Ducati will be hosting a series of six web-based premieres of its 2022 model line-up,
starting on the 30th September.
What could be the most interesting is being saved for last, as the Desert X middleweight
adventure bike shown at the 2020 EICMA show is due to be revealed in production form.
The World Premiere series of online reveals continues Ducati’s focus in the last quarter
of the year on showcasing its line-up of models for 2022.
It coincides with the annual EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy, where Ducati has
traditionally held a swanky digital presentation available worldwide, revealing its new models.
Each ’broadcast’ this year has been given a name: Your Everyday Wonder, Mark Your Roots,
Rule All Mountains, A New Fighter in Town, The Evolution of Speed and Dream Wilder - DesertX.
So far, only the DesertX is obvious - the rest we can guess at,
possibly inaccurately. As it is, it is the DesertX that is the most tantalising prospect.
Ducati is relatively new to the adventure game and, in all honesty, the Multistrada, even in
Enduro guise, is struggling to gain the same off-road credentials as rivals from KTM and BMW.
It is an exceptional road bike and, in the right hands, capable off-road but, somehow the idea of
a Ducati adventure bike just doesn’t sit right with many. The DesertX could change all that. Up
to this point, Ducati has only paid lip-service to the middleweight adventure class with the
unconvincing Scrambler which, even in Desert Sled form, was only a retro-styled boulevard cruiser
and certainly not a serious off-road contender. Fair enough, neither was Triumph’s Scrambler in
its first iteration, but its new Scrambler 1200 has re-written the rules for that class of bike,
while the Yamaha T700 has moved the class on another notch, as have the KTM 790 and
890 Adventure models. Ducati is looking to play in the ’serious’ adventure class,
as epitomised by the KTMs and Yamaha, and the Triumph Tiger 900, rather than the ’retro’
class of the Triumph Scrambler 1200. Ducati is obviously taking this new direction seriously,
although how seriously we’ll only know when the full specifications are revealed.
The new model gained huge attention when the concept was unveiled at EICMA 2019 and now,
we only have a few weeks to wait before the new model is revealed in all its glory. The DesertX
is being launched to commemorate Ducati’s victory at the 1990 Dakar Rally (although this victory
was officially by a Cagiva Elefant, powered by a Ducait V-twin: Cagiva was at that time owned
by Ducati). Powered by a 937cc Testastretta engine, the new bike will have a 21" front
wheel and the colour scheme will echo the winning bike. along with a set of twin round headlights.
The best time of the year is upon us. Sweater weather is back, the leaves are falling, and
motorcycle manufacturers are set to reveal their new line ups. Of course, EICMA 2021 highlights the
season, but the COVID-19 pandemic has diversified the way OEMs unveil the latest models. In Ducati’s
case, that includes a sprawling release schedule that will culminate in the launch of the brand’s
new middleweight ADV: the Desert X. Starting on Thursday, September 30, 2021, the Ducati
World Premiere 2022 will go live on Ducati’s website, social media pages, and YouTube channel.
The multi-episode web series will span 10 weeks, ending with the firm’s new Desert X adventure
model debuting on December 9, 2021. Of course, Ducati could have other surprises in store,
but the upcoming ADV has generated buzz since the Desert X Concept broke cover in October, 2019.
Based on the Ducati Scrambler 1100, the concept bike drew heavily from the Paris Dakar bikes of
the ‘80s and ‘90s. The sculpted bodywork and two circular DRLs captured the retro
rally style while also updating the look for a modern audience. At the front, a 21-inch wheel
prepared the Desert X for the toughest off-road obstacles while the dual gas cell improved the
adventure bike’s long-distance capabilities. That twin tank design also helps on the trail,
allowing the Desert X to forge on after a damaging tip over. For the longest journeys,
the removable passenger seat also gives way to additional storage for luggage and camping gear.
Rugged yet refined, the Desert X looked ready to hit the road at any moment, but Ducati had some
tweaks in mind. For the production model, Ducati held onto the 21-inch front wheel but developed
an all-new chassis. However, the brand replaced the Scrambler 1100’s oil/air-cooled, two-valve,
1,079cc L-twin with the 937cc Testastretta engine found in the new Monster,
Super sport 950, and Hyper motard. Sadly, that’s all the Bologna firm is willing to reveal now,
but all the details should arrive in time for the second-best time of the year:
the holidays. Another five motorcycles will be unveiled in fortnightly intervals, up until
the December 9 reveal of the eagerly anticipated Desert X. The Desert X first appeared as a concept
model in 2019, but it seems that a lot has changed since then. The latest teaser images from Ducati
of the bike being blasted through massive sand dunes shows that it keeps the concept bike’s twin
circular headlights, to give it that classic Dakar style, while things have moved on considerably in
the engine department. The air-cooled Scrambler 800 motor has been replaced with the firm’s 937cc
water-cooled Testastretta engine, as used to great effect in the Supersport 950, Monster,
Hypermotard 950 and Multistrada 950. So we can expect about 110bhp and 70lb.ft of torque. It’s
not yet clear what frame will be used, but the Multi 950’s part-alloy, part-steel frame would
work and fit the Desert X’s serious off road intentions. Ducati’s dirt ambitions are clear
with the new machine as it’s got a 21in front wheel. It’s expected to have an 18-in rear, which
would pair it up with Honda’s Africa twin which looks likely to be the Desert X’s immediate rival.
Splitting the tanks on the rear is a robust luggage rail, which also looks like a solid place
to put a hand when you’re lifting the Desert X out of dune, mud hole, or standard-sized NYC pot hole.
The “1100” two-valve air-cooled motor breaths thanks to a very Plain Jane exhaust from
Termignoni, which helps keep things period specific, we suppose, but does sort of scream
boring from its tubular cavities. The dual round L E D headlight at the front has been ghosted out by
a translucent black piece of plastic, which gives that round retro vibe, without having to really
have two big round bugged-eyed headlights at the front (we like this approach). The bike has a 21″
front wheel, with an 18″ hoop on the back, which should give plenty of knobby options to those
that want to go hard in the dirt. Interestingly, Ducati has fit Pirelli’s off-road variant for the
Scorpion lineup, rather than its ADV model. Other nice touches include the hard plastic handguards,
the toolkit in the trellis frame, and tall TFT dash that mimics a rally-raid tower.
Will we see something like the Ducati Scrambler Desert X concept going into production?
Talking to a few people at the Italian brand, they say the response to the bike has been
overwhelming, and they might have to build the bike just so there isn’t a Ducatisti revolt.