Essay – Ducati DesertX Rally – genes in competition

The highly anticipated Ducati DesertX Rally is ready to take on anything. This new model is a Desert X on steroids, an adventure bike certainly ready to race, with high-quality reinforced suspensions like a racing bike – but legal to ride on the road, of course. Ducati has repeated what it has been doing for decades: what it learns in racing, it transfers to the customer – even if slightly diluted. Ducati has had some success in racing with the DesertX (winning the two-cylinder class of this year’s Iron Road prologue at the Erzberg Rodeo), adding longer travel suspensions, increased ground clearance, lighter and stronger wheels, more crash protections, among other modifications like a raised front fender. The 2024 Rally is basically a homologated version of the racing bike and a very different model from the DesertX we already knew. VERY HIGH!

The seat height of 910 mm is high, the highest of any current production motorcycle, while 250 mm and 240 mm of suspension travel, front and rear, and 280 mm of ground clearance are also attractive numbers. But if you want a motorcycle to perform off-road, these are the measurements you have to take into account. After all, the Ducati Panigale V4R is an impressive sports bike, but it’s not comfortable. If you want an adventure bike ready to compete, it will have to have a high seat and long travel suspension. You can always install a lower seat, which lowers the height to 885 mm, but it will still be high. There’s no hiding it, the Rally is a big bike!

For reference, I’m almost 1.72 cm tall, and if the seat height wasn’t as scary as I expected, mainly because the seat and the bike are narrow, it means I can safely put one foot on the ground while reaching for the rear brake or gear shifter with the other. Checking the specifications, it’s also a bit heavy bike, similar to the competition (203 kg dry weight), but we don’t feel it, even when fully fueled. However, I found it challenging to retract the side stand while seated – my legs simply aren’t long enough – and I believe even taller riders may have difficulties.

TOP-OF-THE-LINE SUSPENSION

However, I will tolerate a slightly boring side rest because the Rally is one of the best adventure bikes I have ever ridden off-road. 90% of our two-day test in Morocco was off-road, ranging from open and fast terrain to slow and rocky sections, sand and some jumps, and the suspensions proved to be flawless.

Ducati invested in quality suspension units from KYB. These are so sublime that the Rally when off-road rides almost like it’s on a paved road. You can feel the KYB units working hard, but at the same time everything is controlled, with no jerks in the handlebars or bounces in the rear.

I consciously tried to test the adjustments, closing the throttle on bumps to activate the extension: no problems. Hitting rocks on braking with the forks compressed: again, no jerks. Even taking decent jumps (for me): it absorbed everything flawlessly. Throughout the journey, on both days, the KYB suspension made the ride easy, not too tiring or exhausting. And I felt comfortable on the dirt at 110 km/h. Even in deep sand, I simply leaned back and let the front wheel find its way. I don’t remember ever riding an adventure bike off-road with such confidence in the chassis and suspensions.

As expected, the front and rear units are adjustable, with the rear featuring high and low-speed compression damping and remote preload adjustment. I never adjusted the suspension, and few riders at the presentation did, as they work perfectly as soon as the bike comes out of the box. Only heavy or light riders, who have a very high level of competition, or in high-speed terrain, will want to modify the suspension.

FUNCTIONAL ELECTRONICS

The Rally and Enduro driving modes are genuinely useful options, along with driving aids. I look ahead, see a more problematic area and select Enduro mode, which reduces power and increases the level of rider aids intervention.

Then, as the path opens up, I close the throttle, switch to Rally, do some wheelies, and continue to have fun. All done in real time, without the need to stop and reconfigure the riding aids.

The off-road ABS saved me on two occasions, possibly more. Being able to ride off-road, with specific off-road driving aids that in the lower settings were designed to work with off-road tires (unlike the base DesertX) is impressive.

Our test bikes were equipped with Pirelli Scorpion Rally off-road tires, which means it’s difficult to give an exact impression of the Rally and how it will be to ride it on everyday roads. The only road we took was at a relatively slow speed and the Rally felt composed, even for a tall adventure bike that didn’t seem clumsy at all. It also climbed some mountain passes with ease. The DesertX base impresses on the road and I’m sure the Rally will be the same, but we will need a longer and more complete road test to be sure.

Choosing and riding the various riding modes is easy, and they change the character of the bike, not just the range! And, surprisingly, everything can be done on the move, meaning you can constantly change modes to suit changes in terrain and conditions with an optimized setup – even during a short trip. It’s been six months since I last rode a DesertX, but the new Rally immediately felt like my bike, with easy-to-understand switches and various modes at my fingertips.

The accelerator response is almost perfect at low speeds, inspiring an L-twin engine with fuel injection. And although a peak of 110 hp may not seem particularly impressive, the wide torque distribution of the Testastretta makes it seem more so. Combining this lovely torque distribution with quick gear ratio changes with the bidirectional quickshifter effortlessly, and you have the perfect recipe for an exciting ride. However, it is worth noting that 90% of our test was conducted off-road in Morocco, which means that we only occasionally exceeded 110 km/h – even though this was not a touring test, clearly. MORE DETAILS It is worth mentioning the new footpegs, as they are wide, solid, and very grippy even on wet surfaces. With the rear brake pedal adjusted for off-road configuration, its positioning is perfect, allowing for gentle use of the rear brake, even with off-road boots. In Rally mode, there is no ABS on the rear, and the precise rear brake allows you to make the most of this factor. The instrumentation remains complete and appealing, as we already knew from the base version.

The seat is very high, but for us to have a high suspension travel and a good ground clearance there are no miracles…

The raised fender is undoubtedly the hallmark of this new DesertX Rally.

Carbon skid plate, or we wouldn’t be talking about a Ducati.

It is the excellent KYB suspensions that make the biggest difference (for the better) in this version compared to the base DesertX. A fun and enjoyable engine to use, wider footrests and excellent quality components throughout. On the road, I can only imagine that the Rally will be very similar to the standard DesertX, with sufficient comfort and wind protection on longer rides, even with the non-adjustable windshield. The cruise control is standard, as is connectivity, but the heated grips are not – only the button remains! As expected from Ducati, the level of finishes is high, with quality components such as Brembo, Öhlins (steering damper), and Excel (rims). After a few days in the desert, with dust and rocks thrown at the Rally, it still looked new. There was no apparent sign of wear from sand-covered enduro boots rubbing against the side covers, and the carbon fiber forged crankcase protection looked flawless. Some of the off-road trails were tough, but there were no reports of dented rims or even punctures.

There is no denying that the new DesertX Rally is an expensive bike with a price tag of €21,745. But it is a model equipped with high-quality components that help justify the high asking price. The closed-cartridge KYB forks are the first on a production Ducati, possibly the first on any production bike, and similar to those on Meo’s race bike – buy them separately for your adventure bike and they will cost around €4,500, plus another €1,500 for the rear shock. The Excel rims with steel and carbon spokes are also not cheap, and the Rally also gets a non-electronic Öhlins steering damper and a forged carbon fiber skid plate. So, although the asking price is high, it’s easy to see where the money has been spent!

VERDICT

I would not refer to the new Rally as a better DesertX, as it is a very different bike and honestly I do not know how it will perform on the road, although the indications are excellent. However, what I can say is that the new Rally is possibly the best “big” adventure bike I have ever ridden off-road. The suspension is probably the best I have ever experienced on off-road terrain. The Rally remains unfazed on any terrain and is genuinely ready to race as soon as it comes out of the box, which, away from the asphalt, should put it above the competition. This is not, however, an extreme adventure bike, intended for a public where only riders are present; the aids and riding modes, together with the friendly power delivery, make it flexible and usable for a wide range of riders. It can even be adapted for A2 license holders! On one hand, with the road legal components removed, it is ready to race, but equally an inexperienced rider can spend days standing in the spacious areas of Morocco, just enjoying the challenge and navigation. There are disadvantages: 910 mm seat height is quite high, it is an expensive bike and the side stand is a bit awkward, especially for short riders like me. But on the other hand, the DesertX Rally is hard to criticize as an off-road adventure bike.

DUCATI DesertX Rally

Twin-cylinder L engine at 90º, desmodromic distribution, 4 valves per cylinder, liquid cooling

DISPLACEMENT 937 cc

POWER 81 Kw (110 hp) @9,250 rpm

TORQUE 92 Nm @6,500 rpm

GEARBOX 6 speeds

FRAME steel tube trellis

FUEL TANK 21 liters

FRONT SUSPENSION KYB inverted telescopic fork of 48 mm, 250 mm travel

REAR SUSPENSION KYB monoshock, adjustable, 240 mm travel

FRONT BRAKE 2 discs of 320 mm, Brembo Monobloc radial calipers with 4 pistons

REAR BRAKE 265 mm disc, Brembo caliper with 2 pistons

FRONT TIRE 90/90 – 21

REAR TIRE 150/70 R18

WHEELBASE 1,625 mm

SEAT HEIGHT 910 mm

WEIGHT 203 kg (dry)

MSRP (from) 21,745 €