Ducati Desert X: How much does it cost to get off the ground in Italian style?

After some exploration, but without real representation, Ducati enters the heart of the Adventures group and does so with a tough and advanced tool.

Meet the Desert X

Keenan Cohen

13/06/2022

Monday, 13 June 2022, 21:53 Updated: 22:57

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With a nod to the great rally motorcycles of the past on the outside, with contemporary technology on the inside (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

Ducati Desert X, which began its life as a concept in 2019 at the Milan show, and received enthusiastic responses, later evolved into a serial model with a lot of external resemblance to the same one-time creation and with required technical changes, now lands in Israel in the showroom of importer Legal and puts Ducati in the past. Adventures - the hottest word in the two-wheeler market in recent years.

But in Desert X, like in Ducati they choose to do things their way, and it's not always the easiest, but interesting to Allah, that's for sure.

Lovers of nostalgia can recognize in it the general lines of the Kajiba Elephant 900, the desert ship from the early 90s that competed in the Dakar Rally and its production replicas also got to ride the waves of advertising it won in 1994 with the victory in the Dakar Rally, the longest and toughest off-road race in the world .

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Central fuel tank and one in the tail (Photo: manufacturer's website)

Underneath the plastic cover is a new tubular chassis designed for the model, one that is adapted to the loads, narrow structure and long-distance dampers required of an adventure that at least according to the statements should handle extreme terrain conditions without blinking at the LED headlights.

At both ends it is packed with Kaiba shock absorbers, the front fork is 46 mm in diameter and 230 mm in motion and a single shock absorber with 220 mm in the front. 18 inches at the rear, both with dual-use

Pirelli

Scorpion Rally STR tires at this stage, although the company intends in the future to allow the expansion of options for road tires or dedicated off-road tires as well.

265 mm.

The promise is for high road capabilities as well (Photo: manufacturer's website)

The seat is 875 mm high, but Ducati says that the structure of the motorcycle is narrow, reaching the floor is easy and in any case the lowering kit that includes a set of shock absorbers and a seat can be adjusted for low riders

. However, without sacrificing too much of the comfort of sitting when covering distances with it.

Digital dashboard (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

The Desert X will be used by Ducati's 950 cc twin engine (937 cc to be exact), yes, the same engine we've already encountered in Monster, Multistrada, Penigale, Streetfighter and Hypermotard.

Here, adapted for the use of an adventure motorcycle is with 110 hp at 9,250 rpm and 9.3 kg at 6,500 rpm.

The limited-power version for 47 hp is available to A1 license holders.

Other changes the tool undergoes at the complex level include shortening the transmission ratios in the gearbox.

A 21-liter main tank is supposed to provide it with a respectable riding range, however riders who want to extend it even further will be able to get the Desert X with a secondary tank located in the tail and containing an additional 8 liters.

Control of the transition to container use is done through the dashboard that functions as a touch screen.

Although it is not clear whether using this option allows luggage to be installed, we will check this out soon.

Should provide maximum comfort and control when standing and sitting on long rides (Photo: Manufacturer's website)

Also in the electronics worlds, the Desert X has six riding modes;

Enduro, rally, sports, touring, urban and rain as well as 4 power supply modes;

Full, high, medium and low.

In each of the riding modes, the grip control is adapted to the action at a varying level of intervention, and this controls the engine braking, the Willy control, the quick-shift and the ABS, which also has three modes, as well as full disconnection.

The Ducati Desert X entered the adventures market very late, and there are quite a few rivals waiting for it who have already begun to gain a reputation and the new guy is expected to work his elbows to level his way to the top.

Among the tools that also sit on its slot are the KTM 890 Adventure, the Husqvarna 901 Nordan, Motogucci V85 TT, the old and successful Honda Africa Twin and to some extent also in front of the Triumph Tiger 900 Rally.

Its price, NIS 120,000 for the launch period, including a 4-year warranty with no mileage limit, is at the top of the category, but so is the expectation to ride it and get to know it up close.

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