Ducati has pulled off the sheets from its new hardcore off-roader – the DesertX. It’s a retro-styled ADV that is loaded with some serious equipment to tackle various terrains such as desert dunes, narrow off-road paths, gravel roads, mountainous twisties, and whatnot.
The design of the DesertX represents a contemporary interpretation of the lines of the Enduro motorcycles of the ‘80s, created by the Ducati Centro Stile in keeping with essentiality and robustness criteria.
Fitted with a 21” front wheel and an 18” rear with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres, the new DesertX has been designed to tackle even the most demanding off-road. Its chassis includes a new steel trellis frame, which works in combination with long-travel suspension with dedicated settings, to ensure effective operation even in the most demanding off-road conditions.
The Ducati DesertX is offered with a pair of 46 mm diameter upside-down Kayaba forks with 230 mm travel and Kayaba monoshock. Both elements are adjustable in compression, rebound and preload. The Kayaba monoshock is perfectly married to the aluminium swingarm and allows a rear wheel travel of 220 mm. In addition, the new DesertX has a generous 250 mm ground clearance, which results in particularly suitable for more extreme off-road adventures.
The admired 937 cc liquid-cooled Testastretta 11-degree Desmodromic valvetrain engine is the heart of the new DesertX. Characterized by excellent reliability, this engine delivers 110 hp at 9,250 rpm and a maximum torque of 92 Nm at 6,500 rpm in Euro5 configuration.
New DesertX in fact comes with 6 Riding Modes working in combination with 4 Power Modes – Full, High, Medium, Low – that modify the power and responsiveness of the Testastretta 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 DesertX will be available at dealerships in the Ducati network starting from 2022.
