Two years after Ducati teased us with the DesertX, a Dakar-inspired concept adventure bike, the Italian manufacturer has confirmed that it is now in production and will hit showrooms in 2022, with a full reveal on December 9th .
While we will have to wait for all the details and specs until then, the Borgo Panigale team has provided a few tidbits of information as well as some stunning images of the DesertX being ridden in anger and they got us seriously excited here at ABR headquarters.
So what is there to know?
What can we expect from the Ducati DesertX?
First there is news about the engine.
Back in 2019 that DesertX The concept was based on the same 1,079 cc, 86 hp engine as in Ducatis Scrambler relay a message. That’s gone for 2022, and in its place riders will find the same water-cooled 937 cc Testastretta engine that is used in the Multistrada 950.
In the Multistrada, which produces around 113 hp and 96 Nm of torque, we expect the new DesertX to deliver quite a bit of power on the trails.
And judging by the photos and the 21-inch front tire, Ducati is hoping the DesertX will excel here. We imagine that the 21-inch front tire is mated to an 18-inch rear, and both are spoked and encased in gnarled rubber to cope with life in the rough stuff.
The concept bike of 2019
While the photos Ducati released show the bike partially shrouded in a cloud of dust, the round LED headlights, chunky off-road screen, and sleek fairing all stick with the concept model that was unveiled back in 2019 (which you see in the picture can). Above). This model also came with dual fuel tanks (with a rumored capacity of a massive 30L), and we hope they’ll stick around for a continent-breaking range between refueling sessions.
With these confirmed stats in mind, it looks like the DesertX’s closest rival (at least on paper) will be Honda’s CRF1100L Africa Twin or even Triumph’s Tiger 900 Rally Pro.
How it fits together in the real world remains to be seen, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as we hear more.
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