2022 Ducati DesertX First Impression Ride Review

[Hugh Janus]

Ducati is serious about the off-road performance of the 2022 DesertX, and it shows. (Ducati/)

Twenty years ago, the thought of Ducati making an off-road-focused bike would have been almost laughable. But little by little, the Italian sportbike gurus have been stepping toward more grubby stuff, first with the original Multistrada, then the Multistrada Enduro, and now the Scrambler and Desert Sled too. After teasing us with a concept bike based on the Scrambler 1100 at EICMA in 2019, the Ducati DesertX is finally a real thing.

And what a thing it is. Zinging the Testastretta V-twin up to 10,000 rpm between turns after lugging it from the bottom of the rev range at the apex, one thing is certain: Ducati made the right choice in skipping the 1,100cc motor from the concept bike and giving the DesertX the horsepower and huge torque spread it deserves. The 937cc Testastretta is the same engine used in the Multistrada V2, but with revised first and second gear ratios, a lower-ratio final drive, and fresh calibration designed to deliver as wide a spread of power as possible.

On the road, the motor has the ability to ride entire mountain passes in a single gear, allowing riders to rely on engine-braking into the curves, flowing along with the twists and turns, giving time to reflect on just how far the bike is leaning and just how hard it’s pushing its skinny 21-inch front wheel. Even when pushing hard and braking deep into turns, the DesertX performs in a way that no off-road bike should. The only real giveaway is the slightly increased effort needed to make rapid direction changes compared to a more road-biased setup.

Ducat’s DesertX will have an MSRP of $16,975 when it arrives in the US summer 2022. (Ducati/)

But honestly, that’s splitting hairs. Ducati has this bike dialed in so well for tarmac, it’s hard to believe it could be any good in the dirt. At which point we refer you to the video of enduro legend Antoine Meo absolutely sending it around an MX track on a stock DesertX. To be fair, Meo’s bike does have the accessory sump guard and Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires-—and, of course, Meo—but that’s hardly a big change, and Meo’s pulling pretty decent whips on the damn thing.

You’d expect a talent like Meo to make the bike look good, but even with Mister Average in the saddle, the DesertX is an easy, accessible bike. The riding position is spot-on, with decent footpegs, no protruding bits to jab into legs, and a well-placed handlebar. With knee braces on there’s contact with the fuel tank when leaning forward and standing up, but it doesn’t feel restrictive. Nice details, like slim clutch and brake levers and easily adjustable foot controls, including a flip-over two-position brake pedal, allow riders to settle into the bike and feel comfortable right away. Add to that the nice weight distribution and smooth low-rpm throttle response and it’s easy to jump straight on the DesertX and feel confident.

We applaud Ducati’s choice of the 937cc Testastretta powerplant for the DesertX. (Ducati/)

To keep cost and weight under control, Ducati opted to leave out the fancy electronic suspension, sticking with fully adjustable Kayaba units front and rear with a decent 9.1 inches and 8.7 inches of travel respectively. With this in mind, it really is a testament to the bike just how well the suspension copes on and off-road. On the asphalt there’s none of that lurching or diving from the front under brakes that dual sport bikes can suffer from.

Despite a 21-inch front wheel and long-travel suspension, the DesertX has excellent street manners. (Ducati/)

And on the dirt the suspension is very well controlled, especially on the big hits. Even hopping off rocks at low speed and landing hard, the suspension used all the stroke but rebounded in a totally controlled manner. When charging a fast trail and hitting that unseen rain gully, there’s no horrible kick over the bars; the bike just eats the bump and carries on. The payoff for this was some deflection on smaller, sharp-edged bumps, particularly when climbing which keeps you on your toes. This was accentuated by the road-biased tires.

The DesertX’s footpegs hint at its off-road intentions. (Ducati/)

As you’d expect from Ducati, the DesertX comes with a comprehensive electronics package based around six rider modes, all of which can be customized. From an off-road riding point of view, the most important features are that in Rally and Enduro mode you can have specific off-road-calibrated ABS and traction control or switch them off entirely.

The instruments include a rally tripmeter for use on roadbook events, and there’s an accessory turn-by-turn navigation system due late 2022. For road riding, you have four more modes to choose from that take the bike from a soft and gentle 75 hp pussycat up through to punchy throttle response with the full 110 hp. Unlike some “full power” modes that can be so aggressive they are actually hard to use, the dynamic throttle response on the DesertX is immediate but controllable, even on slick surfaces.

A vertically arranged TFT dash includes accessory turn-by-turn navigation and a rally tripmeter along with the usual and pertinent info. (Ducati/)

On a practical note, the stock fuel tank allows a range of up to 250 miles. Even with test riders thrashing the hell out of these bikes, the calculated range was still above the 230-mile mark. If more range is needed, there’s an accessory rear-mounted fuel tank that holds an extra 2.1 gallons, taking the range up to 370 miles and delivering maximum rally kudos in the process. The stock 34.4-inch seat height is pretty manageable thanks to the slim seat, but accessories are available to go up to 35.2 inches with a comfort seat or down to 33.3 inches with a low seat and low chassis kit.

An accessory rear fuel tank increases the range of the DesertX. (Ducati/)

The new DesertX is more than just an off-road hooligan’s adventure bike. It has incredible road manners for a bike with such a clear off-road bias, and smooth engine by V-twin standards that’s as happy chasing the redline as it is lugging at the bottom of the rev range. On and off-road the DesertX is forgiving and accessible to a calmer rider, yet it has the ability to party on command. It isn’t the cheapest bike in the class at a shade under $17K, but it comes stacked with useful technology and its feel and quality fit the price tag. A full test on US soil is due in the next couple of months, but so far it looks like Ducati has managed to build a seriously good bike for off-road travel that’s just as at home on the blacktop.

On or off-road the DesertX is a performer, we look forward to a more in-depth first ride in the States sometime this summer. (Ducati/)

2022  Ducati DesertX Specifications

MSRP:	$16,975
Engine:	Testastretta 11° liquid-cooled L-twin; 4 valves/cyl.; desmodromic valve train
Displacement:	937cc
Bore x Stroke:	94.0 x 67.5mm
Compression Ratio:	13.3:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/chain
Claimed Horsepower:	110 hp @ 9,250 rpm
Claimed Torque:	68 lb.-ft. @ 6,500 rpm
Fuel System:	Bosch electronic fuel injection w/ 53mm throttle bodies, ride-by-wire
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate slipper and self-servo; hydraulic actuation
Frame:	Tubular steel trellis
Front Suspension:	KYB 46mm upside-down fork, fully adjustable; 9.1 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	KYB monoshock, fully adjustable, remote preload adjustable; 8.7 in. travel
Front Brake:	Radial-mount Brembo Monoblock 4-piston caliper, dual 320mm semi-floating discs w/ Bosch Cornering ABS
Rear Brake:	Brembo floating 2-piston caliper, 265mm disc w/ Bosch Cornering ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	Cross-spoked, tubeless; 21 x 2.15 in. / 18 x 4.5 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR; 90/90-21 / 150/70R-18
Rake/Trail:	27.6°/4.8 in.
Wheelbase:	63.3 in.
Ground Clearance:	N/A
Seat Height:	34.4 in.
Fuel Capacity:	5.5 gal.
Claimed Curb Weight:	492 lb.
Contact:	ducati.com

Source

[Buckster]

I like that.

[Pedro]

9 hours ago, Buckster said:

I like that.

So do I

Sat on a Multistrada 950 the other day, and it felt wrong in a cheap chinese way, like a triumph 800 gt tiger, a V4 felt nicer but hard and not comfy, looking forward to a ride on one of these. Enough for me to endure calling a Ducati dealership!

[boboneleg]

They'll sell lots of them but a Desert Sled is the only Ducati i'd buy

 

[Pedro]

1 minute ago, boboneleg said:

They'll sell lots of them but a Desert Sled is the only Ducati i'd buy

 

why is that, Bob?

They look kind of weird to me.

[boboneleg]

Just now, Pedro said:

why is that, Bob?

They look kind of weird to me.

I love the look of them, they remind me of the original XT500 .  Me and my boss are looking for a cheap one to hot rod, we're looking at a way to get rid of all the plastic junk and have a few other ideas.

[Pedro]

1 minute ago, boboneleg said:

I love the look of them, they remind me of the original XT500 .  Me and my boss are looking for a cheap one to hot rod, we're looking at a way to get rid of all the plastic junk and have a few other ideas.

The wheels, with the 19 front, look out of proportion to me, looks like a fashion thing. Sofia had a sit on a less expensive "urban" something with cast wheels and that looked ok in person, like it wasn't trying to be something it's not.

[boboneleg]

15 hours ago, Pedro said:

The wheels, with the 19 front, look out of proportion to me, looks like a fashion thing. Sofia had a sit on a less expensive "urban" something with cast wheels and that looked ok in person, like it wasn't trying to be something it's not.

We're all different see, I don't like any of the other 'scrambler' versions 

[Buckster]

1 hour ago, boboneleg said:

We're all different see, I don't like any of the other 'scrambler' versions 

I respect your right to be wrong.