Few motorcycles have had as much buzz around them as this latest Italian creation.
I had heard so much about this bike before I was able to get on it. There was endless hype around whether the DesertX was going to be as legit adventure-ready as the Italians promised. The photos looked magnificent. Visually it was an impressive balance between the style elements that Ducati always bring, mashed up with genuine off-road ferocity – generous off road clearance (250mm), spoked 21-inch front tyres, rally-style windscreen, the chassis and fairing all looked like they would provide comfortable ergonomics, suitable for loads of luggage, long distances and a pillion.
Well, it was finally my time to go for a burn! The version on loan came with adventure bash bar upgrades and the auxiliary fuel tank which looked absolutely mint. Completely unnecessary for any riding I was going to do, but visually they balanced the back and front of the bike beautifully. Just for the aesthetics alone these were worth it (although I did pucker when I found out how much it is, details below), not to mention the very handy amount of fuel (8-litres) it can carry for a mega adventure trip, increasing the range by up to 40 per cent on the already decent 21L tank. Ducati took the DesertX ‘there and back’ for the Finke desert race (with the auxiliary tank) and still made it to the hotel on one full tank. Impressive.
Side note, you may have to be careful with handling and weight while carrying 29L of gas, especially off-road. And I’m not sure how it would work with strapping on soft luggage. But we are bikers, with the help of a few jockey straps, we’ll figure it out.
Hoping on, ergonomically I’m already at home. You’re either an adventure bike lover or you’re not. You either feel an immediate sense of freedom, inspiration and joy or you don’t. If you’re a sports bike rider, an adventure bike seating position is a truly bizarre sensation. Upright, a bit daggy, a tad nerdy. Standing up is even stranger. I’m not going to lie, it’s hard to feel like a badass riding away from an urban dealership on an adventure bike, until you get to the dirt, then you are the ruler of the road. So the best way to tell if you’re born for adventure bikes is hop on and if you feel like a badass immediately then you know this is the style for you.
As you can probably guess, I felt like a badass immediately – alive, free and inspired. My first thought was to gas it out to the closest forest and then I realised I was on daycare pick up and there was no top box to fit my two-year-old in. So initial impressions from highway and urban riding – lovely, smooth power inputs, my kind of (5’11) ergonomics, nimble enough to navigate traffic and quite pleasant to listen to. You are never going to get a roar of thunder from a standard adventure bike exhaust, nor should you, this thing is meant to be out in the silence of nature. It also attracted enough eyeballs to make you feel like Ducati have hit the nail on the head with styling and presence.
Engine wise you can expect their well known twin-cylinder, water-cooled 937 cc Desmodromic 11° Testastretta engine with 110-horsepower and 92Nm of torque. Very comfortable in the lower gears.
My second ride was out to a national park, travelling through the ‘burbs where pulling up next to some cars where the waft of cologne was so strong I could smell it through my helmet. I even had one guy try to drag race me off the lights. Which was quite confusing because nothing about me or the bike said ‘let’s go, punk’. Maybe he was just high on his own cologne…
I was particularly fond of the standard issue generous-sized steel foot pegs. I do have very large ladies feet and I enjoy a fat, stable peg where I can plant my hooves especially if heading off road.
A bike’s TFT screen, aka the dash, and its modes and tech are always a hot topic when it comes to the industry’s most recent releases. I think the key point for bikes is how easy the system is to navigate and is it possible to switch modes while riding and not feel like you might have an accident? I very much enjoyed the rally-style, vertical nature of the 5-inch TFT screen – looking much like a smartphone in a holster and well within vision while sitting down or standing. Another issue with many motorcycle TFT screens is that you need to drop your eye-line to see the screen, and then you need to focus on the screen so you are left not looking at what is ahead for far too long. This is conducive to colliding with braking cars. As you may recall from your Ls and Ps training, ‘look where you want to go’.
There are multiple electronics modes – Touring, Urban, Rally, Enduro, Sport and Wet. All very clear to read and easy to change with good sized handlebar buttons. All the modes can be adjusted simply. It does take a three or so minute rundown (I timed it) from the dealer but after that, it’s quite intuitive. I also enjoyed the options of power output – full, high, medium and low which change the horsepower delivery. Quickshift comes standard.
Also on the handlebar controllers – self cancelling indicators, praise be. It also has a dimer on the daytime running headlight – I like this. Heated grips (not standard) are next on my list, although mine weren’t connected, luckily I didn’t need them.
The fuel tank hole was also set on the top right of the tank, off centre – apparently best for maximum fill but also great if you have a tank bag, no need to remove it when filling up.
Not that I was able to ride it on any wild Erzberg Rally or Finke adventures and I think that is ok, the DesertX’s off-road prowess has been proven in directions I could only dream of taking it. If you are getting serious there is the option to upgrade to the Rally Kit which includes the auxiliary tank (tank sold alone $2,653), headlight protective grille, rally seat and adhesive tank protector. This will however set you back a fairly solid $3,116. I think anyone who’s buying a Ducati is aware they are paying a premium and this includes any bells and whistles, so the $26,400 (ride-away) price isn’t unexpected or outrageous.
There is no question the DesertX is a beauty on road and off from aesthetics to capabilities. Its biggest issue is it’s almost too good-looking to send it through a mud pit or up a hill climb… or perhaps that’s just good motivation to not drop it.
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