The Desert-X, designed to be capable for both on- and off-road duties, is the Borgo Panigale firm’s foray into dual-purpose riding, competing against the likes of the Yamaha Tenere 700, Husqvarna 901 Norden and KTM 890 Adventure R. As befits its dual-purpose nature, the Desert-X comes fitted with 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels for a true off-road capability.
Typical of Ducatis, the Desert-X carries a
937 cc Testastretta 11 V-Twin with Desmodromic valve actuation, four-valves per
cylinder and liquid-cooling, fed by twin Bosch 53 mm diameter throttle bodies
with ride-by-wire. Power is claimed to be 110 hp at 9,250 rpm with 92 Nm of
torque available at 6,500 rpm, with the engine mated to a quickshofter equipped
six-speed gearbox.
Coming to wheel sizing, the Desert-X
carries a 21 by 2.15 tubeless spoked rim in front, shod with a Pirelli Scorpion
STR 90/90 tyre while the rear comes with a 4.5 by 18 rim at the back, wearing
Pirelli Scorpion STR 150/70 rubber. Ducati claims an all up weight of 223 kg
fuelled and ready to go for the Desert-X, with 21-liters of fuel carried in the
tank. KYB supplies the suspension for the Desert-X, with a 46 mm diameter
fully-adjustable upside-down fork in front and monoshock at the back,
fully-adjustable with remote preload adjustment. Suspension travel is set at
230 mm for the front, while the rear end gets 220 mm of wheel movement.
Braking is done by Brembo, as is usual for
Ducati, with radial-mount Monobloc four-piston callipers grabbing twin 320 mm diameter
floating brake discs on the front wheel. At the back, a Brembo two-piston
calliper clamps a 265 mm disc, and Bosch cornering ABS is standard equipment.
Seat height, in standard trim on the Desert-X, places the rider 875 mm off the
ground. There are options for a tall seat, raising seat height to 875 mm, as
well as a low seat, giving 865 mm. When the low seat option is combined with
the optional low suspension kit, seat height drops to the lowest possible
setting of 845 mm.
