Ducati DesertX Review: In Pictures

The Ducati DesertX intends to not just take a shot at the growing middleweight adventure bike segment, but also aims to cement Ducati’s position in the off-road adventure motorcycle genre. It’s still a tall, heavy motorcycle, but as we found out, the DesertX holds its own, even when compared to its siblings, the Ducati Multistrada V4 or the earlier Ducati Multistrada Enduro. At Rs. 17.91 lakh (Ex-showroom), it’s still an expensive motorcycle. But does it make the cut to recommend it? Here’s a look at the Ducati DesertX review through some images.

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The DesertX is a tall bike, but what stands out is its long wheelbase of over 1600 mm, which makes it one of the longest adventure bikes available right now. It has a commanding stance, thanks to its spoked wheels on stilt-like long-travel suspension (230 mm front suspension travel and 220 mm rear suspension travel) and knobby tyres. 

The DesertX certainly nails it when it comes to big ADV styling. It’s a design inspired by Ducati’s own history, of a related, but different brand which was a legendary adventure bike in its own right. A look at the mass of bodywork, the twin round-shaped LED headlights and the body graphics all point to the Cagiva Elefant from the 1990s, a bike which used a Ducati engine, since Ducati was owned by Cagiva during those years. 

To underscore its rally-raid inspiration and heritage, the DesertX also features a rally-inspired portrait-oriented TFT console, but it’s completely modern with not-so-intuitive menus and a long list of settings which you can tweak and manage the bike’s electronic aids. You get six ride modes in all, which include Sport, Touring, Urban, Wet, Enduro and Rally. But each are further customisable, where you can choose varying levels of throttle response, traction control, wheelie control, ABS and quickshifter settings, according to your own requirements and riding conditions and skill level. 

The Testastretta L-twin is shared with the Ducati Multistrada V2, the Monster and the Hypermotard, but on the X, the gear ratios are different. For a middleweight bike, the power is more than enough. It’s not urgent and won’t take you by surprise, even in Sport mode. The revs build up quickly and before you realise it, you would be doing more than double the speed limit if you’re not careful. The quickshifter works like a charm; the shifts are precise and it’s difficult to find fault with it, this combination of smooth power and exceptional gearbox. 

When you leave the tarmac behind for the loose stuff, the 223 kg kerb weight of the DesertX seems to magically disappear. Rally mode offers full power with traction control dialled in low, allowing for increased wheel slip. For me though, Enduro mode proved to be far more entertaining, with power dialled in to 74 bhp, and as for traction control, I could still customise it for the least intervention, or completely turn it off if I wanted to. 

Going over the crest of a small rocky hillock, I encountered a slope of big boulders on the far side. With the tall and heavy, not to mention, almost brand new DesertX, I took a moment to choose a line over the rocks, before committing to one. And then it struck me! The engine, throttle response, chassis, suspension, wheels, 250 mm ground clearance and the steering damper all work together to give you an off-road riding experience that is difficult to equal, with any other middleweight adventure bike that I’ve had experience with, or any other ADV bike, including the full-size big boys.

The well-distributed weight maintained low down on the DesertX makes it feel agile, nimble and easy to handle off-road. You can take liberties with the DesertX you wouldn’t want to with other similar-sized bikes. 

And when you have to crawl over slower rocky terrain, or take a slow u-turn, the throttle modulation and feel is just right. There’s no fear of the engine stalling and in Enduro mode, power delivery is just enough so that you don’t encounter any unpleasant surprises from wheel spin.

At Rs. 17.91 lakh (Ex-showroom), the Ducati DesertX is by no means an affordable adventure bike. But with just one variant, you get all the electronic rider aids, adjustable suspension and other nifty features that you may need for any two-wheeled adventure, on tarmac, or off it. And considering what it offers, in terms of performance, capability and dynamics, its high sticker price still seems justified, so long as you appreciate what you’re getting for that kind of money.

The DesertX is a true-blue off-road adventure bike, with which you can explore trails and go over the rough stuff when the tarmac ends. And when you do need to cover long distances, it has long legs, and the power to make effortless cruising on the highway entertaining. It’s still got Ducati DNA, so on a twisty road it has sporty dynamics which will help you chase and keep up with your buddies on sportier machines.

The DesertX has the perfect balance of sporty street performance and dedicated off-road capability that’s difficult not to appreciate. In my book, the DesertX totally nails it as a true-blue adventure bike, perhaps even making it THE best all-round adventure bike you can think of right now.