Ducati has made it known that the introduction of the upcoming Desert X will be held across a ‘season’ that began on September 30 and will continue through to December 9.
Small amounts of information have been released and will continue to be drip-fed across that timeframe until the bike is finally and completely unveiled.
DUCATI PROGRESSES PAST PROTOTYPE
What we do know about the bike is it appeared first as what looked to be a fairly complete concept in 2019, based on the Scrambler 1100 which carries the 1,079cc, air-cooled, Desmodromic L-Twin engine.
The Desmodromic engine has since been replaced by the 937cc Testastretta L-Twin, liquid-cooled engine, which can be found in the Multistrada 950. Offering 113Hp which is a great deal more than the Desmodromic’s 86Hp output, the Testastretta is a lighter engine with considerably more power and torque.
The Desert X will also benefit from an all-new chassis which more than likely means Ducati has placed a strong emphasis on the bike’s performance in the dirt and chosen not to simply pull from a road-based chassis.
A 21-inch front wheel betrays its off-road intent while we’re not sure yet whether it’s a 19 or 18-inch rear wheel. The dual fuel tanks should offer a generous range while helping distribute weight while dual front discs will bring proceedings to a halt pretty effectively.
Ducati has a very comprehensive electronics suite to pull from so expect to see all the bells and whistles and we’re hoping the aesthetics remain pretty close to what’s been teased because it’s a pretty special looking motorcycle.
More details will appear in the lead-up to December 9 where we’ll also be closer to seeing what the Husqvarna Norden looks like as well as the final Aprilia Tuareg and should have had some time on the CFMoto 800MT which are all pretty exciting new models. We might even have seen confirmation of that mid-size Transalp rumoured to be in the pipeline.
Follow the official story as it unfolds here.
