If you’re in the Indian market to buy yourself a scrambler, Triumph’s – most affordable – Street Scrambler has made a comeback. For almost the same price, Ducati India offers the Scrambler Nightshift. Read the following to find out if the Triumph suits your taste or the Ducati
The Triumph Street Scrambler 900 has made a comeback. However, this time around, the Street Scrambler 900 has been launched in a special edition variant, dubbed Sandstorm. This new special edition motorcycle pays homage to Triumph’s desert rides in El Mirage, Mojave, Barstow, and the Baja Peninsula and the production has been limited to only 775 units for all Triumph’s global market.
The Indian market has been allotted a limited number of units for sale and the Street Scrambler Sandstorm debuts in the market space that is occupied by the Italian scramblers. Ducati has the Dark Icon, Icon, Nightshift, as well as Desert Sled on sale. While the Dark Icon and Dark Icon are pitched aside the standard Triumph Street Scrambler 900, the special edition Sandstorm rivals the Ducati Scrambler Nightshift, and the two scrambler motorcycles are very closely priced as well.
Following is the comparison of the two special edition scramblers in the Indian market:
Drivetrain
The Street Scrambler Sandstorm is powered by a parallel-twin engine whereas the Ducati Scrambler Nightshift gets an L-twin engine layout. Even though the Street Scrambler Sandstorm packs a larger engine, the power output of the Scrambler Nightshift is higher. The Ducati Scrambler Nightshift also gets a six-speed transmission, as opposed to the five-speed gearbox in the Street Scrambler Sandstorm.
| Drivetrain specs | Triumph Street Scrambler Sandstorm | Ducati Scrambler Nightshift |
| Engine | 900cc Parallel-Twin Liquid-cooled | 803cc L-Twin air and oil-cooled |
| Power | 64bhp at 7,250rpm | 72bhp at 8,250rpm |
| Torque | 80Nm at 3,250rpm | 66.2Nm at 5,750rpm |
| Gearbox | 5 speed | 6 speed |
Chassis and Cycle parts
Street Scrambler Sandstrom gets a steel twin-down pipe cradle chassis. The Ducati Scrambler Nightshift gets a steel trellis frame that could help in mass centralisation. The Sandstorm gets a 19-inch front wheel, one inch larger than the wheel diameter of the Nightshift's front wheel. The front braking component on the Nightshift is a radial unit which is a superior setup as opposed to the floating caliper unit on the Sandstorm. The Ducati Scrambler Nightshift gets a weight advantage as it tips the scale at 196kg (kerb), while the Street Scrambler Sandstorm tips the scale at 223kg (kerb).
| Cycle parts | Triumph Street Scrambler Sandstorm | Ducati Scrambler Nightshift |
| Front Suspension | 41mm conventional forks | 41mm Kayaba upside-down forks |
| Front Suspension Travel | 120mm | 150mm |
| Rear Suspension | Twin shocks with adjustable preload | Kayaba mono-shock with adjustable preload |
| Rear Suspension Travel | 120mm | 150mm |
| Front Brake | 310mm floating disc, Brembo four-piston fixed axial caliper | 330mm floating disc, Brembo four-piston fixed axial caliper |
| Rear Brake | 255mm disc, Nissin 2-piston floating caliper | 245mm disc, single-piston floating caliper |
| Kerb weight | 223kg | 196kg |
| Seat height | 790mm | 798mm |
| Fuel tank | 12-litres | 13.5-litre |
Electronics
Triumph equips the Street Scrambler Sandstorm with a switchable ABS and traction control system. There are three riding modes on offer as well – Road, Rain and Off-road. The Ducati Scrambler Nightshift, on the other hand, only gets a cornering ABS and misses out on different riding modes and other IMU-based rider electronic aids.
Pricing and Warranty
The Triumph Street Scrambler Sandstorm is priced at Rs 9.65 lakh and the Ducati Scrambler Nightshift retails at a marginally higher cost of Rs 9.80 lakh. Both the prices are ex-showroom India. Ducati offers a two-year and unlimited kilometres long warranty as standard, and so does Triumph. Interestingly, both the premium motorcycles have a long service interval. The Scrambler Nightshift has to visit the Ducati service centre every 12,000km. The Street Scrambler Sandstrom has a longer service interval of 16,000km.
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