2025 Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle Is Your Stylish, Italian Dirt Bike

[Desmond Milligan 0]

• The new Full Throttle is a beautiful black and bronze trim level of the Scrambler that was reintroduced a decade ago.

• Despite its relatively paltry 72 peak hp, it's fun.

• Pricing starts at a listed $12,395.

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As lighthearted and happy as a puppy after five cappuccinos, the Scrambler just begs to be ridden. That was our assessment when the modern Scrambler came out 10 years ago, and it remains the same with this latest model, the 2025 Scrambler Full Throttle.

When I first rode the new-generation Scrambler a decade ago, it reminded me of all the dirt bikes of the 1970s: handlebars high up in the air, plenty of wheel travel ready for anything, and an engine that made me want to wind it out to its admittedly unimpressive 75-hp peak.

That same feeling came over me when I got on this stylish new trim level.

Of course, if you want a real dirt machine, Ducati just introduced its first true motocross bike, the Desmo450 MX. But the Scrambler is the bike that can do a little of everything on- and off-road. Most importantly, it makes you smile.

Powered by the two-cylinder, air-cooled, 803cc Desmodue L-Twin with two-valve heads and desmodromic actuation sound, the Full Throttle has the feel of a genuine Ducati, with the slightly loping, whappa-ti-whapp sound and torque reserves available down low.

It revs happily—and wildly—to an indicated 9,000-rpm redline, but its 72-hp peak comes just before that at 8,250 rpm. Its 48-lb-ft torque peak is also high up in the range at 7,000 rpm.

Abundant Power and Torque

But the torque and power feel abundant at most of the lower ranges of the tach. This isn't like a sport bike that needs to be screaming to its redline all the time to feel responsive.

There are two ride modes—Road and Sport—along with cornering ABS and traction control you can set to four different levels of intervention. Play around with those to see what feels best to you.

I left it somewhere in the middle of all of the above and felt fine on the bike I rode, but I wasn't sliding it around corners like you'll be doing.

Full Throttle gets an 803cc L-Twin making 72 hp. Ducati

The big number 62 on the tank refers to the first year of the Scrambler, way back in—of course—1962.

That's all true of any Ducati Scrambler. The big difference in the Full Throttle you see here is the look. The bronze lettering on the matte-black finish really looks stylish.

There's also a Scrambler model in black on black without the bronze available called the Icon Dark. But the Full Throttle looks way cooler.

The Full Throttle starts at $12,395, but my borrowed bike had a few options, including the exhaust and racing silencer, that brought the price up to $15,229. The Icon Dark starts at $9,995.

Models to Cross Shop

Yes, you could get any number of competitors for less than the price of the Full Throttle, but nothing matches the character and look of the Scrambler.

Nonetheless, consider the Honda Transalp ($9,999), XR650L ($6,999), or even the CRF300L Rally for $6,499, as well as the Triumph Scrambler (same name, different philosophy) 400XC ($6,695), 400X ($5,895), and 900 ($11,495).

Even the Kawasaki KLR650 at $6,899 and the Suzuki DR650S at $7,299 could be viewed as in the same market. Those competitors are all up to interpretation as to whether they're heads-up in the same class as the Full Throttle.

Bronze trim on a black background distinguishes the Full Throttle. Ducati

Most probably aren't. But they serve to indicate just how many fun motorcycles are out there on the market right now.

And it's still cool to say you have a Ducati. It's like saying you have a Ferrari or a Maserati. And riding this one is both fun and stylish in a way other bikes just aren't.

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