The Ultimate Adventure Bike - Ducati DesertX Rally Review

 
First Impressions

I don’t know if I should say this right away, but I will.

The DesertX Rally is the "ultimate adventure bike". 

Ok, I know some might say I’m biased but I’m also very experienced with a lot of different brand adventure bikes and for me I cannot point to another adventure bike on the market that is a better balance of all the attributes required to be the “best” adventure bike.

I often say adventure bikes are a lot about compromise. We ask so much of adventure bikes in such a broad range of conditions it is natural there will be compromises. This bike has the least compromise in any direction of any bike. It does it all so well.

Right. Now let me quantify this bold statement above.

I had the opportunity to get a first impression of the DesertX Rally in Morocco in January 2024.
Charmed With Morocco

George Lucas is responsible for many of the memories I will have etched in my mind for years to come about the Ducati DesertX Rally and my first visit to Morocco. If you've ever seen his films "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" or the original "Star Wars" then you have some idea of the landscapes and characters that confronted us when we landed in the streets of Marrakesh Morocco. 

I was invited by Ducati Australia & New Zealand to attend the Global Media launch for the DesertX Rally in Morocco. My travel partner for this launch was Andy Wigan from Transmoto. This was a new country to me and even after 4 flights and some 40 hours in transit I was still excited to be here. 

After a much-needed horizontal sleep and with a few hours free on Saturday before the launch, we took a walk into the medina of Marrakesh where centuries old markets were hidden in a maze of alleyways. The medina is in fact close to 1,000 years old now. I had heard stories of how easily tourists got lost in this maze.

Protecting this labyrinth was the massive town square that must be about 2 square kilometres and is home to a menagerie of people, animals, traders, and food stalls. After passing the line up of horse drawn carriages we started to hear distinctive sounds of snake charmers horns and then we made eye contact with a guy holding a monkey on a chain and before we knew what was happening the monkey was on Andy's shoulder!  

The guy was prompting us to take a photo with the monkey. Of course, like everything in the medina, a photo with a monkey comes at a price and the guy soon had his hat off his head and upturned asking for money. 

5 Euro was dropped in the cap because I hadn’t gotten any local Dirham yet. That's all I had. He was somewhat displeased with that. 

Now, somewhat wary about local critters, we heard the horns of the snake charmers and sure enough there were several cobras on the ground flared up looking ready to pounce. What followed in the medina proper was an assault on the senses that as a travel experience, I absolutely loved every minute of!

Capping it all off I even got a ride on the back of a scooter through the streets of Marrakech to go to an ATM so I could get some local Dhiram out to complete my purchase of a camel skin foot stool. After completing the transaction and downing a serve of Moroccan tea we then got a lift on the back of the scooters again to his "uncles" rug market.

But we weren’t here to buy leather pants, rugs or camel skins poofs (even though I did!). We were here to test Ducati’s latest and more off-road oriented offering to the adventure market.

The DesertX Rally.
Fresh Prince of Marrakesh

Walking into the reception area of the hotel in Marrakesh we get our first glimpse of the Rally sitting on a display plinth. It looks the business.

The retro Dakar design cues of the original DesertX are more subdued with the overall design looking more modern. Bold graphics cover most plastics and the fuel tank and that red subframe adds a nice touch of “Ducatiness”. The livery is titled “Iron Giant” which is a nice nod to Antoine Meo’s successful debut of the bike at Erzberg Rodeo event – winning the prologue no less!

The standout features on the new Rally must be the longer travel KYB suspension and stronger off-road wheel set which combined have the bike sitting purposefully taller. 

The DLC (Diamond Like Coating) and Kashima coatings on the forks ooze quality and hint at the promise top shelf performance. They didn’t disappoint.

In fact, the absolute standout star of the show with the new Rally is the forks. On the specs sheet Ducati list the suspension travel front and rear as 250/240mm - up from 230mm in the front and 220mm in the rear of the DesertX. 

Fact of the matter is, this is the first road going motorcycle to be fitted with Kayaba closed cartridge forks. Normally fitted to motocross or enduro bikes Ducati really had to push Kayaba to permit them to be developed for the DesertX. The effort was worth it.

What is so special about closed cartridge forks? Forks contain oil that essentially perform two functions: 

1. Lubrication
2. Damping control

Closed cartridge forks separate a portion of the oil in a chamber where the oil is pressurized, and an additional spring comes into play to control damping forces. The main benefit of this separate chamber is that because the oil is pressurised it doesn’t get aerated by fork movement so can provide more consistent damping control. 

Balancing out the chassis is an upgraded rear shock as well that features a larger diameter piston and remote reservoir for more consistent damping control in extreme conditions.

The changes go deeper than just the suspension though. First, where is the Rally the same as the DesertX?

• Same steel frame, sub frame and aluminium swingarm
• Same engine

· Six Riding modes and electronics are essentially the same - only change being a minor tweak to the calibration of the traction control in Level 1 of Rally mode to better suit more aggressive tyres

• Brakes and ABS system are the same
• Similar ergonomics 

To highlight the key updates from the OG DesertX:

• Wheels have been beefed up substantially for off-road with:
• • Takasago Excel rims and billet aluminium hubs.
  • Rim sizes are now: front 21” x 2.15” and rear 18” x 4”
  • Carbon steel spokes
  • Tyres fitted as standard will be Pirelli STR (same as current DesertX) but with the narrower rims the rear tyre is now 140/80-18 (vs 150/70-18). The tyres fitted are Tubeless but with tubes installed due to the rims. 
  • Complete wheel set (including tyres) is now .5kg lighter. These will be much more robust off road.
  • With the narrower rims there is a greater range of more aggressive off-road knobby tyres available in 140/80-18 size.
• Kayaba 48mm closed cartridge forks with Kashima coating on outer tubes, DLC coating on inner tubes. 250mm travel is up from 230mm. Adjustable preload, compression and rebound.
• Kayaba rear shock with remote reservoir, larger 46mm diameter piston (+6mm) and longer travel at 240mm (+20mm over DesertX). The remote bladder is a pressurised system, and the shock is fully adjustable with high & low speed compression damping, rebound and preload all adjustable.
• High mount front guard for better mud clearing.
• Separated front brake hoses reduce chance of mud collection and allow fitting of either high or low mount front guard.
• Billet aluminium machined triple clamps are stiffer.
• Ohlins adjustable steering damper – 20 position adjustment.
• Utility bar above dashboard for mounting navigation device.
• Forged carbon fibre sump guard is stronger than aluminium.
• Billet aluminium gear and brake levers are stronger with folding tips and height adjustable brake tip. Also .4kg lighter.
• Rally seat is 20mm taller and one piece for easy manoeuvrability.
• Plastics now have the coloured moulded-in rather than painted making scratches less of an issue.
• Thick adhesive graphics that cover more of the bodywork including the fuel tank for better protection

But rather than looking at the bike cooped up inside, I was eager to take it outdoors in its natural environment. 
Hitting the Road - Same as a DesertX

The following morning, I gathered in front of the hotel along with a group of around 20 journalists from various countries including USA, UK, Switzerland and other European countries. It’s always a buzz seeing a row of fresh gleaming identical bikes lined up. Our group was split in two to make it easier when it came to photo shoot locations. After a ride briefing (in English thankfully!) by Ducati DRE Instructor Andrea Rossi our destination for tonight was to be a glamping setup in the middle of the Agafay Desert. Exciting stuff!

Stands were raised up and we rolled out of town on our fresh shiny steeds. Once out of the city of Marrakesh, we were passing through multiple villages in a barren landscape which was fascinating. It may not be a pretty country in a typical sense, but man was it engaging. The people of Morocco are lovely too, everyone we encountered was super friendly. Being a Sunday, heaps of kids were out along the dusty roads through the villages, and we managed to score a few high fives. 

I was excited to ride the African continent for my first time. Ducati choose the perfect location to fully test the Rally’s off-road abilities. The Moroccan terrain was rough, rocky and dusty. Much like a lot of Australian outback terrain. Perfect for exploring the bikes off-road performance.

I was glad to feel in the first half hour riding out of Marrakesh that basically none of the superb on-road handling characteristics of the DesertX have changed. Our first photo location was in a tight section of twisties on asphalt and although the dodgy road surface didn’t allow for fully spirited cranked over riding, I could still feel all the great handling traits through the tyres. 

I had reservations about whether some of the superb on road manners of the DesertX may have been compromised by the longer travel suspension, but I need not have worried. 

Truth is though, I was super excited to thrash this bike with its longer travel suspension off-road. 
Off-Road – Different to a DesertX

The terrain in Morocco was ideal for testing the suspension because the tracks were rocky and chopped up to all get out in places. Very few of the tracks we rode on were maintained and they were littered with rain ruts both going in line with and against our direction of travel. They also liked to put savage little speed bumps in towns. Even when we rode sealed road sections, they were pockmarked with potholes which were a solid test of wheels and suspension.

To sum up the suspension in one word - “Control”.

In motion the feel of the suspension was excellent with great control through the stroke. It didn’t once bottom out either end for me. Not that I felt anyway. When I hit a couple of nasty square edges potholes mid corner the bike didn’t deflect sideways, it just soaked it.

Matteo Grazziani (lead development rider) said they dialled in the specs of the suspension at both ends so that they are right in the middle of the settings for compression, rebound and spring preload. This means every rider should have some good scope to adjust. One of the biggest development challenges apparently to make the fork work in this heavier style of bike was the initial suppleness. 

The off-road wheel set is the other big change on the bike and they certainly gave more confidence to push hard off-road. Regardless of the fact these wheels are a big upgrade for off-road, the road handling really doesn’t feel compromised by these wheels. As always, tyre choice really is the deciding variable here.

Tyres are an interesting one because the Rally will come standard with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres. I kind of get that the STR’s probably made it easier for Ducati to pass homologations standards around braking etc. but they really don’t match the off-road ability of the rest of the package. 

Backing this statement is the fact our test bikes came fitted with the newer and more off-road orientated Pirelli Scorpion Rally tubeless tyres. This is the tyre I believe the bike should have been fitted with as standard but you could certainly ask your dealer about changing them prior to delivery.
Desert Experience 

Two days of riding and about 250km of varied terrain made for some good testing. We had some gnarly terrain to ride in the desert, not overly steep but very rocky. Most of the tracks we rode were unmaintained so there were constant surprises. Very similar to a lot of Australian outback conditions.

Our overnight stop was at a glamping camp setup in the Agafay Desert. When I heard we would be riding and staying a night in the desert I pictured steep peaked red sand dunes stretching into the Sahara. The reality was there was very little sand, and the terrain was rocky and harsh with light brown and grey hues. 

Surprisingly we did ride past a patch of eucalypt trees which made it feel less foreign. Come sundown, it was just like being in the outback as the softer light took away some of the harshness of the terrain. We soaked up the visual feast of sunset before heading into a tent for a hearty Moroccan feast of tagines as the winter chill started biting. 
Ride Experience 

One aspect of the riding experience that hasn’t changed on this bike is the engine and the associated Riding Modes. This is a very good thing. There is nothing I could fault about the configuration and use of the 937cc Testastretta twin-cylinder engine for adventure riding.

The six Riding Modes allow you to really change the character of the bike and adapt to the conditions. I typically ride it in Rally mode when I’m off-road but will occasionally switch to Enduro mode at the end of a long day when fatigue becomes a factor. The reduced power and anti-lock braking settings allow a tired or less experienced rider to relax off-road and the bike becomes almost “un-crashable”. Well as near to that as a two wheeled off-road motorcycle can get! 

I love the way Ducati manage the Riding Modes and the adjustability of them. With six Riding Modes, six different parameters and up to eight levels of adjustment means the rider has command over about 168 variations to suit their style precisely. Once customised the rider can change through these different Modes on the fly and what is particularly nice is that when you turn the bike off it will retain whatever setting you last had on the bike. This is much appreciated.

In terms of the handling, it was great. I could pick and hold lines (expect for one uphill corner that I completely muffed for the photos!) and seemed to get pretty good drive on the skatey surfaces. 

As mentioned, the suspension is the standout mostly for the control through the stroke. I could feel what the tyres were doing and didn’t experience any weird jolts through the bars or banging and clanging through the rear end.

It never got fussed.

I did notice a little fatigue in my hands at the end of the second day which I would probably put down to the stiffer forks. The bikes still had less 1,000km on the odometer at the completion of the test so they will likely loosen up a little with a few more kilometres on them. I’ve no doubt that time spent on the clickers will help dial it in.
Compare to DesertX

So, should you buy a DesertX or a DesertX Rally?

For sure there are many riders that will be better off sticking with the OG DesertX. Superb on-road handling and a lower seat height are just two reasons.

An assumption that many riders might make is that they can’t make use of the Rally suspension. Yes and no. While some riders may not push it to its limit, a saying I often use is “good suspension is good suspension anywhere”. In other words, the quality of the components and the balanced nature of the suspension can be appreciated even on relatively smooth sealed roads.

Like I said at the start, the DesertX Rally offers the least compromise of any bike. If you can afford it, you would be crazy to choose otherwise.
Value for Money

The four flights home gave me ample time to distil my thoughts and consider this premium level adventure bike.

The performance is next level. But there again, so is the price.

Pricing has been confirmed at $36,600 ride away in Australia ($36,642 for our New Zealand neighbours).

Straight up, $36,600 is a lot to spend on an adventure bike that you hopefully intend to thrash off-road, but plenty of people do spend this kind of money. And remember I’m talking about “the ultimate adventure bike”.

I’ve seen lots of riders spend this same kind of money building up a single cylinder enduro bike into an adventure bike or modifying a large adventure bike to handle off-road.

I believe if buyers were honest about how much money is often spent on modifying their bikes after purchase on additional accessories or mods then that price premium quickly gets eroded. This is a premium level bike with premium level components from the Ducati factory.

Helping to balance out the equation is the included fitment of accessories like:

• Rally seat
• Carbon skid plate
• Nav mount bracket

For many riders these types of accessories are considered must do. Factor in spring and valving changes by a workshop which will typically set you back about $2,000. Even after that you still won’t be anywhere near Rally spec closed cartridges.

Change the seat, add a GPS mount, sump guard and go all out on building a new set of dirt wheels and those numbers are getting awfully close. It still won’t be a Rally.

Expected arrival of first shipment into Australia is June 2024. 
Is It UnFinkeable?

In June 2023 I rode a DesertX from Alice Spring to Finke community and return in one day over 460km along the thousands of sandy whoops and rocks that make up the Finke Desert race track. Would I want to go back and do it again on the DesertX Rally? If you cut me, do I bleed red? Hell yes!

With the upsec suspension and off-road wheelset it would give me a lot more confidence to smash the whoops harder and carry more speed. The problem with that plan is me! 

Having experienced a full day on the Finke track and surviving unscathed I have a deeper appreciation of how dangerous that track can be. I am under no illusions as to how it could jump up and bite you hard as the speeds rise.

Maybe there is another challenge out there we can throw the DesertX Rally at when it lands on our shores? Stay tuned…
Ultimate Adventure Bike

I’m claiming it now.

The Ducati DesertX Rally is the “ultimate adventure bike”.

A big claim yes in consideration of the wide choice of bikes that are available now. I feel I’m well qualified to make this statement too considering the in depth knowledge I‘ve got with multiple brands over the past decade or so.

Consider what it takes for a great adventure bike:

• Long fuel range
• Durability
• Enough power to cover long distances with ease
• Adaptability to a broad range of conditions
• Manageablein tricky off-road situations
• Comfortable enough for long distances

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

The DesertX ticks all these boxes with ease.

Plus, being a Ducati is sounds and looks horn!

Perhaps not everyone can afford the ultimate but for those that can, they will find an elevated level of off-road performance with little or no compromise.

Key specs:

• 203kg dry weight / 225kg wet weight
• Ground clearance – 280mm
• Seat height - 910mm
• Fuel tank capacity - 21 litres (unchanged)

 Nick Selleck, Maschine