Ducati knows how to build sportbikes and superbikes. The Italian manufacturer won 14 World Superbike championships between 1990 and 2011, and it has finished in the top three of MotoGP every year since it began competing in the top tier in 2003, including two. enemy. A lot of this racing experience conveys well to the company’s street bikes, and even its Multistrada models, which handle more like a sport bike than an adventure bike. when pedaling hard on the road.
Import Ducati DesertX, the newest machine that just left the factory in Borgo Panigale, with a tendency to seem heavy for unpaved surfaces. Style-wise, the DesertX looks ready to take on the Dakar Rally with its track-inspired suspension, long-travel suspension, and terrain-friendly wheel sizes.
At the bike’s North American launch held just outside Aspen, Colorado, Ducati representatives admitted during the technical presentation that the machine had taken the company out of its comfort zone. Despite this claim, Ducati has several off-roading lines. Back in 1990, Italian racer Edi Orioli won the Paris-Dakar race in a Cagiva Elefant, a feat he repeated in 1994. Ducati has been owned by the Cagiva Group since five years. 1985 to 1996, and the Elefant was powered by a 900cc Ducati V-Twin engine.
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A concept of DesertX was first introduced at EICMA in 2019, and it received a wave of enthusiasm. This prompted Ducati to pursue its development, and although the concept was based on the Scrambler 1100, the DesertX was almost completely new from the start. Its engine is based on Monster’s 937cc liquid-cooled Testastretta V-Twin engine, not on the Scrambler’s air-cooled 1,079cc engine.
It’s the same engine you’ll find in the Hypermotard, Multistrada V2 and Supersport, although it has been reworked for use in DesertX. It makes 110 hp and 68 lb-ft of torque, and changes include dedicated power and ride modes. Shorter gearshifts from 1st to 5th (6th unchanged for highway riding), with the lowest gear made especially short to handle tight terrain: shorter first 14% and second 9% shorter than Multistrada V2. Valve adjustment interval is set at 18,000 miles.
DesertX is the first modern Ducati to use a combination of 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels, with horizontal spokes and tubeless wheels. Of course, this works better on rough terrain than other wheel combinations, and it offers a better off-road tire selection. The Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tire on the DesertX provides excellent traction on moderately hard and soft dirt roads, as well as amazingly stable, vibration-free grip. However, from previous experience with these tires, they are not good in sand and mud, but there are other options for that. You can choose to participate in the high-traction Scorpion Rally for more extreme off-road excursions or use the more road-ready Scorpion Trail II tires, both approved for DesertX.
The DesertX is built on a trellis steel frame, with a fully adjustable Kayaba suspension consisting of a 46mm upside-down fork and a monoshock with a remote preload adjustment knob located on the right side of the bike just below the saddle. . The suspension is spacious, with 9 inches up front and 8.7 inches behind. The high suspension provides ample ground clearance, with 9.8 inches of space between the skid plate and the base.
Fuel capacity is 5.5 gallons, and a 2.1-gallon ($1,500) auxiliary tank is available. The optional tank is rear mounted and it powers the main tank via a switch. When the fuel level in the main tank drops low enough to accept an additional 2.1 gallons, the driver will be prompted to turn on the filler tank via the control panel, and the filler fuel will then be pumped into the main tank.
Out On the X
The DesertX proved itself more than capable of handling serious off-road excursions during our 85-mile test cycle, of which about 85% were unpaved and a good portion of that was rugged, plenty rocky and in rather steep places. Our organizers retrofitted our test bikes, firstly to showcase some of the features available from Ducati but also to help protect the bikes from possible damage. encountered on challenging terrain. Accessories include anti-collision bars ($700), a larger skid plate ($500, securely attached to the frame via a bracket instead of the engine box), and a Termignoni silencer, plus number of other items.
Standard seat height is 34.4 inches, with the low seat option ($308) reduced to 34.1 inches. If you require easier grounding, you can further reduce the perch to 33.3 inches by combining a low saddle with a lower set, which includes fork and shock absorber springs and a crossbar. shorter ($300). A taller seat is also available to raise the height to 34.6 inches.
At 6 feet, I can put one foot flat on the ground and the other on my toes with the standard seat, narrow at the front for easy ground access and greatly extended in the back for support. widely. Unfortunately, I can’t comment on its long-term comfort as most of the day was spent standing on all-terrain vehicles. The windscreen protects your torso from most drafts, although the optional taller travel windshield ($230) will likely be a good investment for longer trips on the highway. .
The 5-inch TFT instrument display is placed vertically, which is said to facilitate standing up reading, while also providing a better display when using the Bluetooth-enabled turn-by-turn navigation option through your phone. Sensitive ABS and traction control, wheel control, adjustable engine braking, cruise control and a quickshifter are all standard. The DesertX features four road modes (Sport, Touring, Urban and Wet) and two off-road modes (Enduro and Rally), as well as four power levels, all selectable via the control panel. Enduro mode limits power to 75hp, sets throttle response to dynamic, disables wheel control and reduces ABS intervention to level 2 (out of 3, disables rear ABS) and traction control down to level 3 (8).
Within minutes of being off the road, the DesertX had established itself as a true dual sport machine rather than a perilous adventure bike. My favorite off-road setting is Rally, which reduces ABS interference to a minimum (still off at the rear) and traction control down to 2, although this setting isn’t ideal for fast speeds. Luckily, all six ride modes are individually customizable, so I turned off traction control and opted for a gentler throttle setting than the standard dynamic setting.
My only concern with the ride modes is how they are selected. You must hold down the mode button on the left switch assembly for a few seconds to prompt the mode selection menu on the control panel and then scroll to the desired mode, press the mode button again and turn off the throttle to confirm the selected mode. . With practice, it can be done in seconds while riding, but it’s a distracting and tedious process that can be simplified. On the bright side, the bike retains its selected riding modes whenever the power switch is turned off and back on.
With this proper Rally setting selected, the rear of the vehicle slides at will for easy cornering on dirt roads and the front wheel is raised easily to overcome obstacles. With elbows up and in attack mode, DesertX ate up all the rocks, bumps, and path beneath its wheels without flinching. It holds a solid, unwavering line and easily swings around anything I don’t want to bump into. It really feels like a much lighter bike at speeds than its claimed 492 lb wet weight would suggest. The front end feels solid and the car never shakes its head, even after the front wheel gets hit hard by successive bumps at high speed. The car is equipped with steering damper, so the stability is not surprising.
The suspension, which has been tuned for my 220 pounds fully worn, soaks up big dents and bumps without bottoming out – and with a motorcycle-like luxury. In the end, I hit the damping rebound a few clicks on both ends as the fork popped out with a knock a few times as the wheel lifted a few hops and the rear wall tilted slightly when Negotiate tight turns. The bike works ideally then.
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However, the DesertX really impressed, on a long, steep, rocky climb up a trenched trail that took us to the top of the ski hill at more than 11,300 feet. This is where the shorter gear becomes an asset, especially the bottom two gears. Admittedly, the gap between first and second is a bit wide, making it easy to shift gears when cornering slowly, but the car’s quickshifter does this with ease.
On the road, the DesertX performs as a Ducati should. At moderately fast speeds, it glides through turns with confident stability. Its high suspension makes the transition dangerous, as it is a long way up and then back to tilt again. And it prefers a deliberate, calculated approach to cornering rather than point-and-shoot sportbike style. This is due to the 21-inch front wheels and long-travel suspension – the M50 Brembos double-nails hard in corners and long travel will quickly absorb. Overall, though, it should easily catch up with sports cars, especially if the road surface is rough.
What is a judgment?
While the Ducati DesertX falls into the adventure travel category due to the changed engine, it actually handles like a larger dual-sport off-road machine. It’s a serious off-road vehicle that can be driven with ease by an expert or a less experienced person with modesty and ease. It fluctuates in KTM 890 Adventure CHEAP, Husqvarna Norden 901and Honda Africa Twin territory, which is an unusual location for the Italian sports bike manufacturer. However, it can easily keep performance wise for those bikes both on the road and possibly exceed their performance, though only a head-to-head comparison can determine that. .
It is expensive, however, retailing for $17,095. KTM retails for $14,599, Husky for $13,999 and Honda for $14,449. That can make choosing difficult, but one thing’s for sure, while Ducati may be relatively new to this off-road business, the DesertX won’t disappoint, especially if you use it because it’s designed to be used – off the sidewalk and on the station.
2022 Specifications Ducati DesertX
Basic price: $17,095
Price as checked: $19,795
Website: Ducati.com
Guarantee: 2 years, unltd. mile
Engine type: Liquid cooled, L-Twin 90 degrees horizontal, DOHC desmodromic with 4 valves per cyl.
Transposition: 937cc
Diameter x stroke of piston: 94.0 x 67.5mm
Horse power: 110 hp @ 9,250 rpm (claimed, at crank)
Torque: 68 lb-ft @ 6,500 rpm (claimed, at crank)
Transmission process: 6-speed, power-assisted clutch / cable-operated wet slide
Last drive: Chain
The standard long: 63.3 inches.
Rake / Trail: 27.6 degrees / 4.8 inches.
Seat height: 34.4 inches.
Wet weight: 492 lb
Fuel quantity: 5.5 gals.
TAKE OFF
Helmet: Arai XD4
Coat: Alpinestars
Gloves: Alpinestars
Trousers: Alpinestars
Boots: Alpinestars
