Ducati Desert X – First Impressions
When Ducati first released details of the Desert X, I presumed it would be a styling exercise based on an existing platform; Multistrada perhaps. How wrong was I?
I’ve only managed a brief 45-minute ride so far, so this is just my initial thoughts and some technical details.
Ducati’s DesertX is equipped with the latest evolution of the water-cooled 937cc Desmodromic 11° Testastretta engine with 110 horsepower and 92 Nm of torque. I really like this engine, it’s a well-proven package, powering bikes such as; Supersport, Hypermotard, Monster, and Multistrada.
The suspension is excellent, employing long stroke Kayaba 46mm upside-down fork and a fully adjustable single shock absorber, with 230mm suspension travel at the front and 220mm at the rear.
This is a surprisingly tall bike with a seat height of 875mm, 865mm with a low seat option or 890 mm with a high seat option. You can go further with a suspension kit available to lower it further to 845mm. Ground clearance is 250mm, that’s over 10mm more than the BMW 1250GS. Desert X is equipped with the iconic wheel combination for the enduro segment: spoked wheels, 21” at the front and 18” at the rear, wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tubeless tires.
You have a selection of riding modes: up to six options, two of which are specifically dedicated to the off-road riding experience, a high resolution 5 ”colour TFT display oriented vertically and positioned to offer the best visibility even in standing riding, and a full suite of electronics and connectivity as you would expect.
My ride was all on the road, around Silverstone and Stowe. What an excellent bike this is. Its on-road manners are fantastic, it turns crisply, the chassis is fun and even playful, and it’s a lot of fun.
On the road, the bike has great balance. The power is enough to have a lot of fun, but not overwhelming. The gearbox is excellent and perfect for this kind of riding. Ducati has given the Desert X shorter ratios from 1st to 5th and a longer sixth gear for improved economy and comfort at high speed. To top it off there’s a standard up-and-down quickshifter.
Brakes are 320mm discs with radial-mounted Brembo up front and a 264mm disc with Brembo calliper at the rear, with Bosch cornering ABS. On road they are excellent, offering great stopping power and feel. With the long travel suspension, the bike moves around a little on the brakes, but it’s fun. Kerb weight is somewhere around 223 kg.
Hopefully, we’ll bring you a more in-depth review of the Desert X in the not-too-distant future. I can’t wait to ride it again.
