2023 Ducati DesertX Review | Ultimate Motorcycling

Hey, what's up? This is Nick with Ultimate Motorcycling, and today I got something special for you guys. We've been riding the brand new 2023 Ducati Desert X. Now, this is easily one of the most hotly anticipated middleweight adventure bikes to come to market this year. And for good reason. It's got all the proper middleweight off-road fixings. We're talking about a 21 inch front wheel, 18 inch rear, proper long travel suspension, a nice powerful engine and all of the electronic rider aids to help you, whether you're on the street or the trail. So we're out here in Southern California today. We're going to go and rip some canyon roads, hit some trails, because really, that's what it's all about. And we're talking about ADV riding. So let's get on with it. OK, and away we go. This is the 2023 Ducati Desert X. This is a big step for the brand, as it's their first attempt to dive into that more aggressive side of the middleweight ADV market. Now, that's evidenced by the 21 inch and 18 inch wheel sizes, long travel suspension and generally off-road focus of the Desert X. Of course, the Multistrada has been the Italian brand's go to adventure platform. However, none of those bikes featured front wheel sizes larger than a 19. So while they're great touring motorcycles, great sport touring motorcycles and definitely capable off-road, the Desert X is trying to hone in on something a little bit different. But since we're exploring a nice canyon road, what better time to talk about this motorcycle's streets potential? And this is something that has really impressed me with the Desert X so far, because it just simply does not handle like a bike with a 21 inch front wheel. Of course, we do have to thank the nice Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires for their good grip in the canyons, as you can see here. But overall, the handling of this bike is just emblematic of Ducati as a brand agile, light steering, very planted and quite enjoyable. So I think a lot of that road racing pedigree that we've known and come to love the brand for definitely translates here. You know, it just does not feel like a 492 pound motorcycle that's rolling on a 21 inch front and 18 inch rear. Just not indicative of that type of behavior. Very stable and agile as well. And I'd say a lot of that has to do with the pretty sizable 63.3 inch wheelbase and lengthy brake as well. But again, it's not a slow handling machine by any stretch of the imagination. Now, of course, it is powered by a known quantity in the Ducati lineup. That is the 937cc Testastretta 11 degree twin cylinder engine producing 110 horsepower and 68 foot pounds of torque. It's a great power plant that we've come to know from the Multistrada V2, the Supersport 950 and Hypermotard 950. And of course, the Monster. Now, the biggest changes between those bikes and what we got going on here is, of course, a model specific airbox for the Desert X, model specific fuel mapping, and the main internal change is going to be your transmission ratio. So, of course, this bike, because of its off road leanings, needs shorter gearing, and that's exactly what they did. That said, I don't think it detracts from the street ride. It actually just helps you dig into that torque a little bit easier and helps it just get off the line. And when we get into the trail that we're headed to now, I think it's going to help up there as well. So we'll see. Of course, as this is a Ducati, it has a full suite of IMU supported electronics. So that means cornering ABS, lean angle, sensitive traction control, wheelie control, various throttle maps and power modes for the engine, as well as cruise control. Now, as you guys can see, I am in the most aggressive mode, sport mode, and it's really a nice balance. It's not as sporty as, say, some of the other models in the lineup. But for this 80, the application, I think it's that that right hit of athleticism at the right wrist. Of course, one of the main things that you can do is explore all of the various modes. So you have sport, touring, wet, urban, and then the two off road dedicated modes, rally and enduro. And they're going to change everything about this bike's electronics packages from peak horsepower output to TC settings, wheelie control, cornering ABS, and the various dedicated off road and street ABS modes that are respected. Now, that said, the street electronics are great. We're going to talk about the off road electronics in a minute. My only sort of complaints about the electronic side is the quick shifter can be a little notchy at lower RPMs, not the biggest deal in the world, but just something to be aware of. And I'd say it's probably due to those really tight ratios in the first part of the gearbox and then transitioning from 56. You can get a little something there, too. That said, the brand's done a really good job with the seating position as well. It does stand at a tall 34.4 inches. It really doesn't feel like it. I have a 32 inch inseam, 5 foot 10 inches tall, and I can get my boots on the deck, which I can't say for a lot of these more aggressive middleweight adventure bikes, say the 890 Adventure R. That does really feel like a tall motorcycle. So Ducati's done a couple of smart things. Of course, they've kept the chassis narrow. That's that twin cylinder engine packaging helping out there. And overall, wind protection is good. I'm right at that cusp where this non-adjustable windscreen, I wish it were adjustable, kind of gives me good wind protection, but not too much. Something I really enjoy. Now we are coming up to the trailhead, so we're going to pull off here, switch modes and air down the tires and see what we got going on. Up to our happy little ridgeline. We are in Enduro mode. And of the two off-road maps, Enduro and Rally, the main thing you're going to notice is, well, a bit of a horsepower difference. In Enduro, it cuts down to 75 HP, which is really nice. Just kind of chills the engine out a bit, helps you control those slides as well as the well-sorted TC. But I really like Enduro mode. Mainly, it just makes the twin cylinder engine a little bit more manageable. I think a lot of people that are getting into adventure riding are going to appreciate that. Now, the TC maps are really well sorted. I think Ducati has definitely learned a lot since the introduction of the Multistrada V4, featured maps which were a little too intrusive. The other big change between street and off-road settings is bumping down to ABS level 2, which keeps ABS in the front, but an off-road specific map. So if we want to give that a test, we can just go up here, give the front brake a nice squeeze. No locking. OK. On level 2, you also do keep ABS in the rear slightly. Modulates the slide just super handy. And then at level 1, you get full, full ability to lock the rear again. It's going to keep ABS in the front. Now you can disable ABS completely with a button right up here. Now, try in rally mode a second. You'll notice an immediate difference. Bike wakes up a little bit. It's a lot more aggressive on the throttle. You can feel more of that power. Still not too crazy, but definitely makes it a much more serious and pointed machine. As you can see, we're doing our thing. There you go. Now, like I said before, the main thing with ABS level 1 is that you can lock the rear like so. There, boom. But suspension on this bike is easily described as plush. I don't mean that in a bad way. In fact, the damping is what really stands out. It's excellent. Ducati's done a great job in that aspect. Keeping it nice and steady. Keeping this steel trellis frame on the straight and narrow. It doesn't deflect because it's got the bigger wheels, as we noticed. Now, having a plush setup isn't a bad thing at all. I actually like it. It absorbs everything well. You still get really good grip, even in these kind of faster, whooped out little sections. Thanks suspension is a high point of this bike. And I've obviously dialed things in for my weight, riding style and this terrain. I wouldn't say it's a Dakar level difficult, but it is some rocky stuff, some good hits. Good way to test it. And the suspension takes its weight nicely. Super important, because again, you know, this is not as light as a dual sport. So those hits, they mean something on a bike this size. And that can be said of all middleweight adventure bikes. Also, it's carrying quite a bit of fuel. So you get good range, a little bit over five and a half gallons, if I'm remembering my spec sheet correctly. But yeah, I guess sort of the last thing to touch on while we're actually on the trail is just how it feels to stand up. I think Ducati's done a good job here in terms of the seating position. Like I mentioned before, on the street, we do have a 34.4 inch seat height. That's fairly tall. And that seems intimidating. But don't let it fool you. A narrow chassis and a good bit of suspension squish actually allows me to put my boots on the deck. But in this standing sort of attack position, I can get my weight over the bars and handlebars actually come up and sort of meet you, which is really nice. And I'm able to control and just manipulate everything. There's also a really good feature with being able to flip the brake pedal around into a higher position. So you're able to manipulate it while standing nicely. Again, all the controls are right where I want them. And that's all adjustable anyway. But for me, I'd say you're in good shape in terms of the riding position. Like I mentioned before. Yeah, an adjustable windscreen would be nice for those taller guys or gals out there. But I'm right in that sweet spot. It's like we're coming up in a nice little place to stop. Pull up here. Quite the view. All right. Here we are. Kind of end of the day. We're taking in a nice sunset. And, you know, we sort of finished up our ride with the Desert X. Hit some trails, hit some street, you know, all in a day. Day's ADV work, we'll say. So, you know, on the street, what do I really like? Well, I like the fact that the Testastretta 11 degree engine is a bit of a peach. You know, it is an engine that we've met before. So we know that it has lots of low end torque, tons of mid range. And it is a very exciting engine. So one of the main things that Ducati did to really sort of prepare it for its off-road adventures is, you know, just change the internal gear ratios of the gearbox. Now, in particular, first gear is over 14 percent shorter. And second gear is something a little bit over over 8 percent shorter. And that really helps when you're off road, helps the engine and really get into that torque curve much easier, much faster. And on the other side of it, it prevents it from really just sort of lugging and bogging down, because, again, you're able to get into that pick me up a lot, a lot easier. And on the street, it doesn't feel like it's just kind of over revving. Now, the reason I didn't mention six years, because that's a properly long overdrive gear. Now, my sort of only sort of complaints about the engine, really not really complaints is, yeah, there is some heat. If you're, you know, stuck in a really technical trail bit, you're going at super slow speeds for a long period of time or in traffic or anything like that. But once you get in the wind, it's all gravy. So that said, I still really like this engine in this application. I think it does a great job overall. Now, moving on into the suspension. And you've got to think that's a tough job for an ADV bike, because it's got to be able to ride on the street and it's got to be able to take some abuse off road. Now, we just did some, you know, happy little fire trails and things like that. It really kind of my wheelhouse for ADV riding, we'll say. But overall, I think they've done a really good job with the damping rates. And, you know, obviously from the stock factory settings, I cranked them up for my riding style and weight. So you're going to be able to do that because, again, it is fully adjustable. It's KYB fork up front, fully adjustable there. You have a little bit over nine inches of travel there. And then you have a little bit over eight and a half inches of travel in the rear. So I think it's eight point six six inches, something like that. Again, fully adjustable at each end. Now on the street, going back to that damping. It is kind of on the buzzword in the reviewing game. It is a little bit more plush, and that's something that I really like. But again, that damping, that valving, I think they really got it right because it's not uncontrolled, just a very fluid motion. And either way, and you're not getting this wallowy chassis. And that really speaks to how well this thing handles on the street. And that's something that we can't say for a lot of 20 inch, 21 inch wheeled motorcycles. You know, it is one of those things where we're going to draw comparisons to the other bikes in this class. And I would say this is at the tip of the spear, if not the true pointy end in terms of road handling manners. It's a pretty big claim. So kudos Ducati. Now, when you take it off road again, that plushness transfers into what I'll say is a comfortable ride. What I mean is this thing soaks up a lot of abuse. And yes, I do think that in certain circumstances, some riders, depending on how you ride, you might hit the bump stop. But the thing about this bike is that when you do actually bottom it out, it doesn't really snap up at you. And recovery. Yeah, this thing recovers very well. So that's excellent. Now, sort of kind of going into some of the other aspects. Again, we did mention these in the street ride, you know, the six different ride modes. I think Ducati has done a really good job in that regard. Of course, to recap, you have your sport touring, urban, wet, and then your two off road dedicated modes, which are enduro and rally. Of course, different power modes, throttle maps, traction control settings. All of that is customizable. And what I have really enjoyed, especially in the off road sections, are the enduro and rally modes. Now, those two modes differentiate on their standard settings between going to the lowest ABS setting in the rally mode and also the highest power output. So you get the full 110 horsepower and 68 foot pounds of torque right there. You know, realistically, I think a lot of people are going to enjoy the enduro mode, which cuts the power down, makes it a little bit more manageable, takes that down to 75 horsepower, and then also uses ABS level two, which removes cornering ABS, which is activated in all of the street modes, but allows you to have an off road ABS mode in the front. So you still retain ABS in the front. And then in the rear, you can still slide the rear. It just sort of modulates it a little bit so you don't completely lock it. And so I think people that are really getting their feet wet with ADV riding, they're really going to appreciate that that ride mode. That's something that that I definitely used a lot of today. And again, you know, the TC settings, you can really drop them down all the way off, of course, if you want to. This bike overall has impressed. I think one of the things that they could improve on specifically quick shifter, just a little bit notchy from that first to second gear. And then also with the rally mode in the enduro mode specifically, being able to change TC settings on the fly and being able to explore those a little bit more freely, because as of now, you have to dive into the dash and then change it. Ducati has launched the DesertX with loads of accessories and also placed them in curated selections known as the sport, touring, rally and off road packs. We're running a handful of options on our tester, starting with the sturdy Barkbuster style hand guards, some high quality radiator guards, a beefy bash plate, crash bars, heated grips, a handlebar bag and of course, a homologated Termioni silencer. Now, if you ask me, the crash protection is built tough. And if you're planning on riding off road, that isn't a bad investment right out of the gate. Last thing I want to talk about here is, of course, the braking performance. You know, we are using Brembo M50 calipers up front. You know, turn the pages back a couple of years and superbikes were all about that. And now they're using Stylemas. Regardless, that's some serious braking firepower up in the the front of the motorcycle. You do have an axial master cylinder still of the Brembo variety. And that's something to actually hone in on, because if you look at a lot of off road motorcycles, dual sports in particular, they typically don't have radial master cylinders, which a lot of Ducati Eastie might think, well, they've kind of cheaped out. It's not the case, in my opinion. Going with an axial master cylinder is actually a better idea for a motorcycle that is going to be going off road because it really takes that edge off of the braking performance. And when you're in low grip scenarios, that's going to help. Now, that's about all I got to say about the 2023 Ducati Desert X. And if you guys have any questions, go ahead and drop them down below. We'll get you some answers. Now, I got to get home and eat me some pizza. See you guys around.