In early 2016, Ducati announced on scramblerducati.com the five finalists of the Custom Rumble, its first worldwide contest for custom Ducati Scramblers. Dealers and workshops from around the globe entered their bikes, and a public vote on Instagram left one finalist per continent.
We had already seen a few of them on social media, but together they were impressive: some kept the spirit of the stock Scrambler with a tougher edge, while others barely looked like the production bike at all.
The five finalists
Ice Track Pro (Canada)
Built by Bow Cycle North, it was a Scrambler made for ice, with studded knobbly tyres and a bash plate under the engine. It was our favourite, and a real showstopper.
Scramblarabia (Bahrain)
The work of Wheels of Arabia: a blue tank, gold frame and wheels, and knobbly tyres. A classic, clean and very well executed scrambler.
Scrambobber (Thailand)
Dealer Ducati Vibhavadi blended scrambler and bobber into a dark, low bike on fat tyres. The mix of styles worked really well.
IronLungs (Poland)
Signed by Warsaw Liberty Motors, 88 Gear Motorcycles and Paweł Swański. A muscular, very aggressive design, with a shark mouth painted on the tank.
Scramblegale (Australia)
Built by Canberra Motorcycle Centre, it was easily the one that looked least like a Scrambler: orange and white, with a solo tail, gold fork and a sportbike attitude.
The result
The final took place at World Ducati Week 2016, at the Misano circuit in Italy, from 1 to 3 July. A jury of designers, riders and customisers named the Scrambobber by Ducati Vibhavadi the winner, ahead of, among others, the Australian Scramblegale.
What came next
The Custom Rumble went on to further editions: the second was won by the ESG Rumble 400 from Eastern Spirit Garage (Poland), and the third by Marco Graziani's Scrambler 1100 FT (CC Racing Garage). If you like modified Scramblers, you will find plenty more in our scrambler section and in builds. And before making changes like these to your own bike, check whether they need to be approved for road use where you live.
Photos: Ducati (2016 Custom Rumble press images).
