2022 Ducati DesertX
Over two years ago, Ducati shocked the EICMA audience with a brand new concept,
the Ducati Desert X.
The Paris-Dakar Rally inspired motorcycle was riding on knobby tires surrounded by
retro styled white body panels, and capped off
with a twin round headlights that you would have seen on the Cagiva Elefant.
The motorcycle was stunning and the world wanted more, hell, I wanted more.
Well, those two years have passed and today Ducati officially unveiled the
production version of the Desert X concept and dam does it look good.
In today’s video I’m going to give a breakdown on engine,
components, styling, price, and availability.
LOGO
DESIGN: The design of the DesertX
is a modern interpretation of the lines of the enduro motorcycles of the ‘80s
like the Cagiva Elefant, Africa Twin, and the BMW built by HPN.
Besides just looking modern, Ducati has made sure everything on the Desert X is functional.
The technical elements like the aluminium skid plate, the frame guards or the 46 mm
fork combined with the 21-inch front wheel become elements that characterize the look of the bike.
The design emphasis has been placed on a few elements, with the front of the bike
definitely standing out. The windshield merges with the headlamp
and the double full-LED sector-based DRL is designed on its surface.
ENGINE and Performance:
The engine of the DesertX has been plucked out of the all-new Monster and Multistrada V2.
The 937 cc Ducati Testastretta 11° twin-cylinder unit with desmodromic distribution delivers 110
hp of maximum power at 9,250 rpm and 92 Nm of maximum torque at 6,500 rpm.
I’ve spent more than a fe hours onboard the new Monster and can
personally attest to this engine being a great fit for this bike.
More than enough uumph to get that front wheel up in any off-road environment.
As for the clutch, the 8-disc clutch is extremely light and compact, while the gearbox drum works on
bearings to minimize friction and improve precision and smoothness when shifting,
thus contributing to a reduction in total engine weight of 1.7 kg compared to the previous version.
Instead of pulling the gearbox out of the Multistrada V2, Ducati designed a
dedicated gearbox to deliver the best possible performance for off-road riding. The ratios
have been shortened overall on all gears up to fifth, to ensure the best off-road behaviour.
First and second gears, in particular, are much shorter (14.3% and 8.7% respectively
vs Multistrada V2), in order to facilitate the low-speed driving
phases of certain difficult passages typical of off-road use. Sixth gear is properly long
to facilitate highway handability while maintaining low engine speeds;
this means a contained fuel consumption and an increased level of comfort.
The gearbox works in conjunction with the DQS Up & Down (Ducati Quick Shifter) with
a strategy developed specifically for this model, active both uphill and downhill.
CHASSIS AND COMPONENETS:
For those trellis frame lovers, it’s obvious that Ducati engineered the
Scrambler X around the tubular steel trellis frame which works in combination with the
long travel suspension to ensure proper effectiveness in all riding conditions.
In terms of suspension, the DesertX is equipped with 46mm diameter upside-down Kayaba front forks
that offers a whopping 230mm of travel with adjustable compression, rebound and preload.
The rear shock absorber is also from Kayaba ands adjustable compression, rebound,
and preload. This allows 220mm of rear wheel travel through the aluminum swingers.
The suspension set-up allows for a generous ground cleaned of 250mm,
which should be sufficient for almost all demanding off-road riding.
The DesertX is fitted with completely new wheels for a Ducati, measuring 21” at the front and
18” at the rear: the typical sizes of off-road bikes. The decision to adopt Tubeless tyres was
made to ensure maximum safety and reliability. The original equipment tyres are the Pirelli
Scorpion Rally STR but can be fitted with more road-specific tires as well.
To stop this big bike, Brembo M50 Monobloc calipers with four 30mm pistons with a double
320mm front disc up front and a single 265mm disk with a double-piston floating caliper in the rear.
ELECTRONICS: The DesertX comes with
6 Riding Modes working in combination with 4 Power Modes - Full, High, Medium,
Low - that modify the power and responsiveness of the engine.
The main new features are specific settings for the Enduro Riding Mode and
the introduction of the new Rally Riding Mode, in addition to Sport, Touring, Urban and Wet.
The Enduro Riding Mode, thanks to the reduced power and the specially designed control settings,
allows you to tackle even the most demanding dirt roads
with greater safety and makes it easier for novice riders. The Rally Riding Mode,
on the other hand, with full engine power and reduced electronic controls, is designed for
more experienced riders who want to fully harness the DesertX's off-road performance.
Each available Riding Mode takes advantage of the Bosch IMU (Inertial Measurement
Unit) to act on the intervention levels of the various controls,
modifying the character of the bike according to the choices and ability of the rider.
The DesertX features EBC (Engine Brake Control), adjustable on three levels, which allows a
different modulation of the engine brake according to the riding style and use of the vehicle.
DTC (Ducati Traction Control) is adjustable on eight levels
and DWC (Ducati Wheelie Control) on four levels, and ABS has three levels.
Ducati has given the Scrambler X 6 different riding modes that adjust
the motorcycles performance based on the terrain.
Sport Riding Mode is by far the best performance on asphalt that receives the full 110hp,
the bike becomes less powerful with smoother operations when you select Touring, Urban,
and Wet Riding mode.
To turn things up on the dirt, Ducati has given the Scrambler X a Rally Riding Mode
that is dedicated to off-road riding. It allows the most experienced riders to harness all 110hp
with an instant throttle response to help overcome any obstacle with just a quick twist of the wrist.
DWC is disabled and DTC is set to a low level to allow for a controlled rear wheel slip,
ABS is set by default to level 1 but can be deactivated with a touch of a button.
If you arn’t feeling up to the Rally Mode but want to be in the dirt, Ducati has given the Scrambler
the Enduro Riding mode that is designed to be effective for less experienced riders.
The bike is given 75hp but retains the rapid response of the throttle.
Instrumentation:
The DesertX is equipped with a vertically oriented high-resolution
5” colour TFT display positioned to offer the best possible visibility also in stand-up riding.
This display is designed for integration with the Ducati Multimedia System which allows you
to connect your smartphone, to control music, phone calls, and turn-by-turn navigation.
The display offers the possibility to choose between two Info Modes: Standard and Rally.
In the Standard info mode, all the information necessary for road riding is displayed:
tachometer and speedometer are clearly visible,
as well as the engaged gear, the fuel level and other information necessary for the journey.
In Rally Mode, the tripmaster function is present. This feature used in rallies for navigation allows
you to manually adjust the indication of the odometer, using the buttons on the control block.
Ergonomics: It’s hard to
judge a motorcycle’s ergonomics without sitting on it, but looking at the riding positions
both sitting an standing in the press video it looks like Ducati nailed it on the Scrambler X.
While the tank is large, the rider’s location is at the slimmest point of the bike
which is going to allow for the best for manuvabillity on-and-off road.
The saddle is 875mm high with a narrow inner leg curve and initial suspension compliance
should made for good contact with the ground,
but there is always a lowered saddle that Ducati offers for even more confidence.
Accessories & Apparel: Like almost all new motorcycles from Ducati,
there was a lot of thought put into the Performance accessories like a rally-specific
saddle and an additional 8-L Tank in the rear that mechanically pumps fuel forward to the main tank.
We spoke about the luggage briefly but Aluminum side panels combined with a top case
give the bike a total load capacity of 117 liters.
Termignoni exhuasts will also be purchabke, both homologated for street use and for racing,
the latter increases the values of power and torque by 7% thanks to a dedicated mapping.
WEIGHT: The Desert X comes in at 202kgs,
which is roughly the exact same weight as the Norden 901, and 22kgs under the Africa Twin.
Maintenance Interval: DesertX maintenance intervals
are scheduled every 15,000 km or 24 months, with valve clearance checking every 30,000 km.
A2 Version: DesertX is also within
the reach of novice riders. In fact, a 35-kW version will be available for A2 license holders
Price and Availability: As for price and availability,
nothing is concrete yet but I’ve got a few friends with initial deposits on them and
they say the price will be around $16,795 with first deliveries beginning late Q1/early Q2.
My Thoughts: There’s a huge market for the Scrambler X right
now and Ducati knows it. BMW can’t keep production running fast enough to sell their GS bikes,
Husqvarna just launched the Norden 901 with more models coming over the next few years.
Ducati has come into the market with something really unique, something that looks vintage but
equally modern. Whether people chose to buy this bike and head to the double track or drive it
to their local coffee shop on the weekend, people will want this bike because it looks just so cool.
As for an adventure motorcycle, Ducati knows what they are doing with the Multistrada family.
I’m actually shocked that this is not part of the Multistrada family, and for that matter
it’s not really part of the Scrambler family because it’s not on that dedicated website.
It seems like the Scrambler X might be it’s own new line of bikes,
which is really interesting to see what else Ducati has up their sleeves.
Would I buy this motorcycle? Absolutely. It’s a great looking bike, that sounds fantastic, and
will ultimately be a great contender within their middleweight adventure segment of motorcycles.
I’m sad I’ve not put a deposit on it, but there are bigger things for me ahead
that it would not make sense for me to snag one…. Right now. But, never say never.
I’m excited for Ducati, this seems like a great motorcycle that’s going to sell tremendously.
Really looking forward to seeing them on the streets
and getting the opportunity to riding one myself.
WRAP-UP: Well, that’s all
I have for now, if you have not already hit that like and subscribe button to always be
in the know when new videos come out! Thanks for watching, now go out there and ride safe.