Spy shot: Ducati Scrambler

It seems the Ducati Scrambler may be a little farther off than we initially suspected.

Last month, we told you Ducati was intent on bringing more interesting, new models to market this year, and speculated the Scrambler was one of those bikes. After all, they’ve trademarked the name, and as this spy shot from Insella.it shows, they’re working on a prototype.

But wait! Look at those wheels! Surely Ducati isn’t planning on releasing a bike on the market with mis-matched wheels? We’re guessing the answer is no, and that the bike is going to receive a spoked wheel in back as well as front. That means this prototype is still under development, and probably not about to be released at EICMA next month. Or, maybe it isn’t a prototype – just a survival bike that’s been cobbled together by a mischievous Ducati employee who enjoys misleading the press?

Assuming that isn’t the case, the photo gives us a few other guesses as to the machine’s makeup. The company seems to be raiding the parts bin for a lot of this bike, which would keep costs down – and that also lends credence to the possibility this bike won’t be released this year, as the upcoming models promised to us back in September were all supposed to be high-end machines, not entry-level bikes. Also note the low-hanging exhaust; although this bike is apparently going to be billed as a Scrambler, it seems Ducati isn’t expecting owners to do a lot of off-roading.