It’s not at all times the case that Italian manufacturers stay as much as the hype. So, I’ll admit that I approached the brand new Ducati DesertX with a deep cynicism. Past the superlatives and loud music of Ducati’s advertising and marketing crew, would it not really be any good?
Quick reply: Sure. There’s a lot to love about this bike.
Sufficient to justify its “introductory value” of virtually £15k, making it one of the costly bikes in its class? Learn on.
2026 Ducati DesertX
Some Background
The idea of the DesertX was first launched at EICMA again in 2019. Initially, it was meant as yet one more Scrambler variant – revealed in that bizarre period when Ducati was churning out a brand new Scrambler seemingly each different week.
The oldsters in Bologna quickly realised, nonetheless, that that they had the instruments and know-how to supply one thing higher: one thing extra able to doing what it claimed. The Scrambler vary, in any case, is basically a set of bikes which can be meant to be seen and heard relatively than ridden exhausting via filth and dirt.
When the DesertX went into manufacturing in 2022, it was pushed not by a Scrambler powerplant however the identical 937cc Testastretta V-twin that Ducati had been utilizing within the Multistrada 950. However maybe as a result of it had been tarred by the Scrambler brush, or as a result of there have been already roughly 238 billion totally different adventure-touring bikes for riders to select from, the first-gen DesertX didn’t turn out to be an enormous vendor.
However the individuals who really did purchase them praised them with such fervour that Ducati has held onto the thought and given the mannequin a full makeover for 2026. New engine, new chassis, up to date suspension, even a brand new rear axle bolt.
2026 Ducati DesertX
Look, Match, and Really feel
One of many few issues that hasn’t been dramatically overhauled for 2026 is the DesertX’s styling. From 5 paces it seems just about the identical because the outgoing model. Be happy to debate the knowledge of that call. On one hand, it creates a story consistency throughout two markedly totally different bikes. Alternatively, it dulls or hides the dramatic modifications that Ducati has made.
Regardless of the case, it’s an excellent trying machine, standing out from a really, very crowded subject. It additionally seems sturdy. The construct high quality right here is superior to what I used to be anticipating. Ducati makes lovely, premium bikes, however generally there’s a distinction between ‘premium’ and ‘made to final.’
Particular effort has been put into crash resilience. The obvious instance of this comes within the plastic tank, which, together with the encircling bits of fairing, feels to be constructed of one thing way more sturdy than your normal fairings plastic. It nearly feels rubberised.
And it appears to do the trick. By the course of my take a look at journey in Spain, our group skilled three crashes. Nothing critical – everybody was in a position to stick with it using – however no less than one of many incidents was dramatic sufficient that lesser bikes could be written off: it took 5 of us to haul a motorcycle off the 6-foot berm onto which it had been thrown.
2026 Ducati DesertX
There was a damaged lever, a foot pedal that wanted to be bashed again into place with a rock, a damaged spring on a shifter, however nothing so dramatic that it couldn’t be sorted out on the spot.
Normal seat peak on the DesertX is 880 millimetres. Ducati has accent gadgets that may elevate or decrease that, providing a variety between 840 mm and 900 mm. The seat is slim, which suggests getting toes down is simpler. Being a 6-foot-1 rider, I used to be in a position to set each toes flat on the bottom.
Though slim and considerably agency, the seat is fairly comfy. I spent a full day within the saddle with out criticism. Though, it’s value noting that I’ve an extended historical past of tolerating seats that others really feel are too agency.
The windscreen just isn’t adjustable however – genuinely – doesn’t should be. I discovered it very efficient even at extra-legal speeds.
2026 Ducati DesertX
The switchgear is a bit cluttered, with the indicator change significantly tough to seek out with out trying. However I think that an proprietor would ultimately get used to it.
Pulling the bike off the sidestand, it’s properly balanced and the centre of gravity comparatively low. Ducati claims a moist weight of 209 kg. It’s form of mendacity. Its moist weight determine is, in reality, very dry; it doesn’t embody gas.
The DesertX has an 18-litre gas tank. In keeping with my kitchen scales, a litre of water weighs 920 grams. If we assume an analogous weight for dino juice, that provides roughly 16.5 kg to Ducati’s quantity. So, 225.5 kg of motorbike absolutely fuelled: simply on the proper aspect of manageable when tackling uneven and unfastened floor. Particularly when the load is balanced this properly.
Engine
The DesertX’s new engine isn’t new to Ducati. It’s the identical 890cc liquid-cooled V-twin (or ‘V2’ in Ducati-speak) that the corporate’s put into plenty of its fashions lately: Multistrada V2, Streetfighter V2, Panigale V2, and Monster.
On this guise, claimed peak outputs are 110 bhp at 9000 rpm, and 68 lb-ft of torque at 7000 rpm. Ducati says 70 % of that torque arrives by 3000 rpm.
2026 Ducati DesertX
For a motorcycle claiming 110 bhp, I used to be a bit stunned at how wheezy the DesertX is above 85 mph. It can positively obtain and exceed 100 mph, however not with urgency. However pace just isn’t the purpose right here. Ducati presents loads of different bikes that may rocket you towards the horizon to larger impact.
Energy supply is comparatively clean – throughout the Ducati context. All Ducati engines have character and the DesertX isn’t any totally different. There’s a sure rawness to a Ducati engine – a form of impatience and readiness to help you in ill-planned endeavors.
Precisely how a lot character you expertise shall be decided partly by which of the six (Six!) using modes you select: Sport, Touring, City, Moist, Enduro, or Rally.
The engine’s sound is improbable: filth bikey on acceleration and providing an addictive burble and pop on overrun. Like all Ducati engines, the DesertX’s V2 doesn’t like being chilly and places out a hell of a whole lot of warmth.
2026 Ducati DesertX
Transmission
I’m going to present Ducati the advantage of the doubt right here and level out that transmissions on brand-new bikes are sometimes a bit clunky. That’s very true, it appears, with V-twin bikes. Additionally it is typically the case that issues clean out over time.
So, the transmission on the brand-new V-twin-driven Ducati that I rode was… watch for it… a bit clunky. Particularly within the first three gears. There have been a number of situations through which I struggled to seek out impartial. Would this concern resolve itself over time? Perhaps.
Clutch pull is mild however requires a full-hand seize of the lever. When you do the two-finger factor, the 2 fingers that stay on the grip (your ring and pinky finger) will block the clutch lever from actuating absolutely. That is primarily a difficulty when using off street.
The excellent news is that the quickshifter works fairly properly off-road, that means you typically don’t need to fuss with a lever. It’s not as faff-free because the E-Clutch system on the Honda Transalp 750, however it’s fairly good.
2026 Ducati DesertX
You may also be fascinated with: 2026 Honda XL750 Transalp with E-Clutch Overview
On the street, my opinion of the quickshifter is extra blended: when it’s good, it’s good; when it’s dangerous, it’s terrible. There’s no consistency when it comes to the circumstances underneath which it performs a technique or one other.
Additionally, it could be that the quickshifter is delicate to a fault. All through the primary a part of the day, I suffered stalling to an infuriating diploma. I discussed this to Ducati’s crew at lunch they usually prompt I’ll have been unintentionally tapping the gear shifter with my toe, fooling the quickshifter into eager to activate.
That’s attainable; the Sidi Taurus GTX boots I used to be sporting are fairly thick. Luckily, it’s attainable to show off the quickshifter. I did that and didn’t stall for the remainder of the day.
2026 Ducati DesertX
Chassis and Brakes
The DesertX’s chassis is one other space the place big modifications have been made. It has a brand new monocoque body and the suspension is now absolutely adjustable. As well as, the rear shock makes use of a “full-floater” set-up. That seems like one thing you may discover in the bathroom, however it’s really simply a proof of how the shock is mounted, permitting it to be compressed at each ends.
Ducati has nailed it with the DesertX suspension. It’s witchcraft. The bike will take no matter you throw at it off street – ruts, rocks, sand – then magically really feel planted and agency on street, ie, the Ducati expertise you’d anticipate.
2026 Ducati DesertX
Too A lot Selection
Typically an excessive amount of is an excessive amount of. Ducati has crammed the DesertX with a lot technowhizzbangery that it’s overwhelming and successfully unimaginable to totally make use of.
I discussed earlier that there are six totally different using modes. Inside every of these modes, you have got the choice of eight totally different traction management settings (EIGHT!), 5 totally different cornering ABS settings, 4 totally different energy settings, 4 totally different “wheelie management” settings, three totally different engine braking settings, and, in fact, the power to show the quickshifter on and off. That works out to 23,040 totally different attainable mixtures.
That’s silly. It jogs my memory of the plot of A Quick Keep In Hell, a novel through which a person should search via an infinite library to seek out the story of his life. Though, I suppose it supplies Ducati with a response to any criticism: “Truly, this bike is ideal for you; you simply haven’t discovered the proper mixture of settings but.”
In the meantime, along with the (overly delicate) quickshifter, you get full LED lighting, a steering damper, cruise management, and the aforementioned 5-inch TFT display screen. Flip-by-turn navigation is reportedly attainable by way of the Ducati Hyperlink app; I didn’t get an opportunity to check it.
2026 Ducati DesertX
Servicing Considerations
Ducati’s crew made a degree of speaking about how modifications have been constituted of the earlier era to fulfill the servicing and upkeep expectations of an adventure-touring rider. Really useful oil modifications are actually 9,000 miles aside. Really useful valve checks come each 28,000 miles.
Relying on using circumstances, you’ll need to examine (and clear) your air filter extra steadily. To facilitate this, Ducati has made it extra accessible: take away simply three screws on the interior a part of the cowling and it slides proper out.
2026 Ducati DesertX air filter
The corporate additionally takes pleasure in now providing a rear axle that may be eliminated with a typical hex socket. Apparently, you wanted a particular instrument – purchased from Ducati – to take away the rear wheel on the previous-generation DesertX.
Add to this the truth that Ducati has designed a component that connects the body and subframe which is detachable and thereby makes entry to the engine headers simpler. Ostensibly that reduces the period of time/effort wanted to do valve checks.
However altering the oil is much less easy. Check out the bike and ask your self: The place is the oil filter?
I couldn’t discover it. Neither may any of my fellow moto-journalists.
Can you discover the oil filter?
After a good bit of YouTube analysis into different V2-engined bikes (eg, the Streetfighter V2), and a dialog with Ducati take a look at rider Andrea Rossi, I used to be in a position to decide that the oil filter sits in a cartridge slightly below the engine cowl on the left aspect of the bike. To entry that oil filter you’ll want to take away an oil filter panel that’s held in place by two bolts.
The housing for the oil filter is about into the engine considerably, so web tutorials on different V2 bikes recommend protecting the decrease a part of the bike with aluminium foil to maintain extra filter oil from spilling onto your lovely machine.
On prime of this, getting on the oil drain plug can also be tough. On no less than some V2-engined bikes, the routing of the exhaust makes entry to the plug difficult.
The house mechanic in me is grumpy about this. Altering the oil is often the best little bit of wrenching you are able to do, and doing it your self can prevent hundreds of kilos over the lifetime of a motorcycle.
2026 Ducati DesertX
Verdict
Oil-change silliness apart, there are a whole lot of issues to love concerning the DesertX. The checklist grows the longer you spend time with it. Whereas I had began my day feeling skeptical and in search of faults, I completed my day discovering increasingly more little issues to understand.
I imply, yeah, it’s nonetheless too heavy for devoted off-road use, and it’s not half costly. However the DesertX can be totally pleasant and confidence-inspiring because of a wonderful suspension and weight steadiness.
2026 Ducati DesertX
It cuts a pleasant filth bike determine from the rear and presents up a improbable, snarling exhaust observe. The bike’s character additionally speaks to the guts; this can be a bike that has been spinning in my thoughts time and again since I rode it.
It’s properly constructed, full of an insane quantity of tech, has a method that’s distinctive, and carries a badge that conjures up envy. Between you and me, I’d nonetheless select a Transalp 750 with E-Clutch (which prices £5,000 much less) However I’ll concede that anybody who has one in all these of their storage has purpose to be proud.
Gear worn in images
Helmet: HJC RPHA 60
Jacket: Spada Vanguard
Gloves: Aerostich Elkskin Competitors Ropers
Pants: Spada Vanguard
Boots: Sidi Taurus GTX
Chris Cope on 2026 Ducati DesertX
2026 Ducati DesertX V2 specs
|
PRICE |
£14,995 |
|
ENGINE |
890cc liquid-cooled V-twin |
|
TRANSMISSION |
6-speed, with quickshifter |
|
POWER |
110 bhp at 9000 rpm |
|
TORQUE |
68 lb-ft at 7000 rpm |
|
TOP SPEED |
n/a |
|
SEAT HEIGHT |
880 mm |
|
GROUND CLEARANCE |
250 mm |
|
WEIGHT |
209 kg (with out gas) |
|
FUEL CAPACITY |
18 litres |
|
FRONT TYRE |
Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR 90/90 – 21 |
|
REAR TYRE |
Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR 150/70 R18 |
|
FRONT BRAKES |
Two 305mm semi-floating discs, radially mounted Brembo monobloc 4-piston 2-pad calipers |
|
REAR BRAKE |
Single 265 mm disc, Brembo 2-piston floating calliper |
|
FRONT SUSPENSION |
KYB 46 mm upside-down fork, absolutely adjustable |
|
REAR SUSPENSION |
KYB shock absorber, absolutely adjustable, distant preload adjustment, full floater progressive hyperlink |
