in or I am getting used to it). But given all the text devoted to people using the booster plug (and no one that I have seen has installed one and not liked it enough to remove it) I am dying to try one in person to see how much better it can be. Same with the remap.

 

[lakeSTLDUC]

I think there are certainly a few owners with the booster plug but manymore without it who are the same opinion as me.

There's more than a few with it. However for those satisfied with the stock scrambler rock on! It really is a good bike out of the factory. Although most people like to modify their rides no matter what it is. I've gotten use to the throttle and it's really become a non issue. But I wanted to try the plug just to see what the fuss was about.........and it was worth it.

 

[vincelp]

Hello

I agree with the mods around suspension. Out of the factory, the suspension of a Scrambler are not at the expected level for a Ducati. I owned previously a 1999 Ducati ST2 (Showa rear shock and front fork) and then a 2002 Ducati ST2 (Sachs then Ohlins rear shock and Showa front fork) and I also rode about every other models coming from Ducati. Except on the 1000 GT, I never experienced such poor suspension than on the Scrambler. Even my second ST2 with a Sachs rear shock and front fork with just preload setup had a better suspension, out of the factory.

So, I confirm the fact that, to ride securely this bike on any roads, even very bumpy roads, you need to change the rear shock and, at least, the fork springs. Those wh don't agree with this, come and ride with me and we'll discuss after some kilometers on bumpy roads above which speed you felt unsafe... I'm sure my "unsafe speed" will be higher than yours, on my modified Scrambler.

For other mods, I don't see their interest, especially the booster plug. I've never found the throttle on my bike to be difficult to manage. I've just modified the handlebar mount, to suppress the jerking due to the too soft mount and now, I really find back the behaviour of my previous Ducati : strong acceleration, even from low revs, which is the major characteristic of big two-cylinders engine. Of course, if you compare it to a 800 cc 4-cylinders engine, you'll find it difficult to manage, but in fact, it's because such a 4-cylinders engine has lot less torque at low revs.

My Classic saddle has been uncomfortable for the 1000 first kilometers. Now, it became softer and I can ride a long time without having any problems.