Skip to main content

Designer Roland Sands evokes ’70s California with Ducati Scrambler Mach 2.0

When artists work with motorcycles the results are often impressive, and that is particularly true in the case of Ducati’s recently announced Scrambler Mach 2.0, created in collaboration with California designer Roland Sands.

Sands is an avid motorcyclist and high-level amateur flat track racer. His firm, Roland Sands Design, has worked with several other motorcycle companies on special editions in the past. Sands continues to help boost Hooligan and Super Hooligan Racing, the amateur version of American Flat Track professional racing, with specially modified Indian FTR750s. The designer has worked with custom Harley-Davidsons, with the BMW’s Concept 101, and teamed previously with Ducati with a XDiavel.

Recommended Videos

The Roland Sands Design edition Ducati Scrambler Mach 2.0 is not Ducati’s first experience with scrambler art. Earlier this year Ducati paired with tattoo artist Grime on another scrambler bike, the one-off Ducati Grime Scambler Maverick.

The Mach 2.0 design was inspired by a Bell Cross Idol helmet from Ducati’s Scrambler 2017 apparel collection, more of Sands’ work. The colors of the helmet and the Mach 2.0 were chosen by Sands to evoke the world and ambiance of the U.S. West Coast in the 1970s.

The Ducati Scrambler Mach 2.0 carries on the name of the Ducati Scrambler Mach 1 250 from the 1960s. In keeping with scrambler tradition and with Sands’ own riding interests, the Mach 2.0 has a low variable cross-section aluminum handlebar, a Flat Track Pro seat, black exhaust cover, and café racer brushed fins.

Power for the Mach 2.0 is provided by an L-twin Desmodromic air-cooled 803cc engine that produces 73 horsepower at 8,250 rpm and 49 pound-feet of torque at 5,750 rpm. The bike has electronic throttle ignition, a two-into-one exhaust system with a stainless steel muffler, and an aluminum silencer cover. A six-speed transmission moves through the gears.

A tubular steel Trellis frame with upside down Kayaba forks in-front and an adjustable Kayaba rear shock comprise the chassis. The bike rides on an 18-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear wheel.

With a 56.9-inch wheelbase and 31.1-inch seat height, the Mach 2.0 weighs 410 pounds wet, meaning topped off with fluids and with a full 3.7-gallon fuel tank. The starting price for the Ducati Scrambler Mach 2.0 is $10,595.

Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…
Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?
Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Read more
EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says
ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.

Read more
Trump team in sync with Tesla on ending crash-reporting requirements, report says
Beta of Tesla's FSD in a car.

The transition team of President-elect Donald Trump is planning to end existing car-crash reporting requirements to safety regulators, according to a Reuters report.

The report cites a document obtained by Reuters that lays out the transition team’s 100-day strategy for automotive policy. In the document, the team says the crash-reporting requirement leads to “excessive” data collection, Reuters says.

Read more