It came as no surprise when Ducati announced the DesertX a couple of years ago, their take on the growing middleweight Adventure bike market.
It is a market that Ducati have been paying close attention to for years now, as we have seen more off-road focussed versions of the Multistrada, but this, this is no Multistrada. This is a full on off-road focused Adventure bike that is able to take the fight to the very best machines in its class.
They have really come out swinging, with a bold design that hark back to their Cagiva days when they supplied an engine to the Dakar-winning Elefant which wore a Lucky Strike livery. Their colorway and design theme does not leave much to the imagination in this regard.
10 Love: Dakar History
In so many ways, the Ducati-powered Elefant was an underdog, but it defied all the doubters and the odds to win the Dakar Rally not once, but twice.
Cagiva were never really able to capitalize on their success back then with virtually no Adventure bike market back then, but we now have both Ducati and MV Agusta (who own the Cagiva naming rights) fighting for that lineage.
9 Love: Testastretta Engine
As we have seen with the latest Ducati Monster and the Panigale V2, this is an engine that delivers on all fronts and is quite at home here in the DesertX.
It strikes a near perfect balance between reliability, efficiency and power. 110 horsepower is more than you will get from any other middleweight, and the 250-mile range will put most bigger Adventure bikes to shame.
8 Love: Off-Road Capability
Ducati have not been shy to point out how off-road focused the DesertX is, and while most of that is marketing, it ranks very highly in this respect.
The big giveaway is their choice of wheels and tires. It might seem simplistic, but having a 21-inch wheel up front and an 18-inch wheel at the back will give you a lot of good off-road tire options. It comes with more street friendly tires from the factory, but you can easily change that depending on what kind of riding you want to do.
7 Love: Adventure Ready
Any Adventure bike needs to have a balance between road and dirt, and Ducati didn’t forget about the touring part of the bike.
First, that 250-mile range will be more than enough for most, and that is backed up by very capable handling on road. It is also comfortable and will soak up the miles just like any other big Adventure bike.
6 Love: Incredible Finishing
One thing you always get with modern Ducatis is exceptional quality. It is a premium product after all, and they deliver in this respect.
Everything from the controls to the fit and finish of the plastics all feel great and look even better. A nice touch is the metal foot pegs and adjustable rear brake, often overlooked but important features on Adventure bikes.
5 Love: Ducati Electronics
As you might expect, Ducati have thrown their kitchen sink at the electronics package, they have become almost obsessed with their electronics. Surprisingly, they give you a quickshifter as standard fare, something other manufacturers are making customers pay extra for.
The ride modes are comprehensive, with a total of 6, which in our opinion is too many, but at least you have options. In addition to the four road modes, they have added Enduro, which restricts power to 75 horsepower and Rally, which is as unrestricted and as full on as it gets.
4 Love: Adjustable Suspension
Having adjustable suspension on any bike is actually more important than most will admit. It will not only allow you to tailor the bike to your specific weight and height, but to your riding style, too.
It is not necessarily the most premium stuff, but it is pretty much all you will need both on and off-road, supplied by experienced suspension gurus KYB.
3 Love: Gorgeous Design
The Elefant (above) was a pretty good-looking bike, it looked striking with its huge auxiliary fuel tanks all adorned with the Lucky Strike logo in a time when "that kind" of advertising was still allowed.
The DesertX is literally what that bike would look like today had they continued to produce it, the resemblance is clear, and we love it.
2 Wouldn’t Buy One: Heavy For A Middleweight
Like all Adventure bikes, the seat height is pretty tall at very nearly 35 inches, but it is the weight that is the biggest bone of contention.
At 445 pounds dry, or near as, makes no difference with 500 pounds wet - this is not a lightweight. So, although the 110 horsepower might seem like a class-leading figure, the power to weight ratio is about the same as the competition.
1 Wouldn’t Buy One: Expensive For A Middleweight
At $17,095, this bike is going up against premium middleweight bikes like the KTM 890 Adventure R and the Norden 901. Both of those bikes are already class-breaking in some respects, the Ducati just takes it one step further.
That is all good and well, but those bikes will come with a nice set of options at this price point and the Ducati is technically inferior to them in every way except aesthetics. Options and accessories are also pretty expensive compared to the competition. So, if you want something truly trail prepped, expect that figure to be closer to $20,000.