THERE are no deserts in Malaysia unless you count the undoubtedly well forested Gurun in Kedah as one. Nevertheless, Ducati has descided that the new Desert X deserves to have its day in the sun here in Malaysia.
Born of desert dunes, the DesertX is now destined to ply the highways and byways of our green nation.
The project was born in 2019 and represents a contemporary interpretation of the Enduro motorcycles of the 80s.
A new steel trellis frame with long travel suspension is designed for demanding off-road conditions while also offering high levels of comfort.
The careful attention to weight saving means the Desert X weighs a mere 202 kg dry.
Large 46 mm diameter upside-down Kayaba fork with 230 mm travel and Kayaba monoshock are fully adjustable for damping and preload and contributes to a generous 250 mm ground clearance.
Off-road ready 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels are de riguer, wrapped in tubeless Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres.
The front brakes are Brembo M50 monobloc radial calipers squeezing double 320 mm discs. A single 265 mm diameter disc with a twin-piston floating caliper by Brembo is on the rear.
The ergonomics of the new DesertX have been developed for stand-up riding and for comfortable road riding.
The slim bodywork features an 875 mm high seat (a lower seat is available as an accessory) and can be further lowered thanks to an add-on kit.
Range for the DesertX is quite adequate with 21 litres of capacity, and can be further complemented by mounting a second tank (available as an accessory) for a further 8 litres of fuel and the extra capacity is activated from the dashboard.
The proven 937 cc liquid-cooled Testastretta 11° Desmodromic engine is the heart of the DesertX. It delivers 110 hp @ 9,250 rpm and 92 Nm @ 6,500 rpm of torque, in Euro5 configuration.
Dedicated gear ratios have been shortened overall on all gears up to fifth on the DesertX. First and second gears in particular are much shorter, typically for off-road use. Sixth gear fairly longer to facilitate highway speeds.
The DesertX comes with 6 Riding Modes working in combination with 4 Power Modes - Full, High, Medium, Low - that modify the power and responsiveness of the engine.
New features are specific settings for the Enduro Mode and the introduction of the new Rally Mode, in addition to Sport, Touring, Urban and Wet.
The usual array of electronic controls adorn the suite; Engine Brake Control (EBC), Ducati Traction Control (DTC), Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC), Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) Up & Down and ABS Cornering. ABS can be fully switched off for off-road riding.
A high resolution 5-inch full-TFT colour display can be integrated with the Ducati Multimedia System and has two Info Modes: Standard and Rally.
Full LED double front headlight with two twin-function poly-ellipsoidal Daytime Running Lights (DRL) and has been designed to ensure excellent visibility.
"From its head-turning design to its robust engineering, the all-new DesertX is in every way an incredibly unique Ducati model. We were all in agreement that it is just exceptionally special when the team at Ducati Malaysia had its first riding experience of the bike.
"You could be dominating an off-road rally route, going hard on fast twisty roads, or just comfortably cruising long distances on a highway – the DesertX will do it all. It's the kind of machine that brings infinite satisfaction across all types of riding," said Ducati Malaysia head Dennis Michael.
A host of exclusive packages includes a 40 per cent offer on Desert X Bike Accessories Packages and a 35 per cent offer on Genuine DesertX Apparel Packages. The 2022 Ducati DesertX will be priced for ownership at RM112,900 (base selling price).
The first 20 units have been spoken for and the next batch will be in March just in time to be registered for Hari Raya.
